Core Principles of Quality of Care
Quality of care aims to increase positive outcomes and improve well-being, which is achievable when systems focus on the following core principles:
- Person-centred care
- Dignity and respect
- Safety
- Safeguarding
- Governance
- Staffing
These principles guide the health and social care industry, from finding the best clinicians to using improvement frameworks and policies based on scientific methodologies. The healthcare system in the UK is gradually improving its services by taking steps towards progress.
Person-Centred Care
Person-centred care is an approach that focuses on people’s unique needs, strengths and desires and puts people’s care and support at the heart of every action. Person-centred care revolves around people’s identity, personality and unique abilities rather than focusing on treating everyone with the same approach. Person-centred care is rooted in years of experience practising a humanised, holistic and personalised model of care.
This human-based approach aims to empower people to be heard and respected and provide equal opportunities for everyone to live fulfilling lives in their homes and the community.
As a testament to our dedication to person-centred care, read more in our case study about one of our service users, Elijah, who was born with Apert Syndrome.
Dignity and Respect
Dignity and respect are important for maintaining self-esteem and are a fundamental right. It includes respect for people’s abilities, what they can do, and who they are, embracing the life they’ve lived. Dignity and respect are seen as central principles of equality and quality of care.
Safety
Safety as a core principle of quality of care entails avoiding harm and the risk of harm to people under care. Everyone should receive safe care and treatment and not be at risk of harm. All providers must risk assess a person’s health and safety during any course of care and ensure all team members have the required qualifications, skills, competence and experience to guarantee safety.
Safeguarding
Safeguarding entails protecting people’s health and wellbeing, prioritising human rights, and enabling people to live free from neglect, abuse and harm. Safeguarding is an essential part of providing high-quality care, and it is a collective responsibility that includes the following:
- Preventing neglect
- Unnecessary limits on people’s freedom
- Providing the right to choose
Governance
All care providers must have care plans that ensure people’s needs are met to the highest standards. Clinicians and care providers need to have effective governance systems that follow the quality and safety of care, which also helps to improve services and reduce risks to safety, health and welfare.
Staffing
Clinicians must be qualified, skilled, and experienced to meet people’s needs. All clinicians need proper training and supervision to perform their jobs to the highest standard. Furthermore, care providers must ensure that only qualified clinicians provide care within their area of expertise and scope of practice. This is done by having efficient recruitment procedures and carrying out background checks and work history.
Challenges in Quality of Care
Measuring the quality of care is a challenge in itself. Providers, care recipients, families and clinicians define the quality of care differently, translating into different quality evaluations.
However, the main challenges in quality of care in the UK include:
- Workforce shortages – the UK is facing a shortage of doctors, nurses, GPs, and other healthcare professionals. Currently, the health services operate with 150,000 fewer full-time staff than required.
- Mental health professionals – 1 in 4 individuals in the UK have been diagnosed with a mental health challenge, highlighting the need for greater access to mental health support and more professionals in the field.
- Funding and resources – challenges with funding and access to resources are an ongoing challenge for the NHS, which is causing delays in treatment and care.
The Road to Improved Quality of Care
Quality of care plays a crucial role in fostering positive outcomes, and by utilising evidence-based practices, the health and social care industry can ensure people receive effective care plans tailored to their individual needs.
Evidence-based solutions are a great approach to health and social care where decisions are based on the available evidence from research studies, which include evaluating existing protocols and treatments that can identify the most effective way to provide services. Quality of care improvement helps the health and social care system identify areas of improvement and create new strategies to improve outcomes for people, including creating processes and protocols that focus on people’s differences and developing quality standards. These initiatives can ensure that all health providers are delivering quality care.
Implementing improvement processes ensures continual growth, focusing on addressing the root causes of challenges, incorporating teamwork and developing best practices. The road to better quality of care involves setting goals, analysing data, creating creative solutions and implementing changes to make a positive impact.
How Unique Community Services Emphasises Quality of Care
Unique Community Services provides personalised support to people with complex care needs and transforms the lives of the people we serve for the better.
We welcome feedback from health and social care professionals, with some of them saying:
“They stand out in this regard; they contacted me promptly, communicated issues well, always readily available for meetings, provided and provide the fullest information where further support from commissioners is required.” – JD
“They were fully engaged with processes including training that our team offered, and the staff individually were some of the most engaged and proactive staff I’ve seen.” – MT
“They were part of Multi-Disciplinary Teams on a weekly basis, and their input was invaluable, and I was very impressed. I work with many services offering both residential and domiciliary support, and it was refreshing to work with such a competent, confident and proactive service”. – SH
Clinicians should prioritise keeping people’s best interests at heart while empowering them with maximum choice and control over their lives. Unique Community Services provides responsive and tailored support, understanding the unique needs and preferences of the people we serve.
Our clinicians are excellent communicators, and they use innovative technologies and tools that allow people to express their ideas, wants and needs. By training clinicians in Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) and incorporating PBS in all care plans, the focus is placed on well-being, and managing behaviours that challenge without using restrictive practices. Our highly trained clinicians focus on building relationships with the person receiving care, their loved ones, and other professionals.
We are committed to being a catalyst for change, improving health and social outcomes for everyone we serve.
Contact us today to see what our outstanding clinicians and teams can do for you.
