SCIE Practice guide 09: Dignity in care
Dignity challenge
Since he took office the Care Services Minister, Ivan Lewis, has been talking to a wide range of people, including providers of care services, organisations who represent people who use services, people who use services themselves and their carers.
Through these listening events and an online survey, a lot has been learned about what dignity means to older people. Two things in particular have become very clear. The first is that being treated with dignity really matters to people, but the second is that people are not clear about what they should expect from a service that respects dignity.
The Dignity Challenge lays out the national expectations of what constitutes a service that respects dignity, based on the learning of the last nine months. It focuses on ten different aspects of dignity - the things that matter most to people.
Ivan Lewis is now challenging everyone - those who provide services, those who receive services and those who commission services - to see how services measure up to the Challenge.
What is the Dignity Challenge?
The Dignity Challenge is a clear statement of what people can expect from a service that respects dignity. It is backed up by a series of 'dignity tests’ that can be used by providers, commissioners and people who use services to see how their local services are performing.
The Dignity Challenge
High quality care services that respect people's dignity should:
- have a zero tolerance of all forms of abuse.
- support people with the same respect you would want for yourself or a member of your family.
- treat each person as an individual by offering a personalised service.
- enable people to maintain the maximum possible level of independence, choice and control.
- listen and support people to express their needs and wants.
- respect people’s right to privacy.
- ensure people feel able to complain without fear of retribution.
- engage with family members and carers as care partners.
- assist people to maintain confidence and a positive self-esteem.
- act to alleviate people’s loneliness and isolation.
Who are we challenging?
- It is a challenge to service providers to ensure their services respect dignity.
- It is a challenge to commissioners to ensure they commission only services that respect dignity
- It is a challenge to the public to test how their local services measure up and to tackle rather than tolerate services that don’t respect dignity.
For further information or to order dignity challenge cards, you can either call the Dignity in Care line on 0207 972 4007, or email dignityincare@dh.gsi.gov.uk. Please state the number of cards you would like and a full postal address.
If you are interested in becoming a Dignity Champion, call the Dignity in Care line or visit the Dignity in Care Champions Network website to register.
How this guide can support you to meet the Dignity Challenge
This guide contains a wealth of information, advice, best practice and other resources to help support organisations to drive up standards of dignity in care.
Identified under each Challenge statement is a selection of ideas from practice so you can read about how others have tackled these issues - each section includes more.
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