Level 5 Effective Communication, Information Handling & Complaints Management Assignment: Health and Social Care

Health and Social Care Learning Resources

Units Covered

• Unit 14: Effective Communication in the Workplace
• Unit 15: Handling Information
• Unit 11: Comments and Complaints in Adult Care

Learning Resources

Website and Resource

• Website for current government legislation
• Standard 6 of the Care Certificate: Skills for Care
• CQC: CQC Guidance
• Skills for Care: Complaints: Complaints Guidance

Helpful Hints and Tips

Section One:

Theoretical Models of Communication

• Argyle’s communication cycle
• Shannon and Weaver’s model of communication
• Schramm’s model of communication
• Walter Lippmann’s barriers to effective communication
• Scudder’s model
• Berlo SMCR Model of Communication
• Barnlund Communication Model
• Albert Mehrabian

Models and methods of conflict management and resolution

• Karl Marx
• Talcott Parsons
• The Thomas Kilmann Conflict Model: Accommodation, Compromise, Avoidance, Competition, Collaboration
• Concept of win-win

Section Two:

Requirements for handling information relevant legislation relating to the recording, storage and sharing of information in care settings, including:

• General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
• Freedom of Information Act 2000 • Other relevant legislation relating to the duty of confidentiality
• Human Rights Act 1998
• Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006
• Equality Act 2010
• Health and Social Care Act 2008, including all amendments
• Care Act 2014
• Codes of practice, including the Skills for Care Code of Practice for all care workers
• Relevant local or internal codes of practice relating to the handling of information and the accuracy, retention, availability, and disposal of information
• Importance of having secure information systems, ensuring necessary safeguards and appropriate use of personal information

Section Three:

Legislative framework

• The Local Authority Social Services and National Health Service Complaints (England) Regulations 2009
• Equality Act 2010
• Human Rights Act 1998
• General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR)
• Care Act 2014
• Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998.

Regulatory guidance

• Care Quality Commission (CQC)
• The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
• Local Government Ombudsman
• Healthwatch England
• Professional regulators (e.g., General Medical Council, Nursing and Midwifery Council)
• NHS Complaints Advocacy
• Clinical Commissioning Group

Codes of practice

• Set out minimum standards
• Promote dignity and respect
• Safeguarding
• Duty of care
• Effective communication
• Record keeping

Policy Development and Service Improvements

• Whistleblowing policy for staff
• Concerns, compliments, and complaints policy

Knowledge Tasks

Please take note of the following command verbs that you will come across in the knowledge activities below and what they mean in terms of the level of detail your answer requires:

• Describe – To describe something, you must give a detailed account of it. This must be written in full sentences and paragraphs.
• Explain: You need to ensure that your answer is clear, revealing relevant facts. This must be written in full sentences and paragraphs.
• Identify – Your answer should establish who or what something is. This can be in a list format.
• Summarise – Write down briefly the main points or essential features.
• Evaluate– You are required to look back on the effectiveness of something. When answering evaluation questions, you need to: make a judgment. Support this judgment with evidence that shows why you said it was effective or ineffective.
• Analyse– You are required to break down each topic into fundamental parts and critically examine each, providing in-depth discussions.

Referencing

The Harvard referencing system offers a standardised method for acknowledging sources and enhancing the credibility of your work. Harvard Style Guide

When you are citing information, you need to do the following:

• Book– include the author’s surname and initials, year of publication, title of the book (in italics), edition (if applicable), place of publication, and the name of the publisher.
• Journal articles– provide the author’s surname and initials, year of publication, article title (in single quotation marks), journal title (in italics), volume number, and page range.
• Online source– include the web address and the date you accessed the information.
• In-text citations – should include the author’s surname, publication year, and page number if quoting directly.

Consistency is key, so be diligent in following the Harvard referencing style throughout your academic journey, ensuring that your references are accurate and complete. Remember, proper referencing not only strengthens the validity of your work but also demonstrates academic integrity and respect for the intellectual contributions of others.

Plagiarism and the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

It is imperative to understand and adhere to the principles of academic integrity, particularly in avoiding plagiarism. Plagiarism involves presenting someone else’s work, ideas, or words as your own without proper acknowledgement.

This also includes the use of information generated from Artificial Intelligence. While you may use this for further research, you still need to ensure that it is cited correctly and that the information provided is accurate and valid.

When you copy and paste content from AI tools, websites, or other sources without proper citation, it’s considered unethical. Therefore, it’s imperative to always cite your sources accurately. When you copy text without comprehending its context, you miss out on the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the subject matter.

As you complete a work-based qualification, we strongly recommend that you recognise all opportunities to support your answers with examples of workplace practice.

We will also use tools to check for plagiarism and AI use, and your submission will be returned should this be detected.

Section One

Task 1: Communication Skills Evaluation

Activity:

Research and identify at least 3 different communication skills, methods and models.

Evaluate each one and describe the circumstances in which they may be most appropriately used in a health and social care setting.

Create a presentation or document highlighting your findings and recommendations.

English: research and presentation

Digital skills: presentation creation

Task 2: Conflict Management Models

Activity:

Compare and contrast two different models of conflict management and conflict resolution.

Analyse the key components of each model and provide examples of how they can be applied in a workplace scenario.

Reflect on a scenario where you have managed conflict and evaluate skills that underpin conflict management and conflict resolution techniques

Develop a flowchart illustrating the steps involved in each model.

Task 3: Overcoming Communication Barriers

Activity:

Identify at least 5 barriers to effective communication in the workplace.

Develop strategies to overcome each barrier and provide real-life examples of how these strategies can be applied.

Reflect a scenario where you demonstrated overcoming a communication barrier with a colleague.

Task 4: Communication Skills Analysis

Activity:

You are required to complete a written analysis on how communication skills underpin the achievement of positive outcomes for individuals and others, the leadership and management of teams and sustainable relationships and partnerships in health and social care settings.

Section Two

Task 1: Role Evaluation

Activity:

Research your role and responsibilities in effective information management within a health and social care setting.

Identify any gaps in your knowledge or skills related to handling information.

Task 2: Data Breach Response

Activity:

Explore different scenarios or reflect on an example from your practice of data breaches in a health and social care setting.

Create a step-by-step guide on how to respond to a data breach, including reporting procedures.

Task 3: Business Continuity Plan

Activity:

Investigate the importance of a business continuity plan in ensuring data and cybersecurity within a service.

Develop a proposal on how to initiate your service’s business continuity plan.

Task 4: Training Needs Analysis

Activity:

Conduct a training needs analysis for your team in relation to handling information.

Create a training plan to address the identified needs. (You may have one already that you can use for this activity)

Section Three

Task 1: Analyse Comments and Complaints Relationship

Activity:

Research and identify a real-life case study of a comment or complaint in an adult care setting. (You may have an example from your own experience)

Analyse how the management of this comment or complaint relates to risk management and safeguarding practices.

Task 2: Review Regulatory Requirements

Activity:

Search online for the regulatory requirements related to managing comments and complaints in adult care.

Create a comparison chart between the regulatory requirements, codes of practice and guidance related to this topic.

Task 3: Understanding Reluctance to Raise Comments

Activity:

List potential reasons why individuals using services may be reluctant to raise comments or complaints.

Develop strategies to address these reasons and encourage service users to voice their concerns.

Task 4: Continuous Improvement Approaches

Activity:

Brainstorm attitudes and approaches that can help ensure comments and complaints lead to continuous service improvement

Create an action plan outlining steps to implement these attitudes and approaches in a care setting.

Criteria Covered

Unit 14 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 3.4

Unit 15 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.3

Unit 11 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4