What is the dignity in care initiative?
Patient dignity should be at the heart of all health and social care services.
Dignity is a basic human right that health and care providers should always prioritise when providing patients with any type of health or social care.
When a person is treated with dignity it helps to support their self-respect, self-esteem, and mental wellbeing. In health and social care settings, helping to maintain a person’s dignity can also support their overall wellness and recovery.
When you join the Dignity in Care initiative you receive advice on how to help improve the quality of our health and care services by championing the importance of dignity.
What is the Dignity in Care initiative?
The Dignity in Care campaign promotes putting dignity at the heart of health and care services.
The campaign encourages supporters, particularly carers and those providing health and social care services to sign up to become registered Dignity Champions and adhere to the campaign’s Ten Dignity Do’s.
The Ten Dignity Do’s are as follows:
- Have a zero tolerance for 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 positive self-esteem.
- Act to alleviate people’s loneliness and isolation.
What is the aim of the initiative?
The campaign aims to get people talking about the importance of dignity in care and help to initiate conversations that will change the culture of health and care services. The campaign aims to improve the quality of health and care services by putting the dignity of patients at the heart.
Who is the initiative targeted at?
The initiative is targeted at anyone who believes that being treated with dignity is a basic human right and would like to help improve our health and social care services.
The role of the campaign’s Dignity Champions is to:
- Challenge poor care.
- Act as good role models.
- Educate and inform those around them.
Anyone with a passion for the cause can become a Dignity Champion, including:
- Health and social care managers
- Health and social care frontline staff
- People who use care services
- The friends and relatives of those who use care services
- Councillors
- MPs
- Doctors
- Nurses
When was the Dignity in Care initiative introduced?
The campaign was launched in November 2006 by the National Dignity Council and operates as a charity.
To date, the campaign has attracted over 116,000 supporters to sign up and become Dignity Champions.
Health and social care workers can complete our training course Dignity in Care, Equality and Diversity and Care Planning Masterclass to learn more about how to advocate dignity in care.
For more information about our Dignity in Care training course, give our team a call today on 01772 816 922, send an email to admin@cba-training.co.uk, or book online to secure your place.