Empowerment, risk and choice

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Empowerment, risk and choice
Helen Dixon
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Empowerment and choice

• The person is at the centre of care
• They have real choices over how they live their
  lives
• They can take opportunities to do things
  differently
• The potential consequences must be clear

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Green Paper to White Paper

• Independence, Well-being and Choice
• Consulted on what was the right balance in
  managing risks

• Our health, our care, our say
• Made a commitment to develop a national
  approach to risk in social care

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Life is full of risks, and risk can be a positive
thing

• Examples

• Cooking a meal is risky, especially for an
  elderly person living alone

• Going out alone is risky, especially for someone
  with learning disabilities

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The Vision

• As far as possible everyone will be given the
  opportunity to live their lives as they see fit

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Values

• the individual is valued in whatever setting
• everyone should have choices and feel in control
• rights of service users and their family care
  givers are promoted, though they will sometimes
  conflict
• it is neither possible nor desirable to eradicate
  all risk

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This means

• people who use services understand their
  responsibilities and the implications of their
  choices, including any risks involved
• front-line staff feel supported in their
  assessment of risk and in decision making

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We want to achieve our vision by

• Ensuring the care planning process always
  supports informed decisions
• Addressing risk-aversion
• Dispelling fears of litigation

• Tackling the blame culture in organisations and
  the media
• Promoting best practice for inter-agency working

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A national approach to risk

• All adult users of social care services in
  England
• For social care staff and other practitioners,
  including in voluntary and private sectors
• Also for NHS staff managing care or co-ordinating
  packages of care in multi-disciplinary teams
• Practical guidance and tools by early 2007

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Issues

• where and how to draw the line in risk decision
  making -what is reasonable?
• balancing choice and risk - the cost of not
  allowing individuals to make choices (wasted
  lives)
• decision making where people disagree who has
  the final say?

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Contact details

• Helen Dixon
• Helen.dixon_at_dh.gsi.gov.uk
• 020 7972 4446
• Caroline Godleman
• Caroline.godleman_at_dh.gsi.gov.uk
• 07979 713235