The Importance Of Decision Making
When decisions are made, it is essential that the person in the middle of the process feels active. It is important to remember this, as I’ve seen far too many service users feel like they were just passive attendees at meetings and had little influence on what was said. It is easy to take the work that we do as managers or staff for granted, especially when it comes to meetings, bureaucracy and administration. Our services can appear overwhelming to people who use them. Many of our users are not confident enough to ask questions about what’s being said.
There are some steps you can take to help.
Step 1 – Service users should have a clear idea of who they would like to include in their care. Staff can help them identify additional specialists. The person may be living at home with family and receiving care. It may be that they are unaware of the special equipment available to them to help, such as hoists to bathe with.
Step 2: As you move along, keep an eye on the process. Make sure the user knows what’s happened. The communication method must be suitable for the service user. We must make sure, for instance, that service users who have difficulty reading the small print can access large print versions. It may happen that English isn’t the first language of a service user and they need an interpreter at every meeting.
Step 3 – If you find out that the user of a service has previously worked with another agency, then you will need to ask for their permission before obtaining them. All aspects of the service user’s care should be explained to them, including how to get information from others.
Step 4: It is essential to record this step and the user will be asked to confirm by signing that they agree to disclose certain information. At any time, if a user refuses to consent, it must be respected.
Step 5 – Obtain feedback . In the same way that we monitor every step of the process, we must also ensure that we regularly ask service users, friends and family for feedback. Positive feedback indicates that the process works well. Any concerns should be handled in a non-judgmental and efficient manner. It is the manager’s responsibility to support a customer who wishes to complain by ensuring that staff follow the proper procedures.
