Health and social care brings smiles to millions of individuals and families. By and large, everyone must look after the most vulnerable in society. Yet, meeting people’s healthcare needs is a big challenge faced by the social care sector in the USA. As a result, there’s a growing demand for professionals who can provide physical, emotional and social support to those in need.
A health and social care degree can help you specialize in a specific area of healthcare and address people’s care issues. With it, you can pursue roles in health, social care, education and public services. Again, it offers long-term career prospects, with opportunities for promotion and higher wages.
In this blog, we will explore what health and social care is and how to make a positive influence on people’s lives. Also, we will explore how to use your health and social care degree effectively to move into a relevant position with confidence.
Table of Contents
What is Health and Social Care?
Health and social care is the term used for services offered by healthcare providers in the USA. Practitioners provide health support from initial care to rehabilitation. But, they must have strong social skills to build and maintain relationships with clients and families. It will result in better patient satisfaction and outcomes.
Caregivers work in various settings, like clinics, hospitals, schools and community centres. Their main duties include providing personal care and administering medication. Likewise, they perform household tasks and assist patients with meal preparation. In society, they play crucial roles in caring for vulnerable and disabled individuals.
Role of a Social Care Worker
The role of a social care worker varies depending upon their area of specialization. But, there are some duties expected by all social care workers that we have listed below:
- Help people with their daily living tasks
- Provide practical and emotional support
- Support people with mobility issues
- Building healthy relationships with patients
- Administer medications as per the company's policies and procedures
- Protect and promote peoples' wellbeing
How to Access Social Care Services?
People may need help with their day-to-day activities for an illness or disability. In such scenarios, the first step is to ask their local council’s social services department for a care needs assessment. The assessment will be carried out to identify whether they need social care support. Again, it will help decide what type of social care will meet their needs.
What’s the Difference Between ‘Healthcare’ and ‘Social Care’?
You may wonder if healthcare and social care are the same in duties. But, there are slight differences that you need to be aware of before starting your career in care.
Healthcare involves providing medical care to people and communities. It refers to treating, controlling and preventing disease, illness or disability. Besides, health care encompasses aftercare or post-operative treatment to those in need.
On the other hand, social care aims to help people with daily living activities. It involves addressing the physical, social and emotional needs of people. Conventionally, local authorities offer social care services, but care receivers may have to pay for it.
The 6 C’s in Health and Social Care
The 6 C’s are a set of shared values underpinning the level of social care workers should provide to achieve the best outcomes. The values help ensure all patients and service users receive the same high-quality and compassionate care.
Care
Compassion
Competence
Communication
Courage
Commitment
What is Safeguarding in Health and Social Care?
Safeguarding is the action taken to promote the health and well-being of people. All caregivers should be aware of their safeguarding responsibilities under the law. Thus, they can protect people from abuse and harm, including those in vulnerable groups. When people get the right support, they can make informed decisions about their lives.
How to Use Your Health and Social Care Degree Effectively?
Your degree is your starting point for a rewarding career in the healthcare industry. It can help you find many opportunities in areas like social care, education and health. But, you must know how to turn your health and social care degree into a lucrative career.
Once you’ve pursued your degree, you need to gain some work experience. As a result, you can earn practical skills to apply in real-life scenarios. This will improve your career confidence, which is essential for a successful profession.
You can gain work experience by interning for a health-related charity or social enterprise. Similarly, you can work part-time at a local hospital and see what it is like to work in the field. So, you can get insights into your role and find opportunities to advance your career. Remember that you should gain experience in the area of health that interests you.
Our Health and Social Care Course will help you amp up your skills and experience diverse job roles.
Health and Social Care Courses
SkillUp offers a range of health and social care courses to help you gain new skills, knowledge and certificates. Since the classes are 100% online, you can take them at work or home and have complete control over your studies. Moreover, you can access the materials anywhere worldwide until you have a stable internet connection.
The Health and Social Care – Level 3 will develop your expertise in patient care, social support, and ensuring healthy lives. Moreover, the Communication Skills in Health and Social Care course will explain what communication skills are important to support patients. The Health and Social Care Level 2 Course will introduce you to advanced healthcare concepts. Again, it will take you through the fundamental principles, policies, and legislation.
Fortunately, there are no entry requirements for enrolling in the courses. Again, they are convenient, and the instructors are available 24 hours a day to help you with your queries. Finally, you’ll get accredited certificates upon successful course completion to bolster your resume.
What are the Types of Health and Social Care Services?
The range of healthcare services patients can receive is endless. Let’s go through some of the services that exist within health and social care:
Residential Care
Those with complex needs often need residential care. In such care, professionals must help patients with their daily activities. Their job includes washing, bathing, dressing, eating and maintaining hygiene. Typically, it’s long-term care given to older adults and children in a residential setting for their health and well-being.
Residential care homes are like nursing homes. In the first place, both of them provide care and support 24 hours a day. However, nursing homes need registered nurses to be on-site and help patients with medical emergencies. On the other hand, residential care homes are for those who don’t need intense care but want a supportive living environment.
Day Care
This type of care is offered throughout the day, unlike the 24-hour support provided in residential care. Services are usually offered in daycare centres for those with complex physical or social care needs. Again, specially trained staff are available for those who need rehabilitation after an accident or illness.
Socialization is crucial for children to improve their self-esteem and confidence. In daycare facilities, children can learn how to communicate and develop healthy relationships with others of similar age. Thus, many working parents choose daycare centres to keep children safe while they work and prepare them for future schools. Similarly, it helps children build relationships in a supervised environment. Moreover, they can find their own interests and hobbies.
Assisted Living Facilities
There are older adults with disabilities who can live independently. Yet, they need help with their daily living routines and medications. Moving to assisted living is an excellent option to get hands-on assistance. Also, the level of care can be increased or decreased depending on the patient’s needs and preferences.
Extra housing facilities include socialization, safety and a productive lifestyle. But they aren’t suitable for elders with advanced health needs. So, residents may need ongoing medical care along with trained nursing services.
Community Care
In community care, people with different disabilities can live comfortably in their homes. This type of care aims to make society more inclusive for people with mental health concerns and disabilities. As a result, people can live with dignity and independence in the community. The support people get in community care includes washing, bathing, dressing and preparing meals.
Importance of Legislation in Health and Social Care
Legislation is essential to ensure workers perform their jobs well and protect public well-being. Besides that, it helps safeguard the rights and interests of everyone involved in the healthcare system. The legislation is crucial when working with vulnerable groups.
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Conclusion
Social care can make a life-changing difference to those in need. It gives patients comfort and health, without which life can be unpleasant. We hope this blog has improved your understanding of what health and social care is and your role as a care worker. We have also explained how to leverage your degree to pursue relevant jobs in health and social care.
FAQ
There are various skills and qualities that make an exceptional care worker. They are passion, dedication, patience, emotional intelligence, flexibility, empathy and friendliness.
The US government doesn’t provide health benefits to the country’s population. Whenever anyone receives medical care, someone has to pay for it. Although healthcare is costly, many US citizens have health insurance that protects them from high medical costs.
Communication in health and social care is essential in every way. By communicating well, caregivers can support patients emotionally. Moreover, they maintain patient’s privacy and develop working relationships. It will also help teams share ideas and views and make decisions in the patient’s best interests.
The duty of care is the legal obligation to protect the health and well-being of patients. It ensures workers are taking all reasonable steps to keep patients safe. Moreover, it ensures everyone associated with the care facility is safe from any personal, physical or emotional harm.
The health and social care standards are built upon five principles:
1. Dignity and respect
2. Compassion
3. Be included
4. Responsive care, and support
5. Wellbeing
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