Promote communication in health, social care or children’s and young people’s settings.
Unit 4222/301
Andrea Nemcova

People communicate with one another for various reasons. To clarify and seek information, form relationships with one another ,to socialise, to find answers an understanding of something.
People also communicate in various ways such as verbal, non-verbal (sign language) electronically or written.
Communication is an important part of everyday life.When communicating in the work place different professional boundaries and legislation (Data Protection act 1998) needs to be followed and met all of which can affect relationships positively and negatively.
Communication amongst colleagues and outside agencies is vital within the Health and social care sector. Part of my job role is to regularly attend team meetings where we discuss different issues related to our work. When talking to colleagues it is acceptable to use abbreviations and lingo as we all understand it. If a member of outside agency attends staff meeting it is very important to use the language we all would understand
Quite often we are working with vulnerable people who have been though experiences that could have left them feeling a lack of trust towards someone they may have trusted previously. Therefore in order to gain a client’s confidence and trust it is important to not only communicate with them in relation to making sure information is understood, it is important to inform them of any appointment or change and keep them generally informed of all situations regarding their treatment. This will show them that they are valued and respected.
Communication of any client information with outside agencies should always be documented in the client’s case notes an email clarifying the previous discussion is good practise as not only is it proof that the discussion took place but it also confirms what information was discussed at what time and on what date. All emails containing personal or sensitive information should be sent using a secure server which most workplaces have. Using a personal email account is not acceptable.
To promote communication within our job role whether it is between ourselves and the client or colleagues is something that should apply as standard procedure. Keeping everyone up to date and well informed of situations or new information change which can be done electronically, verbally on a one to one basis or in team meetings, handovers or supervision is a positive way to promote effective communication.

To promote effective communication it is important to take into account that we might come across to barriers which could result in misunderstandings, misinterpretations or complete failure to communication. There are many important factors to be considered in order to promote effective communication
Some people may not use English as their first language and may not be able to communicate as quickly or clearly, an interpreter may be required.
I have recently visited client whose first language was German. Although he could speak English I felt that some words were not quite clear to him therefore after gaining his verbal consent I have asked his wife who is English and can fluently speak German, to assist with translation if necessary Disability, cultural backgrounds and age can also have an impact on communication as some cultures can express themselves in different ways. Some cultures not allow physical contact (hand shake) or engage eye contact where as others do.
Someone of a different generation may not understand certain terminology ,or accents which could make it harder for a person to fully understand. Tone of voice can be misinterpreted as aggressive or threatening if spoken louder than usual. Good practice would be to ask someone to slow down when speaking and ask them to explain the meaning of anything which is not totally understood.
Asking a person if they have a disability that may affect them