301 Task B
Case Study
You are a social care worker and a service user, Hannah, tells you that she is unhappy taking her new medication. She thinks she does not need it and so she is throwing it away. You know from her care plan that Hannah does need to take the medication regularly and gets confused. Hannah begs you to keep this confidential and not tell anyone especially her daughter, who she sees regularly, as her daughter will be very angry.
Bi How would you explain the term ‘confidentiality’ to Hannah?
I would be honest with Hannah and explain to her that I am not able to keep a secret as it is in her best interest that relevant people are informed in order to resolve any issues she may be having with her new medication.
I would explain to her that by sharing the information with her doctor he may be able to review the medication and look at an alternative. It is in her best interests that the information is shared with her doctor on this occasion to prevent any harm from not taking her medication properly.
BiiDescribe the possible tensions that may arise between telling others of Hannah’s decision and keeping this information totally confidential.
Hannah may feel like she is no longer able to speak freely to me and refuse to share further information. She might also isolate herself and feel she can’t trust anyone. I would need to ensure that I fully explain to Hannah that it is my duty of care to look after her well-being, and in doing so I would only inform the people that