1) Explain the concepts of equality, diversity and rights in relation to health and social care.
Equality: A commonly held idea about 'equality' is that it is 'treating everybody in the same way'. If we accepted that this was true it might mean that we expect a blind service-user to fill out a written form because that's the format we use with sighted people. Or we might think that the only way to communicate with people is by using spoken English, which clearly seems to ignore the potential, specific needs of those for whom English is a second language. Neil Thompson (2009) puts forward the case that equality is actually about 'treating people fairly regardless of any differences between them'. We might also describe this as treating people with the same degree of respect and consideration. Thompson's definition of equality is useful as it puts the emphasis on the thought processes behind particular actions, rather than suggesting that a particular behavior is useful for meeting all peoples' needs.

Diversity: There are many definitions of diversity but they all seem to have something in common, which is a concern with valuing peoples' differences. When we talk about differences between people we could be talking about a whole range of physical, cultural, political and religious differences. Clements (2008) suggests that it is partly about avoiding creating a 'monoculture' in which one size 'fits all'.
Differences between people can take many forms including skin