My Health, My Faith, My Culture: A guide for healthcare practitioners

By Sue Timmins

Every patient, whatever their cultural background and religious affiliation, is entitled to receive healthcare that is sensitive, appropriate and person- centred. In the UK today, there are people from many different minority groups. There are also members of the host population who follow religions other than Christianity, either from birth or personal choice. The patient’s chosen or birth faith should always play an integral part in their care.

This helpful guide enables healthcare practitioners to rise to the challenge of providing culturally sensitive services by giving them an understanding of patients’ varying potential requirements and how to meet them.


ABOUT THIS GUIDE:

Part 1 Culture, religion and health
Chapter 1 – Introduction: Healthcare: patients’ rights and expectations
The ethnic composition of the population of the United Kingdom
Culture and health
Refugees and asylum seekers
Intolerance and prejudice – assimilation or integration
Inequalities in health
The research behind the production of this guide

Chapter 2 - Equipping healthcare providers to deliver appropriately sensitive care:
Education and training
Local documentation
Patient information documentation
Consultations • Interpretation facilities
Summary
Forms of address
Religious beliefs
Questions which you might like to ask yourself prior to a consultation

Part 2 The faiths
Chapter 3 – Major world religions: Buddhism
Christianity
Hinduism
Islam
Judaism
Paganism
Rastafarianism
Sikhism
Chapter 4 – Christian sects and faith groups: Jehovah’s Witnesses
Mormons
Plymouth Brethren
The Bruderhof Community
Chapter 5 – Other significant groups: The Chinese population, and Chinese medicine
The Roma (Romany) people, travellers, gypsies

• Language: English
• Publisher: M&K Update Ltd
• Release date: Mar 16, 2012
• ISBN: 9781907830808

Book preview

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Chapter 1

Introduction

Healthcare – patients’ rights and expectations

Primary healthcare was originally defined in 1978 by the Declaration of Alma Ata as:

‘...essential healthcare made universally acceptable to individuals and families in the community by means acceptable to them, through their full participation and at a cost which the community and the country can afford. It forms an integral part both of the country’s health system of which it is the nucleus, and of the overall social and economic development of that community.’

(World Health Organization, 1978)

As already mentioned, the 1997 UK Labour Government White Paper The New NHS: Modern, Dependable (SSfH, 1997) stated clearly the intention that everyone in the nation shall have:

‘...fair access to health services in relation to people’s needs, irrespective of geography, class, ethnicity, age or sex. For example, ensuring that black and minority ethnic groups are not disadvantaged in terms of access to services.’

(ibid., section 8, para. 5.ii)

It also stated that the then ‘renewed NHS’ would deliver:

‘...a personal service which is sensitive and responsive to the needs of individual patients...’

(ibid., section 7, para. 1)

Prior to the publication of that White Paper, The Patient’s Charter and You (DoH, 1996) had indicated to patients that, under the terms of the Patient’s Charter (DoH, 1991, subsequently revised in 1995 and 1997), they had a right to be treated fairly, irrespective of race, religion, or colour. The Patient’s Charter and You was available in many languages in the UK, thus enabling this information to be accessed by many non-English speaking members of the population. A greater awareness of their rights therefore raised patients’ expectations that their particular needs should at least be recognised, even if they could not always be met immediately by individual practitioners. The Patient’s Charter was itself abolished under the terms of the NHS 10-year plan in 2001, but the principles of fairness and equality of access to healthcare were established by its original publication, and were further clarified in the NHS Constitution for England (DoH, 2010).

The Constitution defines certain rights for NHS patients, including:

NHS Main Principles:

The NHS provides a comprehensive service, available to all irrespective of gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, religion or belief (DoH, 2010, p. 3).

NHS Values:

You [the patient] have the right to be treated with dignity and respect, in accordance with your human rights (DoH, 2010, p. 6).

Professor the Lord Darzi of Denham also commented in High Quality Care for All that (referring to the NHS):

‘It is also an excellent opportunity to pursue our duties to promote equality and reduce discrimination under the Equality and Human Rights Act.’

(DoH, 2008a, p. 21)

He further states throughout the document that patients have an increased expectation of personalised care, and the right to be treated with dignity