Background and Context

The study concerns the analysis and evaluation of the ethical code of conduct that have to be maintained by workers engaged in socially beneficial activities. The role being considered is that of a manager of a new elderly Care Home. The significant personal responsibilities and responsibilities as a leader need to be discussed in accordance with its significant impact concerning the organization.

As the manager it becomes an important duty of the individual to work according to the responsibilities that are vested on the individual. Moreover, it becomes important that the manager concerns himself with the effective working of his subordinates. In a Care Home it becomes extremely important that all forms of ethical conduct codes are strongly followed. Following the code becomes more important as the people who are being served through the care home are vulnerable elderly people with special needs. It is important that all the workers that would be engaged in providing the necessary support to the elderly are completely aware of their responsibilities. It is more important to understand the ethical code of conduct that are associated with the profession. The employees need to be directed in accordance with the duties and responsibilities that they will handle from the beginning. Before the arrival of the directors the manager has to clarify the responsibilities each individual employee will hold.

Adult care is an important issue concerning the health care and adult social care functions of various government healthcare and subsidiary healthcare organizations working in the UK. The code of conduct in regards to adult care specifies the standards of behaviour and the minimum knowledge that is necessary for the care workers (GOV.UK 2018). The code of conduct is concerned with the behavioural aspect of conduct and the Care Certificate concerns itself with the relevant knowledge that any care workers must have in order to take care of the responsibilities in proper fashion. The code of conduct is issued by the department of health. This code of professional conduct will be the most relevant for the workers of the Care Home to abide by.

The code being considered is the code of conduct for Healthcare and Adult social care support workers established by the Department of Health in England, UK. The code concerns with the roles, duties and responsibilities of people engaged in healthcare or adult social care services (Skillsforcare.org.uk 2018). The codes have been established in order to ensure the provision of compassionate and high standard care and support to elderly individuals. Moreover the code is concerned with providing strict guidelines on the basis of which individuals or organizations that are not properly undertaking their responsibilities can be challenged. The essentials of the code are to be effectively discussed.

As per the code, firstly, a care worker should be accountable for his/her individual action and be answerable for omissions or actions.

Secondly, the individual worker must uphold and promote the dignity, rights, privacy, wellbeing and health of the people that are being served all the time.

Analysis of Relevant Professional Code of Conduct

Thirdly, the workers should collaborate essentially with their colleagues towards delivering high quality services that conform with the important safety, health and wellbeing standards to the elderly people they serve.

Fourthly, the all the workers associated with the care and support of elderly people need to maintain strong communication with the people they serve and promote health, safety and wellbeing in effective ways.

Fifthly, there should be respect for the privacy and confidentiality of an individual.

Sixthly, continuous professional development should be the main focus of the care workers in order to improve the support, care and healthcare quality provided to the individuals.

Seventhly, the workers should strive towards promoting diversity, equality and inclusion through their work.

The aspects of the code are focused towards helping the employees of the organization grow and develop in their field of work and become truly professional, ethical and responsible individuals (Anderson, McKee and Talbot 2017). It is important to note that the care home will be serving people that are elderly and vulnerable. This increases the responsibilities of the concerned individuals manifold. Firstly, there is a great need for effective decisions making as the wellbeing of the individuals are dependent on the same. Hence the individual employees of the care home should be accountable for his/her actions and take full responsibility for their conduct. Secondly, the rights of the people should be upheld at any cost as this is an important aspect of the care that will be provided to them (Traynor et al.  2015). Thus, their wellbeing is actually associated with the dignity of their lives. Thirdly, collaboration is important in this field of work as this will help the workers to work in an organized manner to cater to the requirements of each patient. Moving forward, it is much important that proper levels of communication is maintained. This is important for the workers of the care centre as they are responsible not only towards assisting the wellbeing of the elderly but also provide them with enough mental strength to develop healthy and positive mind-set (Tarzian, Wocial and ASBH Clinical Ethics Consultation Affairs Committee 2015). Fifthly, it becomes important for the workers that the right to confidentiality of a person is respected. This is because the individuals might be suffering from illnesses that they might not want to disclose to anyone. Hence, it becomes crucial responsibility of the workers that they strive towards ensuring the confidentiality of the people whom they serve. Sixthly, the workers should always strive towards improving the standards of their work (Roberts and Reich 2002). This is mainly to ensure that the individuals can receive the best possible support for their wellbeing. Professionalism is much required in this field of work. In the end it becomes much important to promote diversity, inclusion and equality through the work that the organization essentially does and promotes. The UK is a multicultural country where the basic culture and needs of each individual should be respected. In the healthcare and adult care professions there is no tolerance for discrimination or discriminatory behaviour and all the patients should be treated equally. The maintenance of the code is important with respect to each of the guidelines that have been provided. The code can help towards improving the productivity and acceptability of the organization. Moving forward, it can establish a model for other similar organizations to follow.

Case Study: Ethical Theories and Approaches for Resolving an Issue

I would call the police at the bus stop within the busy town center in the event of noting any kind of suspicious activity. The young lady was wearing a hooded sweatshirt even though the weather warm and this signifies that something was wrong with the state of affairs. The hoody was being used by the woman to cover her head which means that she was trying to hide herself from the outside world. The woman wearing the dark sunglasses revealed that she was up to some kind of wrong doing and this would require the dire attention of the police. The nervous mechanisms of the woman signified that she was involved in something that was against the interest of the common people. The woman was continuously pacing up and down which means that she was involving herself in an anti-social act. The activity of the woman being suspicious would draw my attention and hence I would immediately call the police. I had witnessed that a friend of the woman was had come and shook hands that suggested that they were into some kind of act together (Murphy 2016). The exchanging of the envelope signalled the fact that an important message was being delivered in between the two parties.  It can hence be said that an important message was being communicated that was being carried out in a secretive manner. The message can be from a terrorist group that can have criminal intentions. I would instantly call the police and inform them about the course of events that I have seen in front of my eyes. The fact that there were schoolchildren who were waiting at bus stop signifies that their lives can be threatened in the event of police not being informed immediately (Lai and Wang 2016). I would inform the police since that I have overheard the fact that a person would drop off a parcel at the bus stop within ten minutes and this suggests that grave threat can befall on the lives of the children in the event of no steps being taken on immediate basis.

There are different kinds of ethical approaches that can be taken for resolving an issue. In the light of this event utilitarian, virtue and the common good approach can help in resolving this situation of crisis (Ananny 2016). The utilitarian approach identifies the individuals who would be affected by the action and the benefits and the harms that can be derived from adopting a particular course of action. Utilitarian approach can help in choosing action that can help in producing greatest benefits along with least harm. Utilitarian approach can help in providing greatest good for that of greatest number of the people (Easton-Calabria and Allen 2015). Virtue approach in relation to ethics states that there exist certain kinds of ideals towards which an individual should strive. These ideals can help in developing humanity and it can be discovered with the help of thoughtful reflection. The virtue approach can help an individual in pursuing ideals that people have adopted (Prior 2016). The acquiring of virtues helps in becoming characteristics of a person. A person who has been successful in developing virtues would be disposed to act in a manner that is consistent with the moral principles. A person who is virtuous can be termed as an ethical person. The virtue approach focusses on attitudes along with dispositions that can help an individual in developing the human potential. Common good approach assumes that society comprises of individuals and the good of an individual in society is linked to that of good of the entire community (Lucas, Van Wee and Maat 2016). The members of a community pursues the common goods along with goals in the society. This approach focuses on the social policies along with social systems that can help in benefitting everyone in the society.

Legal and Diversity Considerations for Job Adverts

The approach that I would take for resolving the issue by calling the police is the virtue approach. The virtue approach would compel me to act the police as it can be helpful in developing the entire humanity. Virtue approach is a major approach in relation to normative ethics and it can be taken recourse to for making a call to the police station in the event of noting some action that can prove to be injurious for the whole society. This approach helps in emphasizing on moral character and it helps in emphasizing on the result of an action. A virtuous person is a person who is morally good and who workers for the welfare of the entire society (Vinnari, Vinnari and Kupsala 2017). Generosity, honesty, compassion and courage are crucial aspects in relation to the virtue approach. I chose this particular approach as it can help me in protecting lives of the people who are in the busy town center. The trait of generosity will be displayed by me in the event of calling the police as my decision can help in serving the needs of the greater community. It as an act that is selfless as it does not concern me but the wider interests of the society. The particular act of calling the police would be able to serve other people and it can help in offering protection to other people (Stenmark 2017). Honesty can be revealed by the fact that I am staying honest to my feelings as I am going forward to help other people. Compassion would be revealed by the fact that my decision of calling police can be of help to the young children who may lose their life on account of the act of terrorism that may take place on the street. The calling of the police can help them in taking steps and precautions that can protect the children from any kind of harm. The arriving of the police can serve a useful purpose as it can help in protecting the lives of the people who are near the bus stop where the act of terrorism can take place (Han 2015). The courage would be brought out because this action would need me to take immediate action. Prompt action on my part can help in protecting the people who are on the road and it can save them from any kind of harm that may befall on them.

According to me, the advertisement that is named as “IT & Communication Opportunity” can be stated to be legal and on the basis of the diversity laws in UK. The advertisement states that there should be better representation within the diverse society and hence it can be stated that this advertisement is on the basis of the Equality and the Diversity Laws that exists in UK. The advertisement states that the London office is running scheme for the people who have disabilities in the society and it can hence be stated that the second job advertisement called IT & Communication opportunity is in tandem with the equality along with diversity laws present in UK (Jayawickreme et al. 2014). The advertisement states that this placement can help the young people in UK into the environment of IT along with the communication environment. Equality along with diversity helps in championing equality along with diversity in the United Kingdom. It helps in promoting equality of opportunity for everyone and it gives the chance to the individuals that can help them in achieving the potential.

The UK legislation states that the public authorities should promote equality and that the organisations should meet legal duties and promote the aspect of equality. The Equality Act 2010 of UK states that there should be legal requirements under the existing legislation that can help in the promotion of equality in various areas (Legislation.gov.uk 2018).  The Commission of Equality and Human Rights is there that aims in reducing inequality and in eliminating discrimination. It strengths the good relations that exist between the people and it protects the human rights (Equalityhumanrights.com 2018).  Equality and Human Rights Commission can challenge the prejudice and it can promote the significance of the human rights. The Equality Act of 2010 states that in the event of a person having physical or that of mental impairment, the employers along with the service providers should make important adjustments. It can hence be stated that that it is of great importance that the organizations should create laws that can help in the aspect of inclusion of all kinds of people in the organization (Ferrero, Guitian and Sison 2018). The other advertisement called “Refugees Hostel Workers” can be stated to be not legal as there is no provision for the people who have disability in this advertisement. It does not take into account the problems that the people in the society face. It gives details about Reference, Department, Working Hours and Salary but it does not furnish much amount of information on the inclusion of people having disabilities. It can hence be remarked that this advertisement is not framed in a legal manner. There should have been some kind of provision for the people suffering from disabilities in the advertisement (Annas 2015).

Positive action refer to the measures that targets protected groups that can encourage members of the group for minimising the aspect of disadvantage. It can help in meeting different needs of protected group and it encourages the persons in the protected group for participating within an activity. Equality Act 2010 in UK ss 158-159 can be used pertaining to context of the employment that helps in allowing selection of the candidates from the “under-represented” groups. The positive action has been demonstrated with the help of the second advertisement as it has talked about the inclusion of people who have disabilities. Positive discrimination helps in making sure that the women along with the smaller racial groups can get fair share in relation to opportunities (May 2017). It states that there should be provision or the special opportunities in relation to employment along with training. The second advertisement talks about a scheme that deals with the individuals having disabilities. The UK Equality & Diversity Laws states that there should be there should be provisions that caters to the needs of the people coming from diverse communities. The Job 2 advertisement also states that it can help in introducing the young people into the field of IT along with Communication. This advertisement also states that they regret that that the people having experience in the field of IT & Communication cannot apply for this placement offer. It thus helps to reveal that this advertisement attaches special importance to the people who are marginalised and needs opportunities for proving themselves. The Job 2 advertisement called IT & Communication opportunity can be stated to be legal as it is on the basis of Equality Act 2010 of UK.

References

Ananny, M., 2016. Toward an ethics of algorithms: Convening, observation, probability, and timeliness. Science, Technology, & Human Values, 41(1), pp.93-117.

Anderson, M., McKee, C. and Talbot, T., 2017. Investing UK aid in a global skills partnership: better health at home and abroad.“. CGD policy paper. Washington, DC: Center for Global Development.

Annas, J., 2015. Applying virtue to ethics. Journal of Applied Philosophy, 32(1), pp.1-14.

Easton-Calabria, E. and Allen, W.L., 2015. Developing ethical approaches to data and civil society: from availability to accessibility. Innovation: The European Journal of Social Science Research, 28(1), pp.52-62.

Equalityhumanrights.com (2018). What is the Equality Act? | Equality and Human Rights Commission. [online] Equalityhumanrights.com. Available at: https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/equality-act-2010/what-equality-act [Accessed 13 Dec. 2018].

Ferrero, I., Guitian, G. and Sison, A.J.G., 2018. Business Ethics: A Virtue Ethics and Common Good Approach.

GOV.UK. (2018). Department of Health and Social Care. [online] Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-of-health-and-social-care

Han, H., 2015. Virtue ethics, positive psychology, and a new model of science and engineering ethics education. Science and Engineering Ethics, 21(2), pp.441-460.

Jayawickreme, E., Meindl, P., Helzer, E.G., Furr, R.M. and Fleeson, W., 2014. Virtuous states and virtuous traits: How the empirical evidence regarding the existence of broad traits saves virtue ethics from the situationist critique. School Field, 12(3), pp.283-308.

Lai, E. and Wang, L., 2016. the choice of ethical approaches to care issues for people with disabilities in Taiwan: Policy choices and their consequences. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 60(7), p.794.

Legislation.gov.uk (2018). Equality Act 2010. [online] Legislation.gov.uk. Available at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/contents [Accessed 13 Dec. 2018].

Lucas, K., Van Wee, B. and Maat, K., 2016. A method to evaluate equitable accessibility: combining ethical theories and accessibility-based approaches. Transportation, 43(3), pp.473-490.

May, L. ed., 2017. Applied ethics: A multicultural approach. Routledge.

Murphy, S.P., 2016. Contemporary Ethical Approaches to the Practice of Assistance and Foundational Accounts of Moral Duty. In Responsibility in an Interconnected World (pp. 35-59). Springer, Cham.

Prior, W.J., 2016. Virtue and knowledge: An Introduction to ancient Greek ethics. Routledge.

Roberts, M.J. and Reich, M.R., 2002. Ethical analysis in public health. The Lancet, 359(9311), pp.1055-1059.

Skillsforcare.org.uk. (2018). [online] Available at: https://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/Documents/Standards-legislation/Code-of-Conduct/Code-of-Conduct.pdf

Stenmark, M., 2017. Environmental ethics and policy-making. Routledge.

Tarzian, A.J., Wocial, L.D. and ASBH Clinical Ethics Consultation Affairs Committee, 2015. A code of ethics for health care ethics consultants: Journey to the present and implications for the field. The American Journal of Bioethics, 15(5), pp.38-51.

Traynor, M., Nissen, N., Lincoln, C. and Buus, N., 2015. Occupational closure in nursing work reconsidered: UK health care support workers and assistant practitioners: a focus group study. Social science & medicine, 136, pp.81-88.

Vinnari, M., Vinnari, E. and Kupsala, S., 2017. Sustainability Matrix: Interest Groups and Ethical Theories as the Basis of Decision-Making. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, 30(3), pp.349-366.