Caring with Dignity – the importance of supervision in delivering good care

In a previous blog I have mentioned the Ofsted report, High Expectations, High Support and High Challenge, where the importance of supervision in delivering good outcomes for children was highlighted. I was reminded of this listening to Lord Justice Munby talking about the importance of dignity in how services are provided to those most vulnerable and dependent in society affected by issues of capacity .  If carers can be cared about and looked after by the provision of good reflective supervision and support in undertaking the demanding work that is asked of them then they rise to the tasks and deal with service users with dignity. If carers are treated disrespectfully themselves then perhaps we should be less surprised that this gets passed on to service users.

Obviously I do not condone poor practice and situations where people are treated inhumanely. However there needs to be greater understanding of the dynamics that affect providing good care. Support for staff is an essential element. From the cradle to the grave human beings respond better to praise and encouragement than bullying and harassment.

As the title of the Ofsted report makes clear the key ingredients to effective performance are “High Expectations, High Support and High Challenge”. It’s not living with complacency or expecting an easy life, it’s about helping people to develop and improve,  being supported to work with service users, their families and other professionals to give the best possible care and treatment and expecting to be challenged about how to maintain those standards .

If you would like to know more about the centrality of supervision to good practice;

Practice Matters is running an Effective Supervision Skills workshop on 5th December 2012 in Dorchester

Aims:

. To improve the supervision and management practice of Managers and other staff who may have
supervisory responsibility
. To explore what we mean by supervision and the expectations of those who are being supervised
including at different aspects of the Skills for Care Performance Management continuum.
. Explore the benefits of supervision and how it fits into a performance management framework
. Increasing understanding of when and how to give appropriate constructive feedback to staff.
. Improve communication between senior staff and those they are supervising: assertiveness &
listening skills, empathy
. Formal supervision: contracting, setting agendas and record-keeping

If you are a registered manager or know of others who are or have staff working in senior positions within registered care providers and would welcome the opportunity to build on your knowledge and skills about supervision then please get in touch with Joy Kelly on 07590 661781 or email joy.kelly@ntlworld.com