Person Centred Care

Person centred care is at the heart of the National Quality Strategy and aims to deliver effective, safe, non-discriminatory and efficient health and social care. 

Being sensitive to inequalities and human rights within person-centred care means working in a way which responds to the life circumstances that affect people’s health. Evidence shows that if these issues are not taken into account by the health service, opportunities are missed to improve health and to reduce health inequalities.

Developing Person Centred Care that is Sensitive to Inequalities

NHSGGC has a number of programmes of work which aim to ensure that our services understand how to recognise and respond to the life circumstances that are affecting someone’s health.

For example, the Healthier Wealthier Children Project focuses on identifying and responding to the needs of people who have worries about money. While the Gender-based Violence Programme is developing the practice of sensitively asking service users about their experience of abuse.

Actions such as providing communication support, routinely asking about social issues such as money worries and stress and referring on as appropriate are key to delivering inequalities sensitive person centred care.

The current issues around Extreme Poverty and Destitution are likely to have a profound effect on NHSGGC patients. We are anticipating an increase in diseases relating to poverty and we can expect increased demand for mental health and primary care services and a negative impact on carers.

There are also a number of initiatives around workforce training and development.