Addressing Restrictive Practices in Healthcare: A Commitment to Person-Centered Care

At HLTH Group, we recognise the pivotal significance of promoting safety, well-being, and dignity in healthcare settings. Recently, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) highlighted the concept of restrictive practices and their impact on individuals’ mental, physical, and emotional health and as the leader for CQC compliance support, we’re committed to shedding light on this important issue.

๐—จ๐—ป๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ ๐—ฃ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐˜€
Restrictive practice refers to actions that compel individuals to do something against their will or restrict their desired actions. It can lead to profound consequences on an individual’s overall well-being, potentially infringing on their human rights. While there may be limited situations where restrictive practices are used for safety reasons, they must be employed cautiously and ethically, ensuring the least restrictive approach is adopted.

๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—œ๐—บ๐—ฝ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜€ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ ๐—ฃ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐˜€
The effects of restrictive practices are multifaceted, affecting mental and physical health while potentially violating human rights. Our primary concern lies in the subtle forms of restrictive practices that can subtly become normalised responses in healthcare settings. These practices can inadvertently compromise person-centered and trauma-informed care, which is essential for the well-being of individuals.

๐—ฆ๐˜‚๐—ฏ๐˜๐—น๐—ฒ ๐—œ๐—ป๐˜€๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ ๐—ฃ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ:
๐—œ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐—ฃ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฑ๐˜‚๐—ฐ๐˜ ๐—จ๐˜€๐—ฒ: Encouraging individuals to use incontinence products to manage their restroom requirements primarily for staff convenience.
๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐—”๐—ฐ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—ช๐—ฎ๐—น๐—ธ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—™๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—บ๐—ฒ๐˜€: Placing walking frames out of reach, unintentionally limiting a person’s movement and confining them to a specific area.
๐—จ๐˜€๐—ฒ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—•๐—ถ๐—ฏ๐˜€ ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—™๐—ฒ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—–๐˜‚๐—ฝ๐˜€: Mandating the use of bibs and feeding cups, potentially diminishing an individual’s autonomy over mealtime choices.
๐—œ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐—ฝ๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฒ ๐—ช๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฒ๐—น๐—ฐ๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—ฟ ๐—จ๐˜€๐—ฎ๐—ด๐—ฒ: Insisting on wheelchair use even when individuals are capable and willing to walk, potentially impinging on their mobility.
๐—Ÿ๐—ถ๐—บ๐—ถ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐—ฉ๐—ถ๐˜€๐—ถ๐˜๐—ผ๐—ฟ, ๐—™๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฑ, ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—™๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ฑ ๐—”๐—ฐ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€: Denying access to visitors, friends, or meals due to staffing constraints or time limitations, inadvertently isolating individuals from essential social interactions and nourishment.

๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ฅ๐—ผ๐—น๐—ฒ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—Ÿ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€๐—ต๐—ถ๐—ฝ ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—–๐˜‚๐—น๐˜๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ฒ
To effect meaningful change, you will need to recognise the significance of leadership and culture within your organisation. This shift entails listening to individuals, understanding their unique needs and expressions, and responding proactively to avoid situations that escalate to restrictive practices. A key role of leadership is to create environments that prioritise trauma-informed care and recovery.

You can read more on restrictive practices on the CQC website. If you feel your organisation would benefit from receiving support from one of our experts, including leadership & culture training, or compliance support, please get in touch today..

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