Section 1-Introduction
The concept of service user involvement takes the service user into account. The concept revolves around empowerment and more participation from service users. However, it may be challenging for taking some groups of people into the jurisdiction of service user involvement. One such group represents Travellers and Gypsies. These people have learning disabilities, and they may not involve the service provided to them.
Section 2- Background to Service User involvement
Service user involvement includes the involvement of users of the service, whether they are using it or have used it. Their participation is in the planning, development, and service delivery to make the process of service provision relevant. It also increases the effectiveness of the process because it is better shared and collaborative. These elements of service user involvement as planning, development, and service delivery make the field. The relationship of service users is possible through providing them empowerment and personalising the service for them. The service user and the service provider may also choose co-production because it involves the efforts of both parties (McFadden et al., 2018). The legislation related to service user involvement is the Equality Act 2010 and the Health and Social Care Act 2012. Service user involvement removes any inequality in the process of health or social care. These acts ensure that diverse communities of society can get appropriate access to service design and guidance through communication. Services user involvement ensures it (National Health Service, 2015).
Service user involvement is aligned with theories like consumerism and ethical theory. Consumerism calls for promoting and representing the interests of users. The fundamental essence of service user involvement is central to more engagement and participation of service users. As a result, their interests remain there and get a great promotion. Health or social service users have the right to make informed decisions. Their active role is also appreciated under the consumerism theoretical perspective. Therefore, service user involvement ensures fulfilling interests and preferences of buyers. Similarly, the ethical theory is also applicable to service user involvement because it is ethical to be participative and equal. Therefore, the concept has support from theoretical perspectives and frameworks.
Section 3- Challenges of Service User involvement for Gypsies and Travellers
Service user involvement is not there for any particular segment of a group in society. It is available for the whole society. But there are some disadvantaged and vulnerable segments, which may not use service user involvement opportunity. Gypsies and Travellers belong to such groups in Europe. They are not educated or capable of searching for jobs and work (Siebelt et al., 2017).
Similarly, they also find challenges and barriers to health services. Racism and discrimination hurt them. Social and personal factors lead them to see the challenges of service user involvement. They may be associated with learning disabilities involvement because of their low social level. In this context, they experience challenges. However, their barriers and problems do not have research evidence because they have to explore yet. These barriers and challenges need exploratory research further, and there should be a focus on these vulnerable segments of society (Cossar and Neil, 2015).
Section 4- Gypsies and Travellers and Service User involvement
In the context of an increased level of challenges and vulnerabilities of Gypsies and Travellers, there is a need to consider them, especially for service user involvement. They represent the group going to be discussed for the service user group. They experience inequalities because of their race and background. Streamlining them into normal life may be one option to make them an integral part of society. Their role in service user involvement can be ensured if they are protected under law. The most important issues related to this segment include their lack of education, empowerment, and participation with the broader public. They cannot have capabilities to interact with the public and get benefit from service user involvement. The Equality Act of 2010 contains clauses protecting the rights of this segment. It prohibits any bias or discrimination against this segment. Similarly, the Health and Social Care Act 2012 fosters the need to reduce inequalities against any segment, including gypsies and travellers.
Section 5- Recommendations
Gypsies and Travellers make a vulnerable segment in society, and the following are recommendations for them.
- To understand their social and power structure
- Developing health and social care policies and procedures for their segment
- Providing education to children and young in the community
- To analyse the difference between service user involvement among Gypsies and Travellers and other segments of the society
- To relate laws and rules, especially for Gypsies and Travellers
- Ending discrimination and bias against them
- To help the segment tackle learning disabilities involvement
References
Cossar, J. and Neil, E. (2015) ‘Service User Involvement in Social Work Research: Learning from an Adoption Research Project’, The British Journal of Social Work, vol. 45, no. 1, pp. 225-240.
McFadden, A., Siebelt, L., Gavine, A., Atkin, K., Bell, K., Innes, N., Jones, H., Jackson, C., Haggi, H. and MacGillivray, S. (2018) ‘Gypsy, Roma and Traveller access to and engagement with health services: a systematic review’, European Journal of Public Health, vol. 28, no. 1, pp. 74-81.
National Health Service (2015) Liaison and Diversion Manager and Practitioner Resources: Service User Involvement, [Online], Available: https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2015/10/ohc-paper-06.pdf [28 October 2019].
Siebelt, L., Jackson, C., McFadden, A., Dyson, L. and Atkin, k. (2017) ‘Use of UK health services by Gypsies, Roma, and Travellers: triangulation of two mixed methods studies’, The Lancet, vol. 390, no. 3, p. S81.
