Reflect on practice to improve the quality of the service provided

Using the reflective practice technique discussed in the previous section, you should regularly reflect on your own work, with the goal of improving the quality of service you provide. You should also be able to demonstrate that you do this to your assessor and it is worth having a few examples in mind for when they ask.

For example, you may reflect upon a situation where you got annoyed with a co-worker because you observed them putting on their Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) incorrectly. You gave them an angry lecture about the importance of PPE and showed them how to do it properly. Later that evening, you reflect on the situation to assess what you did well and what could have been improved.

You believe that you were right to highlight the co-worker’s error and to explain to them the importance of infection control and why agreed ways of working must be followed. You also believe that you were right to show them the correct way to wear PPE because this will improve their practice and reduce the risk of infection.

However, upon reflection, you think that you could have handled the situation differently. The co-worker is new to the care industry and still learning, so perhaps you were unfairly hard on them, which could have had a negative impact on their confidence. In addition, you didn’t ask them why they were doing it incorrectly – it could be that they had been shown the method by another colleague, which would suggest that other employees are not following agreed ways of working.

You decide to apologise to your colleague the next day and ask them if they had been shown how to wear PPE correctly as part of their induction. You also resolve to try and stay calmer and more positive when you witness poor practice in the future.