Introduction

In a center that provides residential care, legal requirements in healthcare and ethical frameworks need to be respected and implemented optimally to improve and safeguard the rights and welfare of the residents. This assignment analyses the case of Ms. G who is an Enrolled Nurse (EN) working in a residential care facility and assesses the issues arising in the case against the legislation of the Health & Disability Services Consumers Code of Rights (HDSCCoR) (HeinOnline, 2024) and the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) Code of Ethics, 2019 (Lindsay, 2023). In this paper, I discuss how Ms G stands by these standards providing knowledge of legal and ethical framework in nursing practice. A situation where Ms G is helping Ellen Smith, an early-stage dementia patient and a high risk of falling, go through her daily routines from the ethical considerations of consent in care, personal care, and patients rights. Two rights from the HDSCCoR and two ethical principles from the NZNO Code of Ethics are analyzed in this essay about Ms. G, thus showing the importance of these documents in nursing practice.

Identification and Discussion of Rights from the Health & Disability Services Consumers Code of Rights

Right 1: Right to Respect

The Health and Disability Services Consumers Code of Rights (HDSCCoR) states that every consumer has the right to be treated with respect (Leif et al., 2023). In the scenario, Ms G offers the patient her name, greets her, and asks for permission to dress and wash her for her in the morning. This is evident when Ms G insists on knowing whether she is okay and asks her for her permission to help her with where she would wish to sit in the dining room. In the process of decision-making regarding Ellens care Ms G tries to respect Ellens wishes and independence. For instance, when Ms. G is talking about where Ellen would like to sit to have her meal, she finds Ellens agency and personal wishes and lets her make a choice.

Right 2: Right to Appropriate Standards of Service

When a person enjoys the right to appropriate standards of service, these services must be of a standard that is deemed reasonable (Teremetskyi et al., 2024). Again, the right is met by Ms G by protecting the rights of women and girls by making sure that Ellen is safe and comfortable when she is with him. She is always keen to prevent Ellen from falling over mainly due to the weakness she has been experiencing lately and makes sure to be around or even help assist in carrying Ellens walking frame whenever she needs to be moving around the house. Also, there is a record of all the care given to the client which is a good portrayal of the level of care MS G LAs patient receives. For example, after breakfast, the assistant Ms G helps Ellen wash, but the door must be closed all the time to avoid intrusions into Ellens privacy as well as make sure that the social distance while handling her is always proper and appropriate.

NZNO Code of Ethics states that autonomy is the freedom to make choices and decisions about ones life (Bustin et al., 2023). Ms G follows this principle by asking Ellen to follow her to the dining room with permission, then letting Ellen select her seat. Moreover, whenever for instance Ellen submits that she wishes to shower after they have had breakfast Ms G does not overrule her request. It is also an ethical approach to practice since it protects Ellens healthcare decision-making right as well as enhancing her independence and dignity.

Identification and Discussion of Ethical Principles from the NZNO Code of Ethics (2019)

Ethical Principle 1: Autonomy

Beneficence refers to the ways the patient is helped or supported to achieve his/her well-being. Regarding self, Ms G ceases to neglect Ellens self-interests but instead fulfills them in a way that will benefit Ellen and make her feel more comfortable and safer (Howells, 2024). For example, Ms G helps Ellen with eating because she often forgets her meals and makes sure that she is properly seated in her room after breakfast. Furthermore, Ms. Gs reaction to Ellen's request to search for her glasses shows her efforts to make Ellen's life better by attending to her troubles and offering help as soon as possible.

Ethical Principle 2: Beneficence

Comparing the identified codes and Ms Gs practice it is possible to conclude that she complies with both the HDSCCoR and the NZNO Code of Ethics (Fields, 2024). From the case of Ellen, Ms. G understands the rights and ethical principles of nursing practice in as much as she respects the choices of the patient while offering quality care.

Discussion

The right to respect is met as she respects her interactions with her, considering Ellens preferences and choices break no laws in giving her an appropriate standard of service as is required by the physician assisting them. Ms. G practices ethical legal rights of autonomy and beneficence in practice to ensure Ellens rights are respected and benefits obtained from the practice.

Ms Gs actions explain the relevance of these frameworks to practice in a clinical environment and how legal and ethical principles can shape the practice, in the discharge of duty by nurses/day-to-day functions. The scenario supports the fact that ENs must be aware of the legislation and ethical practices to meet both the legal and ethical requirements in care delivery.

Conclusion

In the Health & Disability Services Consumers Code of Rights and the NZNO Code of Ethics combination, the major idea is the focus on space quality, strict compliance with the rights of consumers, and the high level of ethicalness in care in the sphere of the residential facility. Therefore, Ms G respects Ellens rights to self-determination regarding her care as well as making sure that care is given to the standard required hence fulfilling the basic principles that help uphold the dignity of the residents. From this case, we can understand how healthcare legislation and ethical issues pervade the practice of nursing and how the practice of nursing must be done legally and ethically. Indeed, with the ever-expanding nursing practice, adherence to these frameworks will remain paramount when it comes to delivering quality and sensitive care.

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