Principles and Practice of Leadership and Management in a Learning Essay

Principles and Practice of Leadership and Management in a Learning Disability Context - Essay Example It is common for these individuals to have some extra needs in care and communication, and helping them reduce stress and feel comfortable is one of the major responsibilities of their caregivers (Clements 1987). It is normally necessary to have the disabled people live in areas where they have easy access to both medical and psychological care. This is mostly done in institutions or in the context of the community (Turnbull 2004). Consequently, it is the responsibility of those charged with managing institutions that care for these individuals to put in place measures that ensure that these people are awarded the most conducive atmosphere with as little discomfort as possible (Dalby & Knifton, 2012). During my training as a learning disability nurse, I have been to various institutions and have met varying management styles. In analyzing the qualities a manager should possess, I will first review two different institutions and their managers to try and draw out the reason why manage ment is an important factor in the success or failure of these programs. A success story One of my initial placements took me to an institution caring for people who needed psychiatric care. On getting to the facility, I was introduced to my supervisor who took his time to introduce me to all members of staff, a situation that helped me feel welcome. I was then handed a set of papers that outlined what was considered best practices in the institution, and was informed that the first item on my itinerary would be to attend a two hour seminar where I would be brought up to speed with the requirements the managers set for all the staff at the institution. I was impressed with the level to which the management went to ensure compliance with the best practice guide, and immediately understood why the institution was ranked among the best in psychiatry care in the country. The manger had set guidelines which he insisted strict adherence to. The seminar was supposed to; Plant a deep workin g knowledge of all issues regarding psychiatry. In this aspect, one was always encouraged to consult with their peers or those senior to them in case they encountered a situation or issue they were not familiar with. Explore how difficulties in communication were manifested in the mentally disabled, and how to make the best out of whatever channels were available to communicate with the patients in an individual level. To educate the staff on consent and capacity issues with respect to people with psychiatric needs and on how best to navigate around the issues Inform the managers and support staff on the resources available to them in the hospital, and on other organizations that offer psychiatric services. The manager was a stickler to detail and insisted on the highest levels of discipline. He led by example in implementing the guidelines on treating people with learning disabilities as equals. In my early days, one case stood out that engraved the importance of having staff and d epartments organized in a conveyance belt model for service provision as spelt by Gates (2009). In the witnessed case, an emergency rescue team had called in on a patient who had recently been discharged, but who had had a recurrence, was physically aggressive and had inflicted some injuries on her body which needed a minor surgery. Since the institution