Respect is important at all levels of interaction but particularly in healthcare where it allows the patient feel at ease without the fear of being harmed or mistreated (2). Respect and dignity & valuing every patient are at the forefront of what the NHS stands for. HCPC echo the importance of culture, equality and diversity on practice. Diversity influences an individuals perception of themselves, those around them and their interactions, behaviors and attitudes towards others (3). It is important to respect people of differing backgrounds, as different backgrounds can drive unique perspectives, innovation and creativity (4). To ensure that we have the relevant knowledge and understanding on diversity, our cohort undertake an online training prior to going on placement. I have evidence my completion of this training ('Training Certificate -Disability awareness' & ' training certificate - equality and diversity') to demonstrate my understanding of respecting & valuing diversity by working in accordance with legislation, policies, procedures & best practice. Similar to this, I also read up and researched equality legislation prior to beginning my first placement ('Equality Act 2010 Summary'). This allowed me to gain important insight, into how I should treat others and how I should be treated. I feel that completing trainings, and being aware of policies, procedures and best practice is the bare minimum I could have done in this regard, and when moving into practice much more can be achieved. However, I must admit I was unaware of things such as unconscious bias prior to completing 'band 5 induction training' on equality and diversity. This has allowed me to now tackle unconscious bias when I encounter any such thoughts in the workplace.

I can recall working with a number of diverse patient groups over the course of my placement, dementia patients, amputees and members of the travelling community to name a few. All these groups differ hugely. What I learned however, is that people interact differently for many reasons - their background and disability in these cases. It is important to try understand the differing thought processes of these individuals (whether it be right or wrong). For instance I have dealt with some harsh words from a patient with dementia on one placement. At the time I found the situation very difficult. One moment this lady was extremely pleasant and courteous but all of a sudden she became irate and was shouting to leave the bay.  After discussing the incident with my educator, I realised what had occurred and understood that it was the patients condition that made them act in this way.  I felt it was a good idea to reflect on this scenario and have included my reflection as evidence, 'refection dementia'. I have also included similar reflections on interactions with amputees ('reflection amputees') and understanding what they go through and with a member of the travelling community ('reflection complex diverse patient') who at times was racist towards staff. The purpose of these reflections were to help me understand that everyone counts, even when they act in a way that is challenging. Any racist or sexist slurs the patient communicated to me were reported to my educator (identify discriminatory behaviour & take appropriate action to challenge this behaviour). The patient had divulged that he had not gone to school during one of our sessions, which does not justify his actions but does shed light on why he may have acted as he had. It must be stated however, that as I had somewhat of an understanding of the patient - he engaged well with me, while with others he did not - this demonstrates an ability to work constructively with individuals of all backgrounds & orientations by recognising & responding to individuals’ expressed beliefs, preferences & choices. I believe that reflecting on my encounters helped me identify solutions to how and work appropriately with the patient. Moving forward, I will continue reflecting on diverse groups I interact, with the aim of better understanding their beliefs, in order to form appropriate working relationships.

While I feel comfortable working with colleagues and patients of diverse backgrounds and showing respect at all times, this is a domain that I could improve hugely on. Particularly in the area of identifying & articulating my own values & principles, & with guidance, evaluating how these may differ from other individuals/groups. Thinking about my own personal background, values and beliefs is not something I have regularly done throughout my placements or study. I think this is due to me being open minded and accepting of all individuals. Also, being a non- British national, I often do not feel confident in doing so. Therefore, I don't look to identify differences. However, having had time to reflect on this, I believe it could be a useful process to identify and research differences between myself and others in order to be sensitive and understanding to certain topics, avoid conflicts and identify skills that individuals from diverse backgrounds have, which I may not. I have recently began to engage with this topic, considering my own unconscious bias, which was a module within my 'band 5 induction training' for an upcoming role  I hope to meet many diverse groups throughout my career. I aim to take the time to appreciate our differences and understand how these differences can influence my own practice. This may be done through altering my communication style to a sensitive cultural topic for example. I believe that I can expand my scope of practice hugely in this domain when I begin to work in an NHS setting. One thing that is necessary is to be informed more on the topics of diversity and equality. As I have been keen to progress in this area, I have recently read the 'equity, diversity,belonging strategy' created by the CSP. As this domain is an area I feel less confident with, I feel the need to increase my knowledge base on the topic by reading legislation and policy. Through reflecting on this, I hope to be able to act within legal, regulatory and ethical requirements and practice in a non-discriminatory manner.