Realising Relational Ethics in Community Health and Social Care Settings

Ethics is a central thread running through transdisciplinary research from the University of Edinburgh in partnership with the REALITIES consortium. We’re investigating how local, cultural, and natural assets and activities support improvements in health inequalities. The inception of the project is rooted in social justice and based on our understanding of the challenges experienced by people who experience “vulnerability” when interacting with the elements of health and social care systems that are set up to provide support to them. Our findings from this research suggest: • While health and social care providers, policymakers and researchers may aim to achieve outcomes that are ethically driven, we need to operationalise our work in a way that attends to the relational • Our efforts should value the experiences of those who find themselves in situations of vulnerability and/or marginalisation • Engagements with so-called “at-risk” or “vulnerable” individuals or communities should demonstrate care towards those with whom we work, without making assumptions about their experiences • Labelling people may be counterproductive suggesting we know more about their lived and felt experiences than they do • We should approach ethical frameworks in a way that is intentional and responsive to the situation of community members with a willingness to adapt our definitions and approaches if don’t fit.