Good care practice is essential in health and social care and should be delivered by competent and qualified health workers. Healthcare professionals are required to follow the guidelines specified in the five principles of care practice. The five principles help the healthcare professional to maintain a good standard of care, which supports and respects service users' rights to appropriate services (K101, Unit 8, P134). This essay will focus on one such principle that supports service users in having a voice and being heard. It will show why it is important for healthcare professionals to give service users the opportunity to have a say and communicate their opinions and preferences together with the ability to convey their fears and concerns without being judged or discriminated against. It will also be considered as breakdowns “Effective communication” (K101, Unit 8, P134) occurs as a result of the emergence of barriers, including “Physical environment, disability and impairment, attitudes, cultural differences and emotions and feelings (K101, Unit 8, P136).This can “disempower” service users and impose an identity on them which can generate feelings of insecurity and worthlessness and deny them the right to speak. Similarly, evidence will be provided to show healthcare professionals that apply skills to develop strategies that help in the process of overcoming these barriers. The evidence produced in this essay will be drawn from case studies based on oral history and life story work to talk about their past experiences, discover who they are and develop a sense of identity, thus providing them with feelings of trust, security and self-esteem. Having a voice through oral history work... ... half of the document ..... .he Social Care, Resources, Milton Keynes, The Open University.The Open University (2010) K101 An Introduction to Health and Social Care, DVD, Unit 5, Video 5.1 'Life Story Work: Jordan Morgan's Life Story Book, Milton Keynes, The Open University.The Open University (2010) K101 An Introduction to Health and Social Care, DVD, Unit 7, Audio 7.2 'Ethical Issues in Oral History', Milton Keynes, The Open University.The Open University (2010) K101 An' introduction to health and social care, Unit 5, 'Identities and lives', Milton Keynes, The Open University.The Open University (2010) K101 An introduction to health and social care, Unit 7, 'Understanding the past ", Milton Keynes, The Open University.The Open University (2010) K101 An introduction to health and social care, Unit 8, "Developing communication skills", Milton Keynes, The Open University.