Level 1: Basic physical and physiological needs.

These are the fundamental needs which have the be met to keep us alive, they include the following needs

To eat and drink and for the body to function; to be able to breathe oxygen and metabolise our food; to be kept at the right temperature and healthy; to sleep; to reproduce and bear children.

Level 2: Safety and security needs

Once basic and physical needs have been met, a person’s next concern is usually for safety and security. This involves having a secure framework to maintain and provide for the person’s physical, social and mental state by keeping healthy, warm, sheltered and safe and with a social network; income and resources in order to meet basic needs; having access to treatment to keep us well.

Level 3: Love and social needs

These include a family; supportive social network beyond the family and sexual relationships so that the person feel secure and has a sense of belonging and being needed.

Level 4: Self esteem needs

These include positive self-esteem created by being respected by others and having self-respect and reciprocating these; confidence; achievement of life and work goals and status.

Level 5: Self-actualisation and self-fulfilment

This is the realisation of a person’s full potential at a spiritual and intellectual level and a person can only achieve this if they have a desire and motivation to do so. It includes being able to reason and not merely acting through prejudice, being able to create fully creative and engage in higher level thinking, having views and being able to reason and argue a case on philosophical concepts e.g. on whether or not God or Gods exist and having peace of mind and emotional and psychological wellbeing.

Understanding that addressing a person’s needs at every level and seeing people in relation to all these needs at all times is important.

Use to answer question 5.2a of the Care Certificate