Using examples from work experience describe how policies and procedures promote health; safety and security in the health and social care workplace.

Page 2 Introductions

Page 3 P3

Page 5 P4

Examine the roles and responsibilities of key people in the promotion of health; safety and security in a health and social care setting.

Page 8 M1

Explain how legislation, policies and procedures are used to promote the health, safety and security of individuals in the health and social care workplace.

Page 11 D1

Using examples from work experience evaluate the effectiveness of policies and procedures for promoting health, safety and security.

Page 14 Bibliographies

This assessment is about health and safety and it will look at how various legislations and policies are used to promote good practice. It will mainly be about my own place of work but it will be focusing on all other health and social care settings.

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Items/objects associated with health and safety

P3

Using examples from work experience describe how policies and procedures promote health; safety and security in the Health and Social care workplace.

My work placement is in a care/nursing home and they have many policies and procedures in place, which all employees have to adhere to. They have there own policy (see appendix 1) on COSHH (control of substances hazardous to health), which was written in accordance with the COSHH Regulations Act 2002. They have other policies such as fire regulations; manual handling, food safety and employment policies all of which are vital in this type of environment. The company also has some policies in place that visitors and other outside organisations have to abide by such as using the alcohol gel and general safety. All of the policies can be found in a selection of files that are kept in the manager’s office. I have also included their own policy (see appendix 2) on health and safety.

The care setting has bottles of alcohol gel dotted around where there is a high volume of people such as in the toilets, entrance to the dining room and the main entrance. There is antibacterial soap by every sink and posters displayed above them giving guidance on thorough hand washing. These two precautions come under the policy for infection control. The hand washing policy describes in detail how to wash hands correctly and explains why it is important to follow the correct procedures. They have a policy on cross infection that explains in detail how to reduce it. They are things such as correct hand washing, wearing disposable gloves and aprons as well as placing dirty laundry straight into the laundry bag and not on the floor.

The front door has a safety lock, which is there to prevent anyone from just walking in and to prevent some of the vulnerable residents from walking out, this is covered by the health and safety policy but is not to be used as a form of restraint as residents are free to come and go but is used for their protection from harm. All the internal doors are also fire doors that will close automatically if there is a power cut or if the fire alarm sounds. Doors to the kitchen, treatment room and laundry have locks on them that are accessed by a code. All fire doors that are on external walls have alarms on them that will sound if they are opened. All the doors that have locks on the inside such as residents own rooms and the bathrooms have locks that can be opened from the outside in case of an emergency. The above safety measures are in place to protect everyone, which includes all employees, residents and visitors. There is a fire safety policy, which outlines what to do in the event of a fire such as not using the lift. There general health and safety policy explains that the fire extinguishers are checked on an annual basis, fire alarm systems are serviced on an annual basis, fire call points are tested on a weekly basis and emergency lighting will be checked on a monthly basis. There will also be fire drills for all staff at least once every six months and all staff will receive fire training at least once a year.

COSHH, RIDDOR, food safety, fire safety and manual handling all come under the Health and Safety At Work Act 1974. These policies are possibly the most important ones as they are essential to keep a good standard of general health and safety. I have included a copy of a list (see appendix 3) of just some of the policies that my place of work has.

As well as the policies that are kept in a file there is a health and safety poster displayed in the staff room and a fire safety poster. A fire safety poster is displayed in the main entrance. There are several fire extinguishers dotted around the building as well as fire blankets. Service users are allowed to smoke in the conservatory provided but everywhere else is covered by a no smoking policy. The service users are not allowed to keep their own cigarettes and lighters on them but in a safe in the nurse’s office. Staff and visitors are ...

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Examine the roles and responsibilities of key people in the promotion of health,

safety and security in a health and social care setting.

Below is a list of all the people who are employed at my place of work. They all have a role to play in helping to maintain the health, safety and security of both themselves and service users alike. I will fist explain the everyday roles some staff play and then I will explain what key roles other members of staff play.

25 care assistants

10 nurses

1 matron

1 deputy matron

1 manager

1 admin/personnel assistant

4 laundry assistants

3 cleaning assistants

1 housekeeper

4 kitchen assistants

1 activities co-ordinator

1 handyman

The care assistants are employed to provide all of the daily care that a service user might require which is anything from personal care to assisting with eating.

All of the care assistants are trained in first aid, moving and handling, food safety and general hygiene. Almost all of the care assistants have certificates in foot care, diabetes, mouth care, palliative care and assisting with medication.

The nurses are there to provide any medical assistance such as giving out the daily medication, changing dressings, testing blood sugars, taking blood, urine and stool samples as well as checking catheters and general health.

The matron and deputy matron are there to give the same care as the nurses but they are also responsible for overseeing the nurses, doing the off duty (work rota), for the nurses, ordering nursing supplies and repeat prescriptions.

The housekeeper works alongside the cleaners but is also responsible for ordering the cleaning and laundry supplies. She is also responsible for the key, which gains access to the cupboard where the cleaning supplies are kept.

The kitchen assistants are responsible for preparing and cooking the meals as well as ordering supplies. They are also the only people who have access to the keys to the cupboard where all of the sharp knives are kept. Kitchen staff are also trained in health and safety and have policies to adhere to such as what to do in the case of spillages etc.

The handy man is responsible for general DIY as well as any maintenance work that may need to be carried out. He is also responsible for getting outside help for any maintenance work that he is not able to carry out himself such as gas and electrical supply and equipment.

It is the manager who has the key role to play. He has to make sure that all staff have full and adequate training. He is responsible for making sure that all policies and procedures are both up to date and adhered to. The manager also has to keep up to date with his own training.

When I first started working there I was unaware of most of the policies. However since starting this health and safety unit I am more aware of certain issues. I have noticed that the key, which gains access to the store cupboard, hangs on a hook near the top of the said cupboard. This breaks their own health and safety policy as well as placing potential harm to service users. I have also noticed that quite a few members of staff do no wear disposable gloves and/or aprons which breaks several policies. It breaks policies such as cross infection, hygiene, infection control, MRSA, protective clothing etc. All these policies are there to protect both employees and service users alike.

The manager is responsible for making sure that these policies are followed and should be promoting them and therefore disciplining staff for failing to follow them.

Explain how legislation, policies and procedures are used to promote health, safety and security of individuals in the health and social care workplace.

The legislations, policies and procedures have been implemented to not only promote good practice but also to protect employers, all employees and service users. My place of work follows Regulations such as Health and Safety, RIDDOR, COSHH by not only following the legal regulations but by also implementing their own extended policy. The policies they have on fire regulations, manual handling, food safety, abuse, staff conduct and employment have all been put into place over the course of many years to provide a safer working environment for employers, employees and service users.

The aims of policies such as these, is to help make the workplace a safer place to be. This is achieved by the identification of hazards. When a hazard is identified, assessing the risks that may result because of the hazard is then carried out. Measures can then be put into place to control or minimise the level of risk. Then periodic assessments can take place to ensure the control measures that have been put into place remain effective.

Health and safety in the workplace is therefore something that is constantly being monitored and is constantly evolving. The employer has a duty of care towards not only their workforce but also the service users and any visitors to the workplace. Employees also have a responsibility not only for their own and their colleagues health and safety but also the health and safety of people in their care and visitors to the workplace. As part of health and safety law, health and safety inspectors have the right to inspect premises to ensure that the workplace is safe. The fire service also makes regular checks on business premises to ensure that fire regulations are being adhered to. Health and safety inspectors have the right to insist that any shortfalls in the health and safety of the workplace are rectified. The fire service can also make recommendations if a breach of fire regulations is discovered. Employees also have the right to refuse to do work if they carry out their own risk assessment and deem it to be unsafe either for themselves or for the service user. An example of this might be manual handling where there are regulations on how much a person can safely lift etc.

The employer’s duty of care is to ensure that all members of staff are competent in their job; the workplace is a safe environment for employees, service users and visitors. It is also the duty of care of the employer to ensure that the proper equipment is provided for their staff and also to ensure that safe working methods are established in the workplace. Employers have a legal responsibility to follow health and safety instructions and policy and have a duty to develop written policies for the workplace that help top train staff, reduce health and safety incidents and also provide a safe work environment.

It is the prime responsibility of the employer to protect the health, safety and welfare of employees and service users on a day-to-day basis. The employer is classed as the most senior of management down the chain of command down to the supervisors. The employer should provide safe equipment and ensure that it is properly maintained to protect both staff and service users. The employer should also ensure that that any substances used in the workplace could be safely used, handled stored and transported. Ensure that the place of work has a safe means of access and exit for staff, service users and any visitors to the premises. Provide information, instruction, training and supervision to ensure that employees have all of the relevant knowledge to work in a way that does not endanger the health and safety of themselves, their colleagues or service users. The employer also has an obligation to ensure the health and safety of visitors to the premises to provide a safe and healthy working environment.

All employees have the right to work in a safe and healthy workplace and to be protected from behaviour from others who may endanger them. As a result, employees have two main health and safety responsibilities placed upon them in the workplace, which are to take reasonable care in relation to the health and safety of other people in their place of work and also to cooperate with their employer and others with responsibilities under health and safety regulations in their efforts to provide a safe and healthy workplace.

The main responsibility of employees is not to behave in such a way that somebody could be injured in the workplace. An employee should not refuse to follow work practices, which have been specifically designed for their protection and the protection of others. Equipment, evacuation methods, first aid skills also control and treatment of hazardous substances. An ongoing focus on health and safety can be achieved by the implementation of an annual safety plan for the workplace, this can include meetings between management and staff to continually improve health and safety and to better manage identified risks. All staff should be adequately safety trained in areas such as the use of fire fighting

The staff conduct policy is in place for all employees. It highlights what is and is not acceptable behaviour of the staff inside work. Some of the mentioned are the use of offensive language, clean and correct uniform, make up, nail varnish, good personal hygiene etc. some of the staff conduct policy is extended to outside of working hours such as not behaving in a way that would bring the company in disrepute, this could be going out drinking and getting involved in a fracas and subsequently getting arrested. If this did happen and the persons name was in the local paper and the care/nursing home was mentioned it might reflect badly on the care/nursing home.

Using examples from work experience, evaluate the effectiveness of policies and procedures for promoting health, safety and security.

I am going to quote some sections of policies that are in place and will also say how they benefit both service users and employees but also how they can sometimes fail

“All staff will be made aware of the potential types of abuse- physical, sexual, psychological, financial, neglect, discriminatory- and of the various situations in which abuse may occur. All care and support staff will receive training in abuse awareness as part of the organisation’s training plan. If a member of staff suspects that abuse of a service user is taking place they have a duty to take any steps they can in order to make the situation safe. However they should not confront the person they suspect is the abuser, nor alert this person of their concerns - instead they should discuss the matter as soon as possible with their line manager who will make a judgement as to whether there are sufficient grounds to inform the relevant statutory bodies.” (Abuse policy)

I think this is an excellent policy as it also outlines what is considered to be abuse for example not feeding and watering a service user, this is not only neglect of a carers part but abuse towards a service user. I have also witnessed the abuse by a carer towards a service user first hand. The said carer in question poured water over the face of a service user who was very badly affected by multiple sclerosis and laughed at her whilst doing it. The company who I worked for at the time had a whistle blowing policy as well as an abuse policy. Had it not been for these two policies neither the service user nor myself would have been protected?

“ You must not enter into personal financial transaction in your employment at Howlish Hall (other than your salary). You may accept a small (non-monetary) gift from a service user/carer etc but only if it would be impolite to refuse and only if your line manager has approved. Such gifts must not exceed a value of £10.00 and must not be sought or in any way encouraged.” (Gifts policy)

I also think that this is a good policy as I have worked with some very vulnerable service users and without such policies carers would be able to take advantage of such service users. Again I have witnessed something that I think was inappropriate of a carer. I was at work and I overheard a carer telling a service user who was financially well secure that she was going to be evicted if she did not pay her rent arrears of £300 by the end of the week. I myself have had many a conversation with this said service user and she once told me that she was evicted by her own mother when she was 16 and lived rough for a short time before getting a place in a hostel. This was common knowledge to most of the carers as the service user in question had told the story on quite a few occasions. At the time when the carer was talking about being evicted the service user had just lost her husband and so was in a vulnerable frame of mind. I entered the room and the conversation stopped, I told the carer I needed to speak to her and I told her that such a conversation could get her the sack and if I found out that she had taken money from the service user I would report her to management.

On the other hand we had a service user who died and her daughter gave all nursing and care staff a £20 voucher. It was the daughters wish to give this small token of thanks for the care and devotion all staff had shown her mother in her last 3 months of life. This was approved by management because the daughter also wanted a small memorial in the garden for her late mother and it was seen by the management that to turn the gift down would be too distressing.

“You are expected to work cooperatively with all other employees of Howlish Hall. You are expected to treat your colleagues politely, fairly and without discrimination. You must not harass or bully any member of staff, this is completely unacceptable and will result in disciplinary procedures if proven. You are expected to conduct yourself in a professional and courteous manner when dealing with any external agencies, professionals or carers who have contact with Howlish Hall.” (Staff conducts policy)

When I first started working for my current employer I was verbally bullied by a member of staff. This went on for 2/3 weeks and it was only when the stress got to me too much one day that I burst into tears and another carer got the manager who took me to his office and asked me what was wrong. I told the manager everything that had happened and the member of staff was dealt with appropriately. Things have not settled and the said member of staff and myself now get on really well.

“Only the nurses are involved in the management and administration of medication. There is a medication handover book in use at the home and this book should be used to ensure good communication between staff and across shifts. Two weeks before the medication is due to run out the next months supply needs to be ordered. There is a folder in the office containing repeat prescription forms for each resident - the nurse on duty needs to fill in these forms and arrange for them to be delivered, to the relevant GP surgeries. When the prescriptions arrive the nurse needs to check them for accuracy. If there are any errors contact the relevant surgery and ask for the mistake to be rectified. Staff must not alter prescriptions themselves, as this is the responsibility of the doctor.” (Medication policy)

The medication policy states that only the nurse in charge should give out medication, but this is not always the case. Care staff on a regularly basis hand out medication to service users. The name of the service user is written on a piece of paper and placed inside the pot containing the medication. It was decided that this could be allowed so the service users got their medication at the correct times as when there is only one nurse on duty it can take quite a while for all of the medication to be given out. However a few months ago a diabetic lady almost died because she was given the wrong medication. Had the policy been adhered to this would never have happened.