Health and Safety in Health and Social Care: A Comprehensive Analysis

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Contents
INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................................................................................... 2
LO1........................................................................................................................................................................................ 3
1.1 Review systems, policies and procedures...................................................................................................................3
1.2 Assess the responsibilities in a specific health and social care....................................................................................6
1.3 Analyze health and safety priorities appropriate for a specific health and social care workplace..............................7
LO2........................................................................................................................................................................................ 9
2.1 Analyze how information from risk assessment informs care planning for individuals and organizational decision
making...............................................................................................................................................................................9
2.2 Analyze the impact of one aspect of health and safety policy on health and social care practice and its customers
........................................................................................................................................................................................ 10
2.3 Discuss how dilemmas encountered in relation to implementing systems and policies for health, safety and
security may be addressed..............................................................................................................................................11
2.4 Analyze the effects of non-compliance with health and safety legislation in a health and social care workplace....12
LO3...................................................................................................................................................................................... 14
3.1 Explain how health and safety policies and practices are monitored and reviewed.................................................14
3.2 Analyze the effectiveness of health and safety policies and practices in the workplace in promoting a positive
healthy and safe culture..................................................................................................................................................16
3.3 Evaluate own contribution to placing the health and safety needs of individuals at the centre of practice.............17
CONCLUSION....................................................................................................................................................................... 18
REFERENCES........................................................................................................................................................................ 19

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INTRODUCTION
The Health And Safety At Work Act, 1947 (HASAWA) is a primary legislative part in the health sector. Under this act the
general duties of the health care providers towards the concerned people and the employees at work along with the
proper management of interactions and requirements are taken into account. This essay will focus upon how these
health and safety legislations when implemented and followed properly have their impact on maintaining and
monitoring the duties and responsibilities of the employees at the workplace, building a secure and safe environment
for themselves along with the care seekers and also helps in better understanding of the codes of practice so as to make
the health care providing system function in the best possible way.

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LO1
1.1 Review systems, policies and procedures
The policies, review systems and procedures are integral part of an organization. These cumulatively work in order to
achieve a proper functioning of the workers and the organization.
The policies can be defined as a set of instructions or the guidelines to be followed by the employees, which are
formulated or directly adopted by the organization to meet the long term goals set by the organization. Policies are such
tools which define what an organization has to accomplish and provide a proper set of rules of how it can be achieved
(Drummond et al., 2015). A number of policies have been put forward to achieve the predetermined goals of a health
care organization which include Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995, (RIDDOR),
Control of Substances Hazardous to Health 2002, (COHH), Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 (MH), Mental
Health Act, 2007 and Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981, etc.
This essay will review two among these important policies. The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous
Occurrences Regulations 1995, (RIDDOR) policy comprises of keeping records of workplace incidents like major injuries,
work related diseases, deaths, dangerous occurrences and reporting them to concerned authorities. It also helps in a
better understanding of the employees and the manager about the adult safeguarding (Warren, 2016).
The inspection conducted by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in the Fleetwood Hall care home found it inadequate in
maintaining the safeguarding issues. The steps and required processes were not adequately taken to protect the people
from actual and potential abuse. This can be attributed to the lack of training and knowledge among the employees
about the gravity of reporting such incidents. This ineffective reporting of such incidents were noticed on a regular basis
which implies that the care home is failing in following the proper RIDDOR protocols which leads to a huge safety
concern.

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The Mental Health Act, 2007, is another policy which aids in and looks after the understanding of special requirements
of the people with mental ailments (Perry et al., 2017). It focuses upon the importance of thorough medical assessment
and providing special care and trained mental personnel to these people with special needs. The Fleetwood hall turned
out to be inadequate in terms of fulfilling requirements of a proper number of mental health workers. The records
lacked a proper in depth assessment of mental health prior to admission, displaying lack of concern and trained
personnel. This inadequacy in following the proper codes of conduct and the policy protocols resulted in a multilevel
breach in regulation of Health and Social Care Act 2008.
Communication simply means an exchange of information. It is a process of conveying or expressing ideas, thoughts or
feeling through different means. These means of communication can be verbal, written or graphical.
In verbal communication the speech and language are used. It is the most important and most used means of
communication. A verbal communication method helps building a personal rapport and relationship among the
individuals. In our workplace the verbal communication is the main way of communicating with the residents. They are
greeted and listened to so that they can openly share their feelings and fears which can be looked upon in time because
of a well established communication.
The written communication comprises of writing emails, letters, memos and conveying information through the notice
boards. The Fleetwood Hall had a provision of complaint writing in case of any misconduct from its part. At our work
place we maintain the regular records in the form of written matter, the visitors consents, problems and needs regarding
the residents are written and kept as records for further improvements related to the provided services.
The graphical representation of communication has become a powerful means when other ways fail to provide a
desirable impact. It can easily be understood and followed by all the people effectively. The use of signs, posters and
DVDs comprises of this type of communication.