Health and Safety in the Health and Social Care Workplace: A Comprehensive Guide

HEALTH AND SAFETY IN THE HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE WORKPLACE
Contents
INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................................................................................1
LO 1. IMPLEMENTATION OF HEALTH AND SAFETY LEGISLATION IN WORKPLACE...............................2
1.1 REVIEW THE SYSTEMS, POLICIES, AND PROCEDURES AS PER THE LEGISLATIVE
REQUIREMENTS.....................................................................................................................................................2
1.2 ASSESSING THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF A SPECIFIC HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE WORKPLACE 3
1.3 HEALTH AND SAFETY PRIORITIES FOR A SPECIFIC HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE SETTINGS.....4
LO 2. WAYS IN WHICH HEALTH AND SAFETY REQUIREMENTS IMPACT THE CUSTOMERS AND
PRACTITIONERS.........................................................................................................................................................5
2.1 INFORMATION FROM RISK ASSESSMENT INFORMS CARE PLANNING FOR THE INDIVIDUALS.5
2.2 IMPACT OF ONE ASPECT OF HEALTH AND SAFETY POLICY ON THE SERVICE USERS AND
HEALTHCARE PRACTICE.....................................................................................................................................6
2.3 ADDRESSING DILEMMAS ENCOUNTERED WHILE IMPLEMENTING HEALTH AND SAFETY
POLICIES...................................................................................................................................................................7
2.4 EFFECTS OF NON-COMPLIANCE WITH HEALTH AND SAFETY POLICIES..........................................8
LO 3. MONITORING AND REVIEWING OF HEALTH AND SAFETY IN THE HEALTH CARE WORKPLACE
.........................................................................................................................................................................................9
3.1 MONITORING AND REVIEWING THE HEALTH AND SAFETY POLICIES.............................................9
3.2 EFFECTIVENESS OF HEALTH AND SAFETY POLICIES IN THE WORKPLACE..................................10
3.3 SELF CONTRIBUTION IN PLACING THE HEALTH AND SAFETY NEEDS OF THE INDIVIDUALS
AT THE WORKPLACE..........................................................................................................................................11
CONCLUSION.............................................................................................................................................................12
REFERENCES.............................................................................................................................................................13
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INTRODUCTION
Health and safety of the patients, is now a major concern and both the healthcare workers as well
as the hospital management is responsible for ensuring the safe healthcare for their patients as
well as their co-employees. There has been an increased surge in the recent years from all the
health care settings to improve their governance on their ongoing policies and systems so that the
safety for the service users is intact. For achieving these standards, it is necessary that all the
employees are aware about their job responsibilities and are meeting the pre-set expectations.
This assignment deals with the appropriate health care policies, legislative procedures and
practicing standards that are in execution for promoting such safety aspects of the patients.
Along with this, the assignment throws light on the importance of implementing safe and secured
healthcare policies where its impact on the future nursing and patient satisfaction has all been
discussed in detail. Such safe and secured policies promote the organizational framework and
values the healthcare practices that are being practiced for user welfare.
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LO 1. IMPLEMENTATION OF HEALTH AND SAFETY LEGISLATION IN
WORKPLACE
1.1 REVIEW THE SYSTEMS, POLICIES, AND PROCEDURES AS PER THE
LEGISLATIVE REQUIREMENTS
Health has been one of the primary concerns for the human beings and therefore there are several
laws in place for promoting the safety of the patients while any service user seeks health care at
the hospital or primary healthcare center. These laws are applicable for all the staff members,
managerial staff, patients and those who are directly or indirectly associated with the healthcare
of the patient. The Health and Safety Act 1974 covers various health-related issues for promoting
the well-being and patient welfare. This act also presents an obligation where the employees
must act pro-actively to care about the health and well-being of their co-employees and patients.
According to the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations Act, 1992, the new
director of the organization should have carried out a risk assessment for identifying the findings
which will be a reason for the increase in the total number of falls in the Winchester and
Eastleigh NHS Trust (Blais, 2015). Carrying out the risk assessment would help to take requisite
measures for curtailing the effects of those findings which contribute towards the maximum falls.
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The requisite measures would include the introduction of dry mopping technique for floor
cleaning which contains micro-fibers that can reduce the amount of leftover fluid on the floor
after the floor is being mopped. This would ultimately lessen the chances of trips and falls on the
floor for the patients as well as the support staff. This would also guide the staff to set up clear
working instructions towards those patients who are admitted to the emergency ward at the
hospital. With the help of the risk assessment, the hospital management would be able to identify
the trend and the area which contributes to the maximum number of falls within the hospital.
Along with this, the ward should have been equipped with the essential first aid amenities so as
to manage the emergency needs and unexpected trips. This is in accordance with the Health and
Safety Regulations Act, 1981.
1.2 ASSESSING THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF A SPECIFIC HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE
WORKPLACE
There exists several and different responsibilities for every individual who is working within the
organization so as to ensure that the health of the service users is not jeopardized at any cost.
This would include performing their assigned task with the correct ability and expected protocols
so that their work does not interfere with the health and safety of any individual. For this, the
management also plays a major role in introducing, amending and implementing the applicable
healthcare policies. Along with this, it is the duty of the management to ensure that these
healthcare policies are being implemented strictly by the healthcare users, staff and other
members within the organization. Such measures ensure that health is the first priority for an
individual and henceforth it becomes a habit for the staff to practice it in their daily routine.
Further, the management is responsible for recording the accidents that have occurred on the
floor and do a root-cause analysis so that the common findings can be discussed in those
accidents. This would help them to know the pattern which can then be prevented by testing an
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