Analysis of Health and Safety Practices in a Care Home Setting

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Health and Safety in the Health and Social Care Workplace
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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................3
Task 1.........................................................................................................................................4
Task 2.......................................................................................................................................10
Task 3.......................................................................................................................................15
Conclusion................................................................................................................................18
Reference List..........................................................................................................................19
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Introduction
Providing quality health and social care services is considered one of the most important
aspects of care homes. However, there are instances that show that the quality of healthcare
in care homes has not been up to the mark. As a result, customers have encountered issues in
the workplace that could lead to severe harm and hamper the smooth operation of the
organisation. The study will focus on some of the crucial issues faced by customers of
Fleetwood Hall Home that is considered an important care provider for different types of
ailments. It is imperative to understand the role of managers in the workplace for
implementing different types of health standards for ensuring better treatment of the patients.
The study will further explore the ways in which the services can be executed and safety and
security of the customers can be ensured. The study helps to understand the different issues
that develop in the workplace and hamper the quality of services that are being provided to
the customers.
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Task 1
1.1 Review systems, policies and procedures, which the new director implemented, to
ensure that information on health and safety is properly communicated in accordance
with legislative requirements.
Policies
These are set of principles developed by the government of the state for ensuring that their
healthcare settings align by the same (Chauhan et al., 2017). With the development of these
policies, it was observed that the health and social care home was able to provide better
quality services to their clients.
The following are some policies that could be implemented in the workplace of Fleetwood
Hall Home. They are as follows:
Reporting of Injuries, Disease and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations Act of 1995
It is necessary for the health and social care practitioners to ensure that they are vigilant
enough to report the injuries in the workplace that might lead to serious harm of the
employees as well as the patients. The person in charge of the care setting during the
occurrence of any accident should look to report to the management authority (hse.gov.uk,
2019). It is the duty of the management authority to make sure that they are taking adequate
measures for overcoming the risks. Based on the intensity of the accident, the management
decides their actions to deal with the same. As a result, the development of Disease and
Dangerous Occurrences regulations Act of 1995 was enunciated in the workplace. This act
helps to safeguard the employees and the clients within the premises of the care home.
Mental Health Act 2007
This act was developed by the parliament of the United Kingdom. The sole aim of the act was
to make sure that the healthcare setting is providing people having severe mental health
conditions with proper treatment (legislation.gov.uk, 2019). With the development of this act,
the healthcare practitioners were able to make sure that the overall condition of such patients
could be improved.
It was noted that the patients in the Fleetwood Hall Home were not being treated in the right
manner. As a result, the reports developed by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) were not
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in favour of the care home. Therefore, it became necessary for the management of the care
setting to make sure that the treatment that they are providing to the patients is adequate and
the quality of their care should improve. According to the CQC reports, it was seen that the
medical aid received by the patients were not proper and it lead to severe health issues
amongst the service users.
Communication
Communication is considered the process of transferring relevant and valuable information
from one end to another without any flaws. This allows the healthcare setting to ensure that
they are keeping the employees aware of the different activities that are being performed. The
different methods of communication are listed below:
Verbal Communication
The process of verbal communication is implemented in the workplace, as it helps in direct
communication with the management authority. The relevant news is transferred by word of
mouth. Besides this, it can be done with the help of providing the employees with proper
training based on their job roles and responsibilities (Mehrabian, A., 2017).
Written Communication
This type of communication is considered effective the management decides to make use of
emails, letters, and other means of communicating with the employees in the workplace. It
helps to save time, as communication can be done without being physically present.
Graphic Communication
This is the least used method of communication; however, its relevance can be seen in the
health and social care setting (Vlăduțescu, 2014). The management uses different types of
signboards, posters, and other methods to convey important messages to the employees in the
workplace.
An example can be cited in this regards. It was observed in Fleetwood Hall Home that the
level of communication was not developed and it lead to different types of issues that
hampered the functioning of the organisation in a huge manner. The patients did not receive
adequate treatment for their ailment.
Recommendations
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 The management of the care home should look to report injuries in the workplace and
ensure that they are being addressed in the right manner.
 The patients admitted in Fleetwood Hall Home should be taken care by providing them
with appropriate treatment.
1.2 Assess the responsibilities for managing health and safety also apply to the
Fleetwood Hall Home Case Study in relation to its organisational structure.
Responsibilities
The employees and managers within the healthcare setting need to perform certain activities
for maintaining the safety of the employees. These activities combine to form their
responsibilities in the workplace (Verkerk et al., 2015).
Responsibilities of different managers and executives in the care setting have been listed
below:
Health and Safety Executive
The role of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is a government initiative taken for
preventing any kind of issues developed in the workplace. The responsibility of the HSE is to
ensure that they are being able to take care of workplace injuries and assist the individuals to
stay safe within the premises of the care home (hse.gov.uk, 2019).
Employers
The employers are responsible for recruiting and employing skilled and talented individuals
in the workplace, so that the activities to be performed in the workplace could be executed in
an authentic manner.
Employees
The role of the employees in the workplace is immense. They are responsible for meeting
with the requirements of the customers and helping them to maintain their health conditions.
They have to make use of advanced technologies in the workplace that will allow them to
provide adequate treatment to the clients (Drotz and Poksinska, 2014). The employees are
expected to perform the tasks that have been assigned to them. They should look to interact
with their supervisor in case of emergency in the workplace.
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Recommendations
There are certain recommendations that could be provided to the Fleetwood Hall Home.
They are as follows:
 It is important for the employees and managers to ensure that they are performing their
duties in the right manner, so that the appropriate treatment could be provided to the
customers.
 The implementation of policies and procedures in the workplace will assist the employers
to manage their functioning and provide adequate care to the patients.
1.3 Select one service area in the Fleetwood Hall Home Case Study (For example:
Mental Health, Dementia Care, Nursing), and analyse the health and safety priorities
for the service chosen.
Priorities
It is necessary for the healthcare practitioners to ensure that they prioritise their patients
above anything else. According to principles of health and social care, it is important for the
management authority to provide proper care to the clients and safeguard their existence in
the care setting (Boivin et al., 2014).
Mental Health Unit
The mental health unit of Fleetwood Hall Home is sufficient to cater the needs of men and
women suffering from mental ailments. However, the services received by the clients were
not satisfactory (Muskett, 2014). As a result, the CQC report was developed for increase the
level of quality treatment in the care home.
Dementia Care Unit
This unit of the healthcare setting was responsible for accommodating around six men and
women at one time. This was; however, not enough, as the rates of patients suffering from
dementia was considerably high. Therefore, it was important for them to make sure that they
could provide treatment to maximum number of patients and enhance their standard of
working.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous
Occurrences Regulations Act of 1995 (RIDDOR)
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Advantages
 One of the biggest advantages of RIDDOR is that it allows the employees to keep a close
watch on the risks developing in the workplace.
 Besides this, they are able to report to the management authority in times of need and
gain help from the same (Griffith and Howarth, 2014).
Disadvantages
 Its disadvantage was noted in the ways it was avoided in the workplace, as it could lead to
death of the patients suffering from serious ailments.
 In case RIDDOR is not followed accordingly, it might lead to hampering the reputation of
the care setting.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Manual Handling
Advantages
 The implementation of manual handling in the workplace helps to increase the awareness
level of the employees (Ball et al., 2015).
 It allows the employees to develop their knowledge about using mechanical aids in the
workplace.
Disadvantages
 There are times, when excessive use of manual handling in the workplace could lead to
severe back pain and injury of the employees.
 It might create hindrance in the completion of the assigned tasks.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Fire Safety
Advantages
 The inclusion of fire safety in the workplace, allows the management to avoid fire
outbreaks in the care setting.
 The fire safety equipments are considerably easier to implement in the workplace.
Disadvantages
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 There are times, when the employees are unable to access the fire safety equipments and
it leads to severe damage in the workplace (White et al., 2016).
 Due to this, the clients are at risks within the care home.
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Task 2
2.1Analyse how information from risk assessment informs care planning for individuals
and organisational decision making about policies and procedures which would avoid
incidents similar to the ones given in the case study.
Risk Assessment
There are certain aspects within the organisational premises that might lead to the
development of potential risks. These risks usually have a tendency to have a negative impact
on the overall business operations of the organisation. The process of risk assessment
includes the techniques deployed for identifying the risks and overcoming them in the
workplace.
The different steps of risk assessment have been discussed below in a precise manner:
Step 1: Risk Identification
This step helps the employers and employees to know about the areas that could be risky for
the individuals. The identification of these risks will allow the organisation to operate in a
proper manner (Moore and Cowman, 2014).
Step 2: Determination of the individuals that could be harmed
It is most important to safeguard the integrity of the individuals that could be harmed in case
of risk development. The management should remove them to safer areas and ensure that
they are protected in the workplace.
Step 3: Risk evaluation and development of control measures
A proper evaluation of the risks could help the management to know about the intensity of
the risks and the way in which they could have an impact on the departmental operation of
their business. Some of the hazards are legal penalties, loss of finances, damage of property,
and many more (Li, 2014).
Step 4: Record Findings
The records related to the risks should be filed separately and keep under safe environment.
This will help them to prevent future acquaintances with similar risks.
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Step 5: Review and Update
The higher officials of the care home should look to ensure that they are reviewing and
updating them in the risk assessment register, as it will allow them to accept the changes and
function accordingly (Aven, 2016).
According to the case study, it was noted that the organisation did not have a proper risk
assessment plan and it resulted in greater risks in the workplace. As a result, the clients did
not feel safe during their period of stay at the Fleetwood Hall Home. Therefore, it is
important for the manager of the care home to ensure that they are providing proper treatment
to the clients and employees.
For increasing the effectiveness of care plan, it is important for the management to have a
detailed risk assessment plan. With the aid of this, they will be able to implement accurate
measures in their care plan that will assist in securing the individuals using the services of
Fleetwood Hall Home. As a result, the patients will be kept under safe and secure
environment during the development of risks. Therefore, this will aid in the increase in
effectiveness of the care plan and the healthcare practitioners will be able to implement the
same in the workplace.
After analysing the case study of Fleetwood Hall Home, it could be understood that they did
not have any proper risk assessment plan for the betterment of the staffs and clients. It was
noted that the services used by the clients were not safe and it created serious health issues
due to improper medications. Therefore, the CQC report was not in favour of the care home,
since they were unable to provide proper services to the customers. Besides this, the leaders
were not efficient enough to lead the employees. Therefore, the care plan was not effective in
the workplace.
Some examples could be presented in this regards. The care home did not have any special
techniques for monitoring the service quality and their existing technique was highly
ineffective. Besides this, their audits were unable to identify the serious risks that were
identified by the CQC.
Recommendations
 The managers should look to make sure that they have a well-developed risk assessment
plan and care plan in the organisation.
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The standards of service quality should be measured with the aid of proper techniques that
could prove effective.
2.2Analyse the impact of one aspect of practice to individuals in relation to Health and
safety policies in the case study
According to the given case study, it was observed that the services provided by Fleetwood
Hall Home were not up to the mark. After the analysis conducted by CQC, it was observed
that there were eight main areas where breaches were found. Due to this, the owner of the
care home stated that they would not allow any more clients with the organisational premises
unless the breaches were resolved (Patti et al., 2014). The CQC report further stated that the
training received by the staffs was not adequate and as a result, they were unable to deliver
the services flawlessly. Besides this, another major impact was noted in the way the female
clients felt unsafe while sharing their activities with the other male members of the care
home. Therefore, the management should take initiative for ensuring that they provide
separate treatments for men and women. Women felt unsafe because of the behaviour of the
men that were around them. This resulted in the development of challenges and the managers
should ensure that they provide separate accommodations to the male members.
It was evident from the CQC report that most of the employees were not up-to-date in terms
of providing high quality safeguarding services to the customers. Besides this, the number of
staffs to take care of the clients was very low (Gurewich et al., 2014). Patients needing
medical aid were not treated in an appropriate manner. This created higher chances of
improper medical treatment for the clients that lead to severe health issues.
2.3Discuss how dilemma encountered in relation to implementing systems and policies
for health, safety, and security may be addressed, using the case study
Dilemma
There are instances, when individuals have to select between two or more options and both
the options are almost equally desirable for the individual. Therefore, it is important to select
the most appropriate of the options (Glasby, 2017).
According to the case study of Mrs. Y, it was noted that she suffered from Alzheimer. She
was an active woman, who was also a dance teacher. However, due to this disease, it was
observed that she became completely bed ridden. One of her student named Susan noted
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