Assessment of Health and Safety Monitoring and Review in Healthcare

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HEALTH AND SAFETY IN HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE
WORKPLACE
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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Task 1A: LO1 forming an understanding how health and safety legislation is being introduced in
health and social care workplace.....................................................................................................3
1.1 Review system, policies and procedures for communicating information pertaining to
health and safety...........................................................................................................................3
1.2 assessments of responsibilities in a particular health and social care workplace in order to
manage health and safety.............................................................................................................4
Task 1B: Understanding the implication of health and safety standards in health and social care
units..................................................................................................................................................5
1.3 Analysis of health and safety priorities which is appropriate for a specific health and
social care workplace.................................................................................................................5
Task 2: LO 2 Underlining the ways in which health and safety requirements effect on
customers and the work of practitioners in the health and social care workplace.........................6
2.1 Analysis of how information pertaining to risk assessment introduces care planning for
different individuals and organizational decision related to policies and procedures...............6
2.2 Analysis of one aspect of health and safety policy and its impact.......................................7
2.3 Discussion of how dilemmas encountered pertaining to implementation system and
different policies for health, safety and security are to be addressed........................................8
2.4 Analysis of the effect of non- compliance with health and safety legislation in a health
and safety related workplace......................................................................................................9
Task 3: LO 3 Assessment of monitoring and review of health and safety in the health and
social care workplace.....................................................................................................................10
3.1 Explore how health and safety policy and practices are being monitored and reviewed.10
3.2 Assessment of the effectiveness of health and safety policies and different practices in
the workplace to promote a positive culture of health and safety............................................11
3.3 Evaluate own contribution in order to place the health and safety needs..........................12
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Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................13
Reference List................................................................................................................................14
Appendix:......................................................................................................................................16
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Introduction
Health and Safety policies in workplaces help to maintain the health and safety standards in the
workplace. Health and safety standards help to boost up the confidence level in employees
thereby allowing improving their work performance (Bengtsson et al., 2018). The health and
safety standards in the healthcare and social units play an important role in providing quality
medical aid to the patients along with maintaining safety standards that help to reduce clinical
accidents, injuries owing to medical procedures. This study works towards highlighting the
different aspects of health and safety standards in the healthcare and social sector. It also tries to
analyze the impacts of implementing the health and safety standards at workplace and how
employees of the healthcare sector can play a major role in maintaining the health and safety
standards.
Task 1A: LO1 forming an understanding how health and safety legislation is being
introduced in health and social care workplace
1.1 Review system, policies and procedures for communicating information pertaining to
health and safety
This part talks about how different ways death can arise in any given situation. Thus it is
significant for the caretakers to work with a form of first aid which can help to reduce the
amount of risk which is associated with the injury or sudden illness which is caused in the place.
HSE will work towards prosecute in cases where there happens to be a possible form of risk and
the standards and laws are not being well maintained. The Health and Safety (First-Aid)
regulations have worked with providing adequate equipments, facilities and different ways which
help to underline that different employees receive immediate response from their workplace.
This tend to apply to all different workplace even one which has less than five employees.
The issues which are prevalent in work have been significant to induce a particular amount of
support from the end of employers to support their employees. It is thus significant for any given
employees to introduce a means of providing safety towards the employees at workplace
(Phillips 2016). This should also be taken into consideration if a trained first aider is required in
that situation or not. The regulation does not include employers to work towards providing
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medical help to non- employers or the common public. However it is strongly recommended by
HSE to work with the non- employees as well in the assessment towards first aid needs. It is
ascertained as a duty which is to the employer to intimidate the arrangement pertaining to first
aid which is available in the organization. The necessary arrangement which is made in regards
to this are also to be understood.
Care planning is a method which gives the assurance that safety strategy which is formulated is
much effective and it works towards the safety policies in relation to individual as well as
organizational health. According to Hutchinson and Jackson (2015), the organization or
individuals can work to meet certain requirements which works through intensifying the
employee well being.
The communication in health care faces certain dilemmas and these dilemmas are to be worked
with introduction of different analysis of risk benefit, risk to oneself and others and implications
work towards using different stakeholder.
1.2 assessments of responsibilities in a particular health and social care workplace in order
to manage health and safety
The management of safety and health is termed responsible towards monitoring the health and
safety issues which are pertaining to the organization and also work towards evaluation of
different policies pertaining to the same. This can be done using proper inspection and audit the
area of workplace by the utilization of MIS or different management structure. While working
towards communication of health and safety policies, they tend to differ from one workplace to
another. The practices which are related to own practices and procedures such as understanding
the need of an individual, changes pertaining to practice and the relation which exists between
client and patients are being created.
The most urgent and significant policy is related to work with an environment which is much
safe and is not related with any kind of health hazard. Thus there has to be proper training,
practices and forms of responsibilities which are to be distributed among different people to lead
to a environment which is much safe to work in. As suggested by Martin and Manley (2018), the
aspect of monitoring and reviewed works with the review of different practices, than there is a
risk audit which is performed and different experience are gained which are being learned from.
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Health and safety at work act 1974 (HASWA) works towards laying down wide-ranging duties
which are bestowed on employers towards their employees. The employer can work towards
forming an argument that cost associated with a particular safety measure cannot be justified by
reducing the risk that is produced by the measure (Goh et al. 2015). Employers much work
towards protecting the welfare towards the health and safety of their employee. They are also
responsible for all the other individuals who enter into their premises. This act allows the
government to work towards issuing different forms of regulations and guidance for employers.
There are different codes of practice which are to be followed in order to work with the
understanding of the issue. The formation of Health and Safety Execution (HSE) was being done
under HASWA.
Task 1B: Understanding the implication of health and safety standards in health and social
care units
1.3 Analysis of health and safety priorities which is appropriate for a specific health and
social care workplace.
The Health and Safety policies taken up by the healthcare unit’s aims to promote healthy and
safe working environment. Therefore it is essential for the organizations to set up priorities
related to health and safety policies. The basic priorities of the health and safety standards are as
follows:
● Hygienic surroundings- It is essential for the employees of the healthcare and
social units to maintain cleanliness in the workplace. A proper hygienic
workplace will help to render quality medical services to the consumers.
● Proper Waste Disposal System- It is also essential for the staffs of the healthcare
organizations to take initiatives to dispose clinical waste in a proper manner. This
would reduce the chances of contamination and spread of diseases (Cresswell et
al., 2017)
● Proper Training- The management of the hospitals and social care units should
take initiatives to ensure that the staffs of the organization's are provided with
proper training to maintain the equipments. This would help to reduce chances of
clinical accidents.
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● Monitoring and Risk Assessment- The management of the healthcare and the
social organizations should take initiatives to monitor the health and safety
policies at a regular basis and analyze the potential risks associated with it.
Figure 1: Health and Safety Priorities
(Source: Created by author)
Task 2: LO 2 Underlining the ways in which health and safety requirements effect on
customers and the work of practitioners in the health and social care workplace
2.1 Analysis of how information pertaining to risk assessment introduces care planning for
different individuals and organizational decision related to policies and procedures.
Risk assessment or risk determination is the task of analyzing potential threats occurring in
various service sectors. As opined by Martin and Manley (2018), risk assessment in workplaces
helps to promote safety in health and safety standards that helps to promote healthy and safe
working environment. Analyzing the potential risks in workplaces is an ethical requirement that
helps to maintain safety standards for the employees working in various organizations.
Risk assessment plays an important role in the smooth functioning of the operational framework
in the health and social care organizations. According to Phillips (2016), the analysis of the
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HygienicsurroundingsProperWasteDisposalSystemProperTrainingMonitoringandRiskAssessment

potential risk associated with health and social care also influences the decision making
procedure. The risk assessment procedures in the health and social care units help in analyzing
the potential risks associated with the health and social care services thereby helping to promote
valuable services to the consumers which can promote their well being. The main aim of risk
determination processes to evaluate the main problems occurring due to numerous causes which
can pose threats both to the lives of the health practitioners and the consumers that is the patients.
For example, it is necessary for the healthcare units which serve tuberculosis patients to provide
the healthcare professionals with safety equipments like masks and gloves which would help to
prevent the flow of germs from the patient's body to the healthcare professionals. Besides risk
management in health and social care units also aims to monitor the steps taken by the units to
fight the potential threats. The risk determination programme helps the health care and social
units to evaluate a comparison between the safety standards that they possess and the safety
standards that are actually required by the units to fight against the causes that actually pose a
threat to both the lives of the patients and the healthcare professionals. This helps the social or
health care organization to impart the best services that help to promote a healthy and safe life
free from diseases and sufferings.
2.2 Analysis of one aspect of health and safety policy and its impact.
The risk assessment programme helps in the development of various policies that help to
promote good and safe health for both the patients and the employees of the health and social
care units. As opined by Goh et al.(2015), the health and safety policies not only helps to
provide the best services to the consumers but also encourages the employees to improve their
work performances as safety standards help to provide satisfaction among the employees. The
health and safety policies taken up by the UK government takes into account many aspects of
health and safety measures. This includes proper use and maintenance of machineries and
equipments, maintaining proper hygiene in the workplaces and so on. However among all the
aspect the maintaining proper hygiene within the workplace plays an significant role in
promoting the best health and safe working environment. Maintaining proper hygiene in the
health and social care units is essential as without proper hygiene there might be risk of the
spread of bacteria in each and every place. This could pose a threat to the lives of both patients
and the healthcare professionals. Besides proper hygienic workplaces also helps in the smooth
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functioning of the operational framework. For example : if a healthcare unit has proper
maintenance and if the management of the unit takes initiatives to maintain proper hygienic
condition then it would become easier for the healthcare professionals to carry out their jobs in a
smooth way without any hindrance. Proper health and hygiene also helps in the speedy recovery
of the patients thereby helping to healthcare and social units to achieve their goals of providing
the quality medical facilities to the patients thereby promoting their well being. Also
maintaining proper hygienic condition in accordance with the health and safety standards also
helps the authorities of the healthcare units to gain a strong support from then patients as the
patients rely on the medical services of those units where health and safety standards are given
the first priority. AS Therefore for maintaining proper hygienic conditions the healthcare units
should play an important role in taking initiatives like proper disposal of clinical waste, regular
cleaning of the operation theatres, regular cleaning of the washrooms used by the patients and the
health professionals, proper sterilization of the medical equipments (Sorensen et al., 2019). All
these measures will help to promote a hygienic working condition that in turn would play an
important role in catering to the basic needs of the patients related to health and social care
facilities.
2.3 Discussion of how dilemmas encountered pertaining to implementation system and
different policies for health, safety and security are to be addressed.
The Health and Safety policies adopted by various organizations help to ensure health and safety
standards in the workplace. According to Giles et al. (2016), the policies take into consideration
the health and safety measures that have to be provided by the organization for the smooth
functioning of its operational framework. This helps in boosting up the motivational level of the
employees as they feel that the workplaces are giving priority to the safety of the employees first.
● Corruption and bribery practices- Often it is seen that the services provided by the
health and social care units are not up to the mark. Although initiatives have been taken
by the health care units to impart the best medical services but often the services rendered
are corrupted by illegal works of officials like bribery, misuse of the money provided to
buy modern equipment [Refer to Appendix 1].
● Use of technology- In order to provide quality health care services it is essential that the
health care units and the care homes should adopt modern technologies. But often it is
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seen that these healthcare units do not have proper funding system which hampers the
quality of the services provided to the patients. Besides the use of modern technologies
can also have adverse effect on the health of the employees (Hutchinson and Jackson,
2015). For example over use of UV rays for conducting X Rays can indirectly affect the
health of the employees.
● Problem of Stakeholders- The healthcare and social units in order to impart quality
services enters into collaboration with stakeholders who provide various equipments and
elements necessary to impart the best medical services to the consumers. But often the
stakeholders act in an irresponsible manner by not delivering the services properly or
providing low quality equipments which affect the quality of the services provided to the
patients.
● Involvement of other organizations- Often it is seen that many healthcare and social
units enters into collaborative relationships with other organizations for certain services
which are not present in the healthcare units. For example many hospitals or nursing
homes tie up with various laboratories for carrying out medical test. These laboratories
often tend to provide wrong reports or can even breach the medical details of the patients
thereby impacting on the patient’s health and safety.
2.4 Analysis of the effect of non- compliance with health and safety legislation in a health
and safety related workplace.
In order to ensure health and safety standards in the healthcare units and care homes , the
government of UK had taken certain measures in the form of legislations and acts that all the
healthcare units have to follow in order to carry out their operational framework on ethical
grounds. The legislations proposed by the UK government are as follows:
● Health and Safety at work act 1974- According to McCaughey et al. (2016), this act the
healthcare and social units in UK, should take up measures to ensure safety of the
employees in the workplace. This would help to motivate the employees to provide the
best medical aid to the patients and also the organizations will also have the opportunity
to attract eligible candidates in the long run.
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● Public Health Act of 1936- According to this Act the health care professionals should
aim to provide the best medical aids to the patients. Any illegal act leading to the risk of
the patient health can lead the health care professionals to be penalized under the laws of
the UK government.
● Care Standards act of 2000- According to this Act the healthcare units and care homes
should take up initiatives to ensure that the health and safety standards proposed by the
UK government are maintained by the organizations in order to promote health and
safety at workplace. And any non compliance with such standards can lead to serious
crime records for the organization.
Task 3: LO 3 Assessment of monitoring and review of health and safety in the health and
social care workplace
3.1 Explore how health and safety policy and practices are being monitored and
reviewed.
The implementation of the health and safety standards in the workplace also requires proper
monitoring of the standards. Monitoring of the standards helps in analyzing the various problems
that are associated with the health and safety measures and the necessary measures to be taken to
improve the quality of the standards (Ocloo and Matthews, 2016).Therefore it is necessary for
the health organizations to constantly monitor the health and safety standards and make
necessary changes according to the changing environment and needs of the consumers and the
employees. This would help the healthcare and social units to remain updated and render the best
medical and safety services. Therefore the measures that can be taken up by the healthcare and
social units are as follows:
● The organizations should try to analyze their current performances and analyze the
potential threats that help to decrease the rate of accidents or negative feedback and
reduction in the damage of property and resources.
● The healthcare and social units should also take up services that help to promote good
health and safety in the workplace and at the same time help the organizations to achieve
their goals and targets (Panesar et al., 2016)
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● The health care units can set up inspection committees whose major role will be to
analyze whether the health and safety standards adopted by the organizations are in
compliance with the standards proposed by the UK government.
3.2 Assessment of the effectiveness of health and safety policies and different practices
in the workplace to promote a positive culture of health and safety.
As opined by Phillips (2016), the main aim of the health and safety policies is to ensure that the
organizations do not compromise with the health and safety of the employees and the consumers
for the benefits of the employees. Therefore it is essential for the health and social organizations
to take up health and safety policies that would prove to be effective in terms of maintaining the
health and safety standards in the workplace. The policies adopted by these organizations can
prove to be effective in the following ways:
● Allocation of responsibilities: The health and safety policies help the organizations to
achieve its basic aims of maintaining health and safety standards in the workplaces by
allocating different responsibilities to the staffs and managers and other professionals of
this sector.
● Risk determination- The health and safety policies also helps the organizations to
analyze the potential risks associated with various operations carried out by the
organizations and the ways the organizations can overcome the risks.
● Appropriate training- As stated by Siegel et al. (2015), the policies also ensure that the
organization provides appropriate training to the staffs for the proper usage of new
equipments that help to provide better medical aid. This helps to reduce chances of
accidents in workplaces.
3.3 Evaluate own contribution in order to place the health and safety needs.
Only implementing health and safety policies would help in attaining the goals of maintaining
health and safety standards in the workplace. Rather it should be the responsibility of each and
every employee to carry out their jobs as per the health and safety norms of the organization.
Similarly it is essential for the health and social units to analyze whether the vision, abilities,
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