Comprehensive Report on Health and Safety Policies in Healthcare

This report delves into the critical aspects of health and safety within healthcare settings, examining systems, policies, and procedures for effective communication and hazard management. It reviews the responsibilities of various stakeholders, including employers, managers, and employees, in maintaining a safe environment and preventing the spread of infections. The report analyzes the impact of risk assessments on care planning, emphasizing the importance of documentation and proactive measures to mitigate potential dangers. Furthermore, it explores the influence of health-based policies on organizational practices, the dilemmas encountered during implementation, and the consequences of non-compliance. The report also outlines methods for monitoring and reviewing health and safety policies, assessing their potential, and identifying individual contributions to ensuring the safety and well-being of both patients and staff. It highlights the significance of training, adherence to regulations like the Health and Safety Act of 1974 and RIDDOR, and the implementation of graphical communication to enhance safety measures.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................1
1.1 Reviewing systems, policies for spreading information .................................................1
1.2 Duty at health care work place.......................................................................................2
1.3 Precedence of health and safety suitable for health centres.............................................3
TASK 2 ...........................................................................................................................................3
2.1 How data from hazard assessments spread care planning................................................3
2.2 Effect of health based policy on organisation................................................................4
2.3. Dilemmas occurred while implementing systems and policies.......................................5
2.4 Influence of non-compliance...........................................................................................6
TASK 3 ...........................................................................................................................................7
3.1 Ways to monitor and review health and safety policies.................................................7
3.2 Potential of policies and practices of health and safety..................................................8
3.3 Own contribution in providing health and safety needs of individuals...........................8
CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................10

INTRODUCTION
Today ensuring heath and safety at the working location has become a major concern. It
now becomes an integral part of any types of services. It is a critical issue in sector of health and
social care service (Badri and et. al., 2012). So, it is responsibilities of both management and
workers to prevent spreading of infections from person to another. This can be done by
maintaining clean and happening environment at all health centres. This will resist flow of
contagious diseases in all over country. The present report is based on health and safety
whereby reviewing of system, policies and procedures for communicating information at health
care work places. The responsibilities of several workers are examined in order to manage
cleanliness around hospitals.
TASK 1
1.1 Reviewing systems, policies for spreading information
This portion is concentrated on the ideas and other methods that are present in
organisation and processes that are regulated by government body in order to manage health and
safety. NHS (National Health Service) has created documents of health and safety policies in
health centres (Arcury and et. al., 2012). As per the given scenario, issues of slipping or falling
down due to wet surfaces has been increased dramatically. This is recognised by bosses of
Winchester and Eastleigh NHS Trust that thousand of people suffering from falling and slipping
due to wet surfaces of hospitals. This results in several problems to patients as well as staff of
organisation. An inspector from health and safety Executive has given an advice that this can be
reduced by drying the floor after cleanliness. He recommended to use dry scrubbing system
using little fibre. This would minimize the water from the floor. The system, policies and
procedures for communicating information are described below:
 Health and safety act of 1974: According to this if there are five workers and more than
that available in a newly created health centre then, that organisation is answerable for
maintaining policies of health and safety. These policies includes all the activities that are
happening in organisation like accidental cases.
 Health and safety executive and NHS( 2015) : As per this, all organisation of health
care should make a document of risk assessment that must be written at the same time
when any incident is happened (Edwards and Webster, 2012). This will reduce the
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risks and dangerous accident that are occurring as every one get aware by the reasons of
these cases.
 RIDDOR 1995: It stands for Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences
Regulations. It included provisions for heath and social care organisation in which it is
mentioned that how to precede the news of injuries that are occurring in the work place.
As per the procedure of RIDDOR, the total number of injuries that are happening in
corporation must be documented properly so that all incidents get reported to the
managers of organisation.
Display of graphics carried on in order to communicate relevant informations in the firm
of health and care. For instances pictures showing do not touch chemicals, maintaining silence,
chambers' name along with doctor and other danger can be shown by using graphical
communication method in heath centres as a method of communication that reduces danger.
These techniques are quite good as it attract patients and show them the right information. This
means that any one who does not know English, can easily understand the sign boards that
advise about safety measures.
1.2 Duty at health care work place
There are different duties available in heath care organisation that if done properly
reduces the risk factors and improves safety of workers. The responsibility of employers,
customers and managers are listed below:
 It the duty of an employer to maintain a safe environment at health centres and improve
the health of worker and patients. They have to all the things that they can but must be
reasonable or practical (Dollard and McTernan, 2011).
 They have several responsibilities like cleaning the location, aiding patients, managing
their beds,etc. Risk assessments must be done in order to reduce complete risks which
can created danger in organisation.
 The managers are accountable for making policies and many processes of organisation.
They also have a duty to implement the practices of health and care under the enterprise.
 According of National Health Service, it is management of corporation that has broad
power and it is responsible for executing the regulation and legislation need relating to
the stakeholders of health centre. (Kvorning and Christensen, 2015). These involves
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implementation of rules, monitor of practices and making sure that all employees and
patients are pursuing the enforced health and safety activities.
 All the stakeholder of health and care organisation such as employees, patients,
supervisors, doctors, nurses, managers, etc. all have personal responsibilities to maintain
health and safety measurements that are implemented in firm. For example, employees
should use appropriate clothes or uniforms when they operate various machine in
hospitals.
1.3 Precedence of health and safety suitable for health centres
There are several precedence of organisation that are listed below:
 Safety of workers and and patients are very necessary so they are provided specialised
treatments in neurological and adult care services.
 The electronic devices should be properly maintained and given higher priority as these
are used to give medical treatment to service-takers. Some of the patients who have
neurological issues are provided treatments through those machines that uses radioactive
substances for giving treatment (Cooper and et. al., 2011).
 Other task is to provide proper training to the employers of health centres. So that they do
not do any type of mistakes while treating any patients. This training involves certain
activities like first aid training, patients handing training, using of several machines such
as stethoscope, microscope, x-ray machine, etc.
 Care-takers who are coming in critical conditions should be given service on priority
basis. Thy should shifted in ICU or emergency chambers if needed.
TASK 2
2.1 How data from hazard assessments spread care planning
In the presented scenario, risk assessment of bacterial patients is very important but 40 to
70 % of trust do not have any policies to overcome or prevent from these infections. So, the
solution must be founded now. For doing this, a risk assessment is needed which is created under
the health centres. It is the task of employees and service users to refer these assessment and
through this they can minimize a large number of hazards that occur in the enterprise. So, it is
important to create a documentation in which all the types of harms and dangers that employees
and patients are exposed to must be written. This identifies the level of hazards. After noticing
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all those dangers and hazard, the risk assessment then supply activities and cautiousness in order
to reduce those effects.
According to the health and safety act of 1974, it is compulsory for an organisation to
have complete documented risk assessment plan and it must be display to all public in the
premises (Dollard and McTernan, 2011). Hence, when an organisation is generating their
policies and procedures, the enterprise must consider all the factors that are written in that
document. For example, when fire elimination policy is made, all the relevant data from analysis
of risk document could be considered to help in making policy and at last effective policies are
created. These assessment that are done in organisation in order to do care planning for the
individual person are used in making best policies. For example, if patients can not travel, move
or walk then a plan is made in which they that person cannot walk without having any
supervision or guidance (Granerud and Rocha 2011). For them, wheel chairs are arranged so that
act of tripping and falling can be reduced.
Risks assessment is very essential in care planning. If it shows that work are not carried
on safely, then special arrangement have to be put in place. The risk assessment of patient can be
done by doing following things:
 By identifying the hazards
 By deciding who may be harmed and how
 Recording the finding and implementing them
 Reviewing should be done to the risk assessment and after that it can updated if
necessary.
Risk assessment table
Hazards prior
to transfer of
bariatrics
patients
consideration
should be
given to the
following
points :
Comments If yes , mark
the proper
level of risk (If
not applicable
put N/ A)
Lo
w
Me
diu
m
Hig
h
Who can be
impacted ?
Issues
occurring from
the task
Expected
remedial
action, for
example
changes
required to be
done?
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X
X
X
What Expert
instrument
will be needed
?
Bariatric
Hoist,
Specialist
ambulance,
wheel chair
Patient staff Poor
movement and
handling
techniques can
causes
injuries. Poor
action
planning can
lead to delay
in transferring
the patients
Use proper
instrument .
Improvement
communicatio
n should be
done within
team and team
professionals.
Number of
workers
needed for the
patient
movement
journey
Health care
experts
(HCAs,
technicians,
manager,
ambulance)
Staff
Service takers
Lack of
employees can
lead to injuries
for patients
and people
engaged in the
process
Assure enough
staff is
involved in
transition of
patients
What are the
width of the
door ways ?
Door ways
and entrance
measurement
are unknown
Patient
workers
members of
the public
Narrow door
ways can
affect the
transport
because it can
prevent the
employees to
move outside
Contact
building
administrator,
check door
measurement,
assure the
right
equipment in
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the premises the place
2.2 Effect of health based policy on organisation
The provision of training is maintained in the organisation of health and social care. This
gives recommendation about how to perform tasks so that it do not causes any type of risk and
injuries. In order to so, certain training and development programmes are arranged in which
employees of health centres are provided proper guidance to perform different activities such
giving injections to patients, art of treating with children as their skin is so delicate, etc. These
programmes develop their basic knowledge about health and safety activities. For example, one
who are new in the organisation and do not kn ow how to operate x-ray or other machines, then
they should provided training about their operations so that they can maintain safety and reduces
danger or risks. Hence, before appointing any worker who do not have skill to operate several
electronic devices must be undergone through training and development programmes. Apart
from these knowledge, they should also understand their duties and give importance to their job
in organisation. This will increase health & safety of the employees and care-takers.
Additionally, one who received proper training has the duty to train other new comers so that
they also become an asset for organisation.
The impact of health and safety policy are described below:
 Health and Safety at Work (HASWA) 1974 assures the health and safety of everyone
who might be affected by work activities.
 Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 need managers and
employers for carrying out the risk assessment in order to minimise the risk related to
health and safety.
 Work place regulation 1992 reduces the risks that is associated with working conditions.
 Manual Handling Operation Regulations 1992 decreases the risks to health and safety
linked with moving and handling activities.
 RIDDOR 1995 needs that specific injuries related to work, diseases and dangerous
occurrences should be informed to the local authority or HSE.
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2.3. Dilemmas occurred while implementing systems and policies
It is natural to except quandary and objections, when certain fresh procedures and policy
are implemented in heath centres. In order to view and catch the dilemmas that are created after
the execution of heath, safety and security system, the below written approaches are used:
 Recognising different precedence of health and care among the several participants of
venture could be reflected as an impressive process that will react as an active technique
that removes the dilemmas (Hohnen and Hasle, 2011).
 For example, patients in the health centres expects safe environment in order to preserve
their health from extra other injury that can effect their health and hygiene so they wishes
better safety.
 The workers that are presented in organisation also wishes to have more secure working
environment that minimizes the level of risk. For this they utilize some of the special
machine in order to maximize safety.
 The management and owner also wants safety so that less number of accidental cases or
incidents occurs that cost them legal and other expenditure (Lee and et. al., 2010).
 The dilemmas will be reduced after the new implementation of health and safety
measures. These are given to complete their basic needs.
 Analysis of risk benefit is other means of recognition and examination of hazards that
are received by employer and other care-takers from system that are newly implemented
and how these fresh system can aid them to defend their health and safety. This is helpful
to confront the unneeded perplexity that grow due to wrong communication.
In health and social care services, employees frequently faces dilemmas at the time of
implementing system and policies. For example, let us consider a case, where a service worker is
asked by a patient's relative about the development of his diagnosis. Here the service worker
might faces dilemma of both sharing or not sharing the information. According to data protection
act, he is not able to share the information without taking permission from patient. On the other
hand, this may be aidful for the diagnosis process of service user.
2.4 Influence of non-compliance
There could be several kinds of effects which can rise when the health care corporation
do not follow the compliances provided by hospitals, that is provided by government and other
authorities having an aim to maximise the condition of health in the enterprise. These effects
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include effects of health, legal and financial impacts for company of health and social care
(McCall, 2011). When the compliances of health are improperly followed by organisation of
health care, then danger for all care-takers and employees working being hurt and harm become
increased. Service-takers may be expose to different kinds of injury or danger. If the
compliances of health measures are not followed, then this will lowers the standards of safety.
This becomes a reason of injuries or harm for service-takers as well as users or employees. This
also influence the financial condition of an organisation, due to this it is compulsory to provide
compensations to service users. Another aspects of the effects of low level of safety with in a
corporation influences the legislatives that is followed by corporation when safety measures are
not carried on properly. The NHS and HSE along with norms or rules of regulate the
compliances of health in the industry. Hence, if these safety measures are carried on accurately
in the organisation , they have to suffer from various problems.
Non-compliances with the current laws and regulations have a serious impact on the
safety of health and social care. Some examples would be violation of secrecy of service user,
failure in maintaining required food safety, also failure in accessing the risk and so on. The
influences of the failure for meeting these legislations impacts both employees and employers of
a health and social care seating. As per the section 37 of Health and safety act of 1974, if any of
the health care settings found while neglecting his duty voluntarily then at that condition he or
she can be prosecuted.
TASK 3
3.1 Ways to monitor and review health and safety policies
There are various methods to supervise and reappraisal the plan of action and acts of
health and safety. Examination of hazards in health centres can be recognised as an effectual
method of reappraising the system of health care in the corporation and observing the actions
with in system that relates with promotion of safety. In auditing the risk, an employee of
organisation promoting the duty to access the current environment of the enterprise and then he
or she will identify all the risks that are available in the corporation. For instance, when CQC
(Care quality commission) take a survey of health care organisation and audit the requirements
of health safety, and checks whether they are meeting or not (Quinlan and et. al., 2010).
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Another way of revaluation of the policy and actions of corporation is by taking the
review of consumers and workers as they have feel the current situation of safety management
in system , because they are aware of number of accidental cases that occurs in the system. They
know how several methodologies or procedures are protecting or helping them in order to reduce
accidental cases. This can be used to review or measure the current policies and developing
them for the future. A new way to monitor and review these activities are making questionnaires
and ask them from population of nation (Sinelnikov and et. al., 2015). Their answers will show
the correct result. Random interviews can be taken from the users and patients of health centres
also show how services are given to them whether it is good or not.
3.2 Potential of policies and practices of health and safety
The policies and practices of health and safety in an organisation has been contributing
in developing the levels of health and hygiene of workers. There are different methods found to
be very effective in several ways. For instance, risk assessment documentation are proved to be
very helpful for reducing risks and dangers in heath care corporation. This is advised as very
effectual approaching (Underhill and Quinlan, 2011). This analysis of risk of enterprise examine
all the dangers and hazards which are addressable in corporation and those are harming the care-
takers and doctors also. Those workers and patients who do not know anything about risks that
can be occurred in corporation can also become known about these dangers . They know
maintain more safety or take more precautions while using any machine in hospitals.(Santos and
et. al., 2013). For example, analysis of risk can aware the workers and patients while walking on
surfaces as those are wet after cleaning. They now walk more carefully and this will minimize
hazards of slipping. Training programmes are also proved to be beneficial for employers who
newly joined their duty. This will make them expert in their jobs and they also maintain safety in
the work place. Hence, training can also be considered as an effective task that is given to
maintain more safe environment for workers and patients. The feedbacks are taken from the
service receiver are found to be positive. This means they told whether they have received good
or bad services at health centres.
3.3 Own contribution in providing health and safety needs of individuals
All individual in the system of health care are responsible for maintaining safe and
secure environment so that risks can be minimized from corporation. I also perform many
activities in this regard. I have bring changes in the organisation in enhancing the level of safety
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of individual those are accessing services in health centres. Users who are taking residency
services in hospitals can not perform their tasks in safe and secure way. So, they are provided
those services. Most of the patients faces many troubles in operating different types of machines
such as wheel chairs that run from electricity , boilers and many other medical equipments that
are given. I guided patients by making graphical images and convey them necessary messages. I
have arrange training and development programmes for new workers in enterprise. In this
programmes they are taught certain necessary activities like giving injections to patients, taking
care of children, etc. This will make them perfect in their jobs and contribute in enhancing the
level of safety in hospitals as knowledge of employers get increased.
CONCLUSION
From the above based report it has been concluded that maintenance of health and safety
is now become a fundamental practice in all organisation specially in health centres. This is very
useful in resisting the spread of contagious diseases and many bacterial infections. Several
legislation of health and care is implemented at workplace. Certain laws are followed like health
and safety at work act 1974, RIDDOR 1995, fire precautions regulations 1997, etc. The
monitoring and reviewing of policies and practices of health care are performed in order to
access the current conditions of health measures or services provided by health centres.
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REFERENCES
Books & journal
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