Impact of Health and Safety in Health and Social Care Workplace Report

This report delves into the crucial aspects of health and safety within the health and social care sector, focusing on a case study of Northfolk nursing home. It explores the impact of health and safety policies on care practitioners and patients, emphasizing the importance of adhering to legal requirements such as the Health and Social Care Act 2008. The report examines dilemmas faced by care home managers, such as the implementation of new technologies and the importance of appropriate training. It analyzes the implications of non-compliance with health and safety legislation, including legal, health, financial, and physical impacts. Furthermore, it highlights the significance of regular monitoring, audits, and policy updates to maintain high standards of hand hygiene and overall safety. The report concludes by emphasizing the positive effects of effective health and safety policies on creating a safe and healthy work environment, improving patient care, and enhancing the reputation of care facilities.

Health and Safety in Health
and Social Care Workplace

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
2.2................................................................................................................................................1
2.3................................................................................................................................................2
2.4................................................................................................................................................2
3.1................................................................................................................................................3
3.2................................................................................................................................................4
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6

INTRODUCTION
In the modern era, health care sector is directly or indirectly involved in the well being of
individuals by providing them health related services. Within UK there are number of nursing
home and care centres are running that focuses upon providing healthy living to individuals.
Their main focus is upon providing health and safety services to people and render them best
care in order to attain desired results (Glasby, 2012). Care home aims to deliver best care and
support facilities to people suffering from different issues such as dementia etc. The present
report is based upon Northfolk nursing home in which manager focuses upon identifying
appropriate care quality commission in order to manage the service. They possess certain legal
responsibility so that health and safety could be maintained in order to deliver appropriate care
and support to service users, care providers as well as visitors. Report analyses the impact of
health and safety requirements on care practitioners and patients as well as monitor and review
the health and safety policies.
2.2
Health and safety policies play a crucial role in order to deliver proper care and support to
its customers. In regard to this, there are several health care policies prepared by the nursing
home and thus they need to comply with the same so that they can handle the care operations
effectively (People, 2011). Health and safety policies impact upon the practices of health care
home. However, importance of developing such policies is that it helps care home to carry out its
practices easily and handle the operations well. With the help of regulations it ensures that
Northfolk nursing home provides excellent care facilities to its patients suffering from dementia.
Also, staff members are required to keep proper attention so that patients does not get hurt within
workplace. Thus, proper training needs to be provided to care workers so that they can use
innovative technologies and deliver appropriate quality care to patients suffering from health
problems.
Furthermore, care home also aims to provide better care facilities to its customers through
complying with different regulations and thus raise the standards of services. Thus, it assists
Northfolk nursing home to enhance satisfaction level of patients and make them feel comfortable
within nursing home. All the different regulations and policies are developed in relation to
comply with the needs and wants of health care users and should not affect their health. Thus, all
1

such aspects possess positive impact upon the health and safety practices in nursing home.
Health and safety policies such as safeguarding the needs of patients by providing them due care
aims to fulfil the needs of customers attain results (Safety, 2011).
2.3
Dilemma is considered as the situation in which manager of care home is required to
make difficult choice among two more alternatives. Therefore, it is considered as the difficult
decision to be made by individual and thus they need to choose the best alternative in order to
make effective decision that does not affect the health care sector policies and practices.
Northfolk nursing home faces various challenges at the time of implementing health and safety
policies within workplace (Read and Johnson, 2012). There are different dilemmas such as
corruption, inappropriate technology and unsuitable equipment's etc. Therefore,, it is essential for
the managers of care home to treat all such dilemmas with due care and take suitable decisions in
favour of care users. For instance, nursing home needs to follow appropriate care guidelines
provided by care quality commission so that it does not affect the health and well being of
patients and they receive best care facilities.
Moreover, if cited nursing home implements any technology within care home then they
need to provide essential training to every service provider so that they can understand the
equipment properly as well as utilise the same. It is assessed that doctor's personal belief might
differs from empirical knowledge but they need to undertake different techniques within the care
home so that appropriate safety standards can be attained (Rehman and Ramzy, 2004). Managers
of Northfolk nursing home needs to identify the risks and benefits and undertake appropriate
tools and techniques so that risk can be minimized. Main issue faced by medical practitioners
that there are several ways of treating patients of dementia and helping them to recover soon.
2.4
Health and Social Care Act 2008, The health Act 2006 etc. are the health and safety
legislations in which hand hygiene policy comes under. It guides that individuals are required to
maintain health hygiene by following such acts and thus it does not affect their health. Further,
there are different effects and implications of non-compliance with health and safety legislation
in Graceland day care centre. It is as follows-
 Legal implications- Health and Safety at Work act 1974, Health and safety regulation
1981 etc. are certain laws that are undertaken within Graceland day care centre. All such
2

legislation assists in developing confidence and trust among patients so that they can
obtain excellent treatment in the care setting. Therefore, it is essential for care centre to
comply with different legislation such as Data Protection in order to impose positive
impact upon business and safeguard the personal information of patients within care
home (Reis, Xiao and Savage, 2007).
 Effect on health- Non-compliance negatively affects the service providers if they do not
follow the legal guidelines appropriately. It results into facing accidents and injuries that
can harm the health of patients.
 Physical impact- It is essential for care setting to implement safety measures within care
home. Therefore, proper security measures needs to be installed so that best care facilities
can be provided to patients and care providers. Thus, it assists in providing better care
facilities to patients and follow strict regulations so that it does not harm the reputation of
firm (Rooney, Podger and Hackitt, 2008).
 Financial impact- At several times, in order to save money, Graceland day care centre
avoid implementing lastest technology as well as maintain equipment's in the workplace.
Thus, it may create issues in the care setting and thus it affects care providers to suffer
from different conflicts (Savage and Ford, 2008).
Thus, implementing all these health and safety policies is essential and it assists in
improving quality standards of services so that best quality treatment could be provided to
service users.
3.1
It is significant to review the health and care practices so that proper hand hygiene policy
could be monitored and reviewed. Also, it is essential to monitor and review the health care
policies which results in minimizing the risk. The hand hygiene policy needs to be monitored and
reviewed properly by undertaking effective steps which are as follows-
 Audits- Health and social care home are required to regularly monitor and review the
policies made by them in the form of carrying out audits so that they can identify the
hand hygiene policy is followed by service users or not. However, such policy helps in
overcoming the issues and also formulate effective policies so that best results can be
attained (Seddon and et. al., 2013).
3

 Updating policies and procedures- It is the best way through which Northfolk nursing
home monitors and reviews the policies and procedures and also update them regularly in
order to maintain best hand hygiene among patients. Through updating it regularly it aids
in raising the standards of care setting and also providing best sanitizers so that patients
does not suffer from health issues (Stewart and MacIntyre, 2013).
 Learning from experience- It is another effective way for care home to monitor the
policies and review them effectively. However, health supervisors can learn from risky
accidents and overcome their weaknesses so that appropriate actions could be attained. It
is the best way that helps them to learn from experiences and overcome the issues in
future (Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. 2014).
 Reviewing of practices- Reviewing the health practices helps in identifying the actual
practices of care setting. Thus through such way Northfolk nursing home analyses its
strength of existing process and identify the weaknesses in order to overcome the
problems. Through reviewing it aids in undertaking innovative practices that assists in
contributing in enhancing the shortcoming and attain success.
3.2
It is essential for care setting to identify the effectiveness of health and safety policies in
order to maintain culture, safe environment and better relationship with customers. These are as
follows-
 It assists in creating positive working environment and culture so that service providers
and service users can maintain effective relationship in order to deliver quality services to
dementia patients (Public Health and Health and Social Care Partnerships. 2012).
 It also helps in overcoming the issues and minimize the death rate by improving patients
safety as priority.
 Also, it is essential for Northfolk care nursery to enhance its brand image by delivering
appropriate services and attaining best results.
 With the help of such policies it aids in enhancing the speed of medical treatment and
thus recover the patients suffering from dementia and decrease their anger so that they do
not hurt themselves as well as care providers (Glasby, 2012).
All these identified policies and procedures are effective within care home so that they
can maintain and develop positive, safe and healthy culture within workplace. Also, such health
4

and safety policies could benefit its workers in relation to gain best care facilities and decrease
hazardous actions (Reis, Xiao and Savage, 2007). Service providers needs to be encouraged so
that they can understand their responsibilities as well use the innovative technology in order to
treat the patients well.
CONCLUSION
It can be articulated from the report that health and social care sector are constantly
working for enhancing quality services within care home and delivering better care and support
to patients. Also, it is essential for Northfolk nursery care to comply with different legislations
and thus protect the health and safety of its patients. Through implementing such regulations it
helps in providing excellent care facilities to service users. Moreover, effectiveness of current
practices needs to be assessed by care home so that shortcoming can be identified and easily
monitor the strength of firm to overcome the issues faced by dementia patients.
5

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Glasby, J., 2012. Understanding health and social care. 2nded. UK: The Policy Press.
People, H., 2011. US Department of Health and Human Services. Healthy People 2020.
Read, S. and Johnson, T., 2012. Rapid risk assessment in acute hospital for patients with
intellectual disabilities. Advances in Mental Health and Intellectual Disabilities. 6(6).
pp.321 – 332.
Rehman, S. and Ramzy, V., 2004. Internet use by health professionals at the Health Sciences
Centre of Kuwait University. Online Information Review. 28(1). pp.53 – 60.
Reis, D. V. L., Xiao, Q. and Savage, G., 2007. A retrospective on access to health care.
International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance. 20(6). pp.494–505.
Rooney, T., Podger, G. and Hackitt, J., 2008. The Role of the Health and Safety Commission and
the Health and Safety Executive in Regulating Workplace Health and Safety: Third Report
of Session 2007-08. The Stationery Office.
Safety, M., 2011. Health Administration. Approval & Certification Center.
Savage, T. G. and Ford, W. E., 2008. Patient Safety and Health Care Management. Emerald
Group Publishing.
Seddon, D. and et. al., 2013. Care coordination: translating policy into practice for older people.
Quality in Ageing and Older Adults. 14(2). pp.81–92.
Stewart, A. and MacIntyre, G., 2013. Care management in the twenty-first century: Persistent
challenges in implementation in the context of the emergence of self-care. Journal of
Integrated Care. 21(2). pp.91–104.
Online
Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. 2014. [Online]. Available Through:
<http://www.hse.gov.uk/legislation/hswa.htm>. [Accessed on 29th October 2016].
Public Health and Health and Social Care Partnerships. 2012. [PDF]. Available through: <
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/0040/00407419.pdf > [Accessed on 29th October
2016].
6