Health and Safety Report: Winchester and Eastleigh NHS Trust Analysis

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of health and safety practices within the Winchester and Eastleigh NHS Trust, focusing on risk assessment, policy implementation, and legal compliance. The report begins by examining information communication policies, procedures, and systems, referencing key legislation like the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. It then assesses the responsibilities of various stakeholders, including management, employees, and patients, in ensuring a safe environment. The report prioritizes health and safety in the context of care settings. The second part of the report delves into the role of risk assessment in planning individual care, using case studies to illustrate how risk assessments inform decision-making and influence care practices. The report concludes by emphasizing the importance of staff training and effective communication in promoting a safe and healthy environment for both patients and employees. The report also discusses health and safety policies' impact on care practices and customers.

Health And Safety

INTRODUCTION
The main aim of any organisation is not just to earn profit and ensure sustainability.
There is the wide requirement to make sure about the fact that with the assistance of health and
safety, Companies will also be able to accomplish their responsibilities. It has been
acknowledged that there are various things which will contribute in decreasing risk. It will help
in determining them and designing appropriate strategies (Carayon, 2016). Here in present
report, main focus is on identifying several risks which are in association with organisation's
decision and setting. This report is based on three different case study dealing with distinct
problems and providing solutions. Analysis of various situations have also done with respect to
implementation of procedures and policies related with security measures and health and safety.
At last, legal compliances have also been explained with the aim to ensure health and safety at
the workplace.
TASK 1
1.1 Information communication policies, procedures and systems for health and safety
There are various enacts which are there to support safety and health in Winchester and
Eastleigh NHS Trust, which can be defined as follows: Health-and-Safety at Work Act 1974: A large number of issues in relation with
workplace safety, welfare and health across several sectors are covered under this act. In
this act, employees are having general obligation to provide care to others and make
cooperation with employers. Administration of safety and health at work regulations 1992: This act states that, risk
assessment should be done by employers and recording of the important findings should
be done. Employers should also provide some arrangements in order to implement
measures of health and safety so as to provide training and information to employees, set
emergency procedures and to work in collaboration with different employers sharing
similar place of work (Health and Safety Legislation. 2014).
 Health and Safety Regulations 1981: As per the case of Winchester and Eastleigh NHS
Trust, this law states that employers in health care settings should make sure about the
first aid equipment’s, trained persons in giving first aid must be there and employees
should be aware of first aid arrangements.
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With the help of above explained laws, health and safety in social and health care settings
is enforced. In UK, policies in regards with safety and health in care settings are executed health
department. This department, make use of particular model which can be described as:
(Source: Implementation model, 2017)
It is the mainly the duty of Health and care department to create policies in order to
provide social care and health care services to the individuals in several areas of UK. This
department also provides policies to different organisations and obliged to monitor organisation's
service. Health department ensure proper care at local level and also ensure the services of
different segments of government and people (Clougherty, Souza and Cullen, 2010).
1.2 Assessment of responsibilities in Winchester and Eastleigh NHS Trust
Health and safety in Winchester and Eastleigh NHS Trust are planned by non-
government institutions as well as government institutions in UK. UK government is having
public health system as well as healthcare. In such systems, distribution of duties is from local
authorities to health department. It makes involvement of service providers and takers, public
and health monitoring system, NHS commissioning board and clinical commissioning groups
(Cooper and Quick, 2017). This system is termed as an integrated system in which various
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Illustration 1: implementation model, 2017

organisational bodies are having responsibilities in relation with health and safety in care
settings.
As per Edelman, Mandle and Kudzma (2013), administration of Winchester and
Eastleigh NHS Trust, has a main responsibility when assuring safety of service providers as well
as takers. Management of a setting have responsibility to create organisational procedures and
policies in health care settings and also making implementation of several health and safety
practices in an organisation. As per National Health Service, organisation's management is
having high authority and are responsible for fulfilling legislative and regulative requirements
which are in relation with stakeholders' health and safety of an organisation. It involves
implementation of rules, monitoring practices and ensuring that every employee and employers
is following procedures of health and safety.
Professional responsibility is also there on management to record accidents which are
taking place in an organisation and identifying major causes of accidents and injuries and to
create procedures for avoiding accident's cause. Stakeholders in mentioned care settings include
employees, managers, visitors, patients, nurses, doctors, supervisors and patients, all of them are
having responsibility which includes follow up of health and safety measures which are there in
Winchester and Eastleigh NHS Trust. Every individual who is the part of an organisation is
expected to follow different rules which are in association with organisation's safety. For
example, when organisation's employees are asked to make use of safety wear while operating
various machines like use of X ray and other electronic machines, they should be having
responsibility to follow guidelines in order to make sure organisation's safety level (Geiger-
Brown and Lipscomb, 2010).
1.3 Analysis of health and safety priorities
The priorities of healthcare homes should always be the health and safety of patients.
Winchester and Eastleigh NHS Trust maintains several safety and health priorities, but health
and safety in the context of care settings needs to do various steps to provide services for care
settings. In this context, there are several steps which must be taken on priority for the health of
disabled individuals in an organisation.
Individual's health context:
 At first behaviour of disabled individual should be understand.
 To discover reasons for such behaviour.
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 Initiation of treatment.
 To provide help in order to deal with social environment and issues.
 To manage anger of disabled individual (Glasby, 2017). To know about improvement of individuals health condition.
Individual's safety context:
 To take individual to some secure place where there is no presence of risky electric line.
 To ensure that care setting is free from dangerous tools like stab etc.
 To ensure that disabled individual is free from taking drugs.
 To make fire safety if a person is smoker.
Proper training should also be rendered to employees who give care to service users, it is
considered as another priority used to ensure health and safety services in Winchester and
Eastleigh NHS Trust. Employees in an organisation always make interaction with users of
service in order to give medical services, therefore, it is necessary for employees to have
appropriate education in the procedures of health and safety, proper training should also be given
to employees regarding first aid, use of machines and dangerous substances etc.
As per Gordon and Findley (2011), essential maintenance and care is needed for
electronic equipments. They are helpful in providing medical treatments to the patients. This care
is considered as one of the main priority activities. The adults who are suffering from
neurological problems have to receive treatments from such machines where radioactive
substance is being used for treatment. Hence, it is very necessary that maintenance of such
equipments should be done in a proper way and also, periodic testing of safety measures are
done to maintain service quality.
It is necessary to ensure the availability if all the safety measure in the organisation. In
the present case, it has been observed that around 100 people were slipped due to the issues
associated with the mopping. However, the trust has implemented effective systems to deal with
the problem. It may be recognised that after that, the cased were reduced to 85%. This
implementation was proved effective for both the patients and the staff members. Hence, from
the results that were found after installing the safety measure, one can analyse the priorities of
health and safety.
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TASK 2
2.1 Role of risk assessment in planning of individual's care
The results which I derived from risk assessments are very helpful in informing people
for the care of patients and people. The assessment of risk, supported me in making familiarity
with different risks which are available in social and health care settings and their reflections can
also be seen on the process of decision making. I observed that, if the analysis of risk is not
performed in a proper way then policies which are in relation with health and safety can never be
designed and implemented in appropriate way. As per the case study of bariatrics patients
handling pathways, I will make proper planning by assessing risks.
The process of risk assessment is having various advantages related with different facts
which helps an organisation in identifying issues and problems which are being faced currently
(Hart, 2010). I will take its assistance in analysing the errors and weak aspects which are there in
health and safety measures.
I will provide major contribution in concern areas and assessment of possible risk can be
done in effective manner and existence of large amount of security measures will also be there. I
will further identify guidelines in effective and appropriate manner, with the help of which
machineries and equipment’s can be installed in an accurate manner. I will also make change in
existing policies with the support of risk assessment process (Hymel and et. al., 2011).
For instance, in the present case there are several findings that were observed during the
risk assessment. It has been observed that there are 40% - 70% trust who did not have a bariatrics
policy. This lacking factor will be considered by me while planning so that effective results can
be generated.
Risks Assessment Plan for bariatric patients-
Risks Who might be harm Action for controlling harm
Adequate service providers
and use of advanced
equipment’s by them.
Insufficient staff with no
precise knowledge about the
use of advanced tools or lack
of advanced equipment’s can
relatively harm the bariatric
patients.
This is to control the
identified harm where the
organisation is hereby required
to hire sufficient workforce
with proper knowledge of
using advanced tools.
Structure and vehicle designed
for carrying patients.
This could also harm the
Bariatric patients where in
most of the health care setting,
This is to overcome the yet
another ascertained risk where
the organisation is responsible
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30% of ambulances are not
referred to have specialized
vehicles where many have
reported unreachable areas in
the structured buildings.
to provide effective services to
the users by provisioning
effective ambulances with
specialized services and create
an approachable structure for
an easy reach of the patients.
2.2 Impact of health and safety policy's aspect on care practices and customers
I believe that there should be a proper provision of training as well as presentation
regarding performance of activities in a proper way that it will support in preventing injuries and
risks is the main part of health and safety policies in the social and health care settings. I will
organise Ad-hoc trainings and different training programs for the health and social care
organisation's employees to maximize their knowledge regarding health and safety practices. For
instance, if an employee is new in health care organisation and have not received training for
how to operate equipment’s and how to make inter and intra-agency communication as per the
case of bariatrics patients, then he or she will not be able to give proper services to patients.
Therefore, before hiring such employees for a particular position, I will give appropriate training
regarding working of machines in safe way and communication which needs to be done with
bariatrics patients.
The training which I will provide will help in providing knowledge to employees for
operating machines, accidents that can occur and prevention regarding common mistakes which
will lead to high safety risks. Apart from having knowledge, employees can also perform their
duties effectively so as to maximise safety and health of employees, and also if employees will
be having appropriate training then they can also train various new employees regarding safety
practices and safety measures in an organisation (Jeffreys, 2015).
In present case, I have observed that maximum trusts do not have bariatrics policy. This
policy covers numerous health and safety benefits such as number of staffs, appropriate
equipment’s, etc. Thus, if these policies will be implemented in the trusts then patients will be
provided with good benefit plans that will assist them in receiving better care. Hence, I will
ensure the implementation of these policies in the trust.
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2.3 Discussion regarding dilemmas to implement policies and systems
There are different problems which I faced in relation with implementation of procedures
and policies related to safety and health measures at care settings in the present case. The main
dilemma is in relation with communication of procedures and plans in an organisation at
different hierarchical stages. However, I found that many people are there who are familiar with
such aspects but still proper requirement is there to follow safety and health policies. Sometimes
there are various situations where some people in care setting behave in careless manner which
leads to create trouble so as to make sure safety. Further, lack of training programs in regards
with operating equipment’s and machinery can also be seen as dilemma in implementation of
policies and systems for security, safety and health (King and et.al., 2010).
I believe that, the dilemma which is in relation with lack of training can be eradicated
easily. Training should be given various fields and areas and it should be made sure that proper
sessions and modules should be categorised in proper way which will cater every area. With the
support of conferences and seminars, dilemmas can be eliminated in proper manner.
I found that in the present case, some dilemmas may arise due to disobeying the bariatrics
policy. I will make sure to implement this in the trust so that, the patients can get their rights of
safety. In addition to this, there are many more dilemmas observed by me which are in relation
with sensitivity related to spread of germs, bacteria and virus. Thus, there are various dilemmas
which is faced by social and health care settings, with respect in solving such issues there is a
requirement to get align with organisation's legal aspects. Legal aspects which are internal must
be compatible as per the legal aspects which are external. It can also help in providing safe and
secure environment.
2.4 Effects of non-compliance in relation with safety and health legislations
I have observed that there are different factors which are in association with non-
compliance of safety and health regulations at workplace. In the present case, the trusts were not
following the laws. However, for me safety of patients is the foremost thing. That is why I will
ensure the compliance of all the laws in relation with safety and health legislation. I observed
that if there will be clear judgement regarding legislations than various issues and problems can
be faced by healthcare settings. There are several kinds and types of effect that may arise when
care settings are not following compliances of health care, which is provided by different
authorities and government with the intention to maximise safety and health in organisation
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(Marmot and et.al., 2012). These effects may include legal impacts, financial impacts and health
effect for an organisation.
When healthcare organisations do not properly follow health compliances, risk of service
users and patients and also of employees being harmed and injured increases. The service user
will always be exposed to some kind of hazard or harm and non- confirmation of safety
procedures will put level of safety at low level, due to this employees and service users may get
harmed. (Reeves and et.al., 2011).
TASK 3
3.1 How safety and health practices and policies are reviewed and monitored
To monitor health and safety practices and policies is a significant part of health and
safety administration. Responsibilities does not end here when safety and health policies are
launched and written. It is a first step in implementing policy in work environment. Since there is
a continuous change in management of health and safety, it is required to be proactive in
monitoring policy's effectiveness. Social and health care reviewing and monitoring is required
for legal reasons, morale and cost. In Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, these policies
can be reviewed and monitored in two ways like: Proactive Monitoring: It means taking various actions before happening of accident. It
includes two forms: I) Need of detailed safety audit, II) In order to check proper
management and implemented standards, regular inspection is needed (McCaughey and
et.al., 2013).
 Reactive Monitoring: It refers to make examination of events after their happening. It
includes learning which are done by mistakes. Whether they result in damage of
properties, illness and injuries.
Audit of risk assessment and risk in health care settings are seen as effective method used
to review safety and health system in an organisation and also to monitor organisation's activities
which are in relation with promotion of safety. In audit of risk, a professional who is from the
field of safety and health promotion will assess organisation's current environment and then will
identify risks which are there in organisation and what needs to be done in order to maintain
organisation's risk assessment. For example, when visit in health care settings are made by care
quality commission, they make audit of requirements regarding health safety. As per Findley
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(2011), another method which is used to review practices and policies in Surrey and Sussex
Healthcare NHS Trust is by analysing reviews of employees and customers from their
experience about safety and health systems.
It requires an effective team to review and monitor the health safety and policies. For
instance: in the present case, a group was created for monitoring the single element of the trust.
This involves the beds, trolleys, couches, mattress, chairs, hoists and similar equipment. In
addition to this, all the people who are associated with these elements were included in the team.
The members involve the BCA, a Trust board member, finance manager, tissue viability nurse,
nurse manager, infection control nurse and representatives from estates, therapies and partnering.
3.2 Effectiveness of safety and health practices and policies in promoting positive culture
As per the case study of Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, safety and health
policies and practices in an organisation are the most crucial part. They give contribution in the
safety and health of employees and service users in distinct ways, and the various practices of
safety can be effective in several ways. For instance: the risk assessment that was followed by
them will help them in reducing the accidents and injuries in care settings. That is why this is
considered as effective approach. Besides this, the healthcare staffs use the process of risk
assessment in health care settings to assess harms and risks which are present in the environment
of an organisation. These are monitored because they can harm operators and service users.
Thus, these practices are required to be implemented. (Hymel and et.al., 2011).
Effectiveness of safety and health policies is dependent on promoting social and health
care workplaces. Promotion of social and healthcare focus on different factors. Such as, non-
occupational factors, organisational environment and the promotion of healthy lifestyles. Non-
occupational factors consist of home conditions, community and family welfare. Training
programs will also support employees in practising operations to match standards of industry
which will promote safety and security of service receivers and operators.
3.3 Evaluation of own contribution to place health and safety needs of individual
There are two points which are used for evaluation, which are professional as well as
personal evaluation. As per the own contribution in safety and health, it is necessary to make
sure own actions needed for minimizing risk of safety and health. It includes evaluation of risk,
reporting or monitoring, identification of hazards and making policies.
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In context to the evaluation of own experience, the contributions which are made by me
in health care settings in increasing safety and health of individuals who are being cared in care
settings can be highlighted. I feel that the users of service who are taking residence care in
settings are having distinct abilities. Their roles and activities should be performed in way which
is secure and safe (Hart, 2010). I have observed that all the patients were not happy with the
service they are offered with. In addition to this, some users of service are also having trouble
while operating equipments and machines like water heaters, medical accessories and electric
wheel chair which is provided to them. I have thus aimed on providing person-centred care to
each and every patient. The services were offered according to their needs. I have guided various
to use Electronic Profiling BedsCase and also have taught them to use accurate methods for
performing different activities.
CONCLUSION
From the above report, it has been concluded that safety and health of employees and
users of service in care settings plays a significant part when health care services are provided to
service users. Users of service visit organisation in order to be safe and healthy and therefore
maintenance of security and safety in care organisation is important. It has also been discovered
that, number of systems which are given by authorities and government to protect safety and
health of individuals in care organisations. It is also seen that among different methods used for
reviewing health policy methods and audits for preventing dilemmas are also significant while
maintaining organisation's safety. There are also various types of effects that may arise when
health and safety compliance are not followed.
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