Health and Safety in Health and Social Care: A Comprehensive Report

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Unit 3: Health and Safety in the Health and
Social Care Workplace
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Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Case study 1 (Reflective Poster)......................................................................................................4
Understand how and safety legislation is implemented in the health and social care workplace.
(1.1, 1.2 & 1.3).............................................................................................................................4
Case study 2.....................................................................................................................................6
2.1 Analyse how information from risk assessments informs care planning for individuals and
organizational decision making about policies and procedures..................................................6
2.2 Analyse the impact of one aspect of health and safety policy on health and social care
practice and its customers............................................................................................................8
2.3. Discuss how dilemmas encountered in relation to implementing systems and policies for
health, safety and security may be addressed..............................................................................9
2.4 Analyse the effects of non-compliance with health and safety legislation in a health and
social care workplace.................................................................................................................10
Case study 3...................................................................................................................................11
3.1 Explain how health and safety practices can be monitored and reviewed..........................11
3.2 Analyze the effectiveness of Health and Safety policies and practices in the workplace in
promoting a positive health and safety culture..........................................................................12
3.3 Evaluate your own contribution to placing the health and safety needs of individuals at the
Centre of practice.......................................................................................................................13
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................14
References......................................................................................................................................15
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Introduction
Health and social care practices are one of the best ways to manage individual and improve their
health standard. Health and safety are essential in HSC so that all things went into the right
direction which supports different people to overcome from major health problems. This
assessment is all about health and safety at the health and social care workplace. This report will
be supported by three case studies discussion so that health and safety get assure. This report will
be going to include health and safety legislation undertaking in HSC with specific
responsibilities of each. It will be defined as the ways in which the requirement of HSC impacts
on customers and the work of professionals. Moreover, it will be focused on monitor and review
aspects of health and safety in health and social care practices.
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Case study 1 (Reflective Poster)
Understand how and safety legislation is implemented in the health and social care
workplace. (1.1, 1.2 & 1.3)
Slide: Health and safety are essential at health and social care practices so that things went into
right and appropriate direction. It is important to determine all legislation formulated in health
and social care so that appropriate security would provide (Head, 2016). Firstly, North
Staffordshire NHS Trust has to review the system, policies, and procedure by the new director so
that they can fulfill all legislative requirements. NHS Trust has to prepare policies like the use of
dry mop, online risk assessment tool, better quality equipment’s so that all individual life risk
reduces (Greenhalgh, et. al., 2016). Along with this, directors have to review the results
effectively and make a valid audit as well. Director of NHS Trust clearly proclaims that an
online risk assessment tool reduces the slip and trips in an organization. All these are some major
aspects and policies which need to initiate by NHS trust to reduce the number of accidents.
For managing health and safety, responsibilities are required to assess properly. NHS Trust
director has to identify the responsibilities carry down for effective management of health and
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safety (Morgan, et. al., 2017). NHS Trust foundation director has to define the responsibilities of
each candidate to maintain health and safety at the workplace. This includes, define
responsibility to all care providers that they need to communicate with users. With clear
communication to users, proper treatment leads to provided (Coyte and McKeever, 2016). Along
with this, NHS director has to define care quality to all professionals where they need to create
an audit and prepare a plan to minimize wastage and reduce mishaps at the workplace.
One of a major health and safety issue which is initiating in North Staffordshire NHS Trust refer
to slips. 2002 – 2004 HSC found 100 slips and trips cases of staff due to the cleaning of the floor.
An inspector has suggested using dry mopping system with microfiber to reduce such cases. It is
a major responsibility of housekeeping staff to use dry mop so that such accidents get minimize
in near future. This method was considered a success for Staffordshire NHS Trust where they
purchase 6 more and roll across the wards. Along with this, the care team is responsible to use an
online risk assessment tool. Online risk assessment tool enables to determine chances of risk and
probable aspects of risk for patients. With an online risk assessment tool, a clear picture of
reduction in fall anticipates properly.
Health and social care workplace need to prepare certain health and safety prioritize. These
prioritize are helpful to enforce operations towards the right and suitable direction (Luchinskaya,
et. al., 2017). Staffordshire NHS Trust has to understand the workplace prioritize properly so that
they can develop their rules, regulations, policies, and procedure effectively. Health care team
need to work on them so that they can ascertain a beneficial and effective outcome. The major
prioritize for health and social care workplace is cleanliness. It is essential to make a clean
environment so that it supports the health of patients. Along with this, health care associations
need to develop fire safety priority so that they can reduce the chances of fire accidents and
damages. Staffordshire NHS Trust has to develop a priority of cleaning on the floor. They have
to use dry mop so that they can make their floor dry and clean to reduce the chances of accidents.
Director has drafted it as a priority for Staffordshire NHS Trust to reduce chances of accidents
and slips and trips.
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Case study 2
2.1 Analyse how information from risk assessments informs care planning for individuals
and organizational decision making about policies and procedures.
The risk is potential harm for an individual with an understanding of improvements (Livingston,
et. al., 2017). Risk assessment is essential which informs care planning for the individual as it
assists to determine major risk factor and association or health and social care can ascertain
decision on them to prepare policies and procedure. Risk assessment is helpful to reduce chances
of risk against users, employees and care workers so that appropriate planning further promotes
(Cesari, et. al., 2016). Hence, on the basis of the assessed risk factor, health and social care will
be directed to frame their policies and procedure clearly.
The risk which has been found in assess case study refers to bariatric policy. Obesity is a major
risk in the UK where 40%-70% association has not prepared appropriate bariatric policy yet.
NHS Trusts has to underline this section so that they can prepare appropriate policy about
bariatric to control potential risk. Risk assessment informs care planning about bariatric patients
and careers to handle them effectively. Staffordshire NHS Trust has prepared a risk assessment
which informs them about care planning for bariatric patients and career to develop a policy of
bariatric:
Hazard Risk Practices Action Plan Controlling
Heart Attack Bariatric patient
due to obesity
Effective
communication
This includes
appropriate
bariatric policy.
Determine the
reason for
obesity so that
issue gets handle
effectively.
Environmental
and accessible
hazard
Patients Specialized
ambulances with
respondents and
specialized
doctors and
This includes a
policy of proper
management.
Evaluate the
areas which are
less accessible so
that doctors and
ambulance can
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teams reach over there.
Thus, on the basis of assessed risk assessment, Staffordshire NHS Trust has to consider a
decision about policies and procedure. This is including certain policies and procedure aspects
like:
 Bariatric Policy
 Need to improve training procedure
 Communication policy
 Provision of use of appropriate equipment’s
 Dignity and safety policy
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2.2 Analyse the impact of one aspect of health and safety policy on health and social care
practice and its customers.
Health and safety policies are important to draft in health and social care so that all risk and
potential services execute properly. The one of a major aspect in health and safety policy is risk
assessment which makes a positive impact on health and social care practices and its customers
(Frumkin, 2016). Risk assessment is helpful to determine the major hazard with potential causes
from it so that effective steps determine to manage it properly. Staffordshire NHS Trust has
prepared some policies like the bariatric policy, dignity, and safety policy with effective
communication and accessible procedure along with training procedure development. All these
will be going to make a positive impact on health and social care practices so that suitable
assessment of work becomes possible:
 Policies and procedure development about bariatric policy are developed for patient
consider under obesity. This policy will be helped in better planning, manual handling of
risk, with better design of vehicles to control spatial factors.
 Dignity and safety policy is developed for patients so that proper care provided to them
(Almgren, 2017). This includes an effective assessment of the patient and their risk
aspect so that they can get effective services. Staffordshire NHS Trusts has built their
ambulance and accessibility of respondents to get proper services.
 Staffordshire has developed a policy for the effective quality of types of equipment. This
policy has supported them in an effective treatment for obesity with control over pain. It
also ensures safety and comfort to all patients so that their issues and problems
minimized in a relevant and suitable manner.
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2.3. Discuss how dilemmas encountered in relation to implementing systems and policies
for health, safety and security may be addressed.
While preparing health and safety policies and procedure, care workers encounter different
dilemmas (Cresswell, et. al., 2017). It is essential for care workers to evaluate the major
dilemmas to ascertain appropriate health, safety, and security. Staffordshire NHS Trust cares
workers have determined different dilemmas while preparing system and policies for health,
safety, and security of obesity people or for the bariatric patient:
 Identification of appropriate technology so that they can manage information about their
patients and for an effective communication process. It is a major dilemma which leads to
undertake by Staffordshire care workers. They are in dilemma that new technology aids
them in effective communication and planning or not.
 Another dilemma is associated with the training process and equipment (Jespersen, et. al.,
2016). Staffordshire care workers are in dilemmas about training delivery of equipment.
They have not decided yet that such equipment belong to high-quality standard or not and
support them to reduce the pain of patient or not.
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2.4 Analyse the effects of non-compliance with health and safety legislation in a health and
social care workplace.
Health and safety legislation are certain rules, regulations which need to undertake in the health
and social care workplace by care workers. It is really essential to determine effects of non-
compliances with legislation by Staffordshire NHS Trusts so that quality team can manage their
work and ensure the quality of patients properly:
 Care workers have to ensure the health and safety act, 1974 in the account so that they
can ensure the safety of health of employees and other stakeholders. If care workers will
not compliance this aspect at health and social care then it influences the behavior of
patients. It will be directed to an increase in the number of accidents and mishaps with
patients and employees. Staffordshire has not developed a policy of bariatric which
harms their obesity patient. Thus, it is essential to develop it earlier so that HSC can
manage patients and their health as well.
 Care standard act, 2000 is required to comply as well at Staffordshire NHS Trusts. It is
essential to develop at HSC so that care worker and the team can provide better quality
care to all patients. Staffordshire has to work on this act and compliance with it otherwise
they need to shut their health care unit. Like they have to modify their ambulance with
accessibility in different areas.
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Case study 3
3.1 Explain how health and safety practices can be monitored and reviewed.
It is one of the most important components of H and S practices to monitor and review, it allows
to accurately determine the existing controls next to the risks in order to develop an effective
plan of action. It is not only enough to write health and safety policies but also to implement it
properly (Geoghegan, 2017). Seeing that Health and safety management changes its policy
continuously so, it required to be full of enthusiastic to monitor the effectiveness of the policy. H
and S care monitoring and reviewing are required for cost, self-esteem and some lawful reasons.
Generally, health and safety practices can be monitored and reviewed in two ways which are:
Proactive monitoring- It refers to the taking an action before the incident occurs. Checking of
implemented standards and controlling the need for management which requires regular
inspection are included in this. It also includes an audit of safety in detail.
Reactive monitoring- It means analysing events after their occurrence. It includes learning from
the mistakes that were done if they have turned into injuries, sickness, and any property damage.
For the completion of healing action, an agreed timetable must be set and for the identification of
hazards and potential risks a section is required. The activities and the parts of the buildings must
be inspected time to time and it is important to create a checklist of them.
Monitoring and reviewing can be done at any level i.e. from ground level work to leadership and
it guarantees the continual maintenance of organizational standards and legal compliances. It is
very important to set the benchmarks while monitoring and reviewing which help in successful
making (Middlesworth, 2014). Monitoring takes various forms and also involves a variety of
personnel including workers, managers', supervisors and directors. The senior management can
check any new proposals and agree on the alteration that is to make. Improvements should be
specific, measurable, attainable, real and time-bound (SMART). These will then be implemented
by the supervisors and managers. Therefore, in the health and social care workplace good
monitoring and reviewing actions must be taken for promoting the H and S condition.
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3.2 Analyze the effectiveness of Health and Safety policies and practices in the workplace in
promoting a positive health and safety culture.
Ans. The effectiveness of H and S policies depends on promotion at the workplace. Promoting H
and S care focuses on the certain factors like surroundings of the workplace, promoting the
healthy lifestyle and other non-professional factors (Loepkke., et. al., 2015). Non-professional
factors include welfare of the family, society, and home conditions. Correct organized health and
safety policy mentions H and S goals.
There are number of benefits of following H and S practices at the workplace. Following these
guidelines will protect staff from injuries and illness and also reduces work-related injuries. It
helps the employees to work in a safe environment. If employees are to provide to work in a safe
environment, then this will definitely improve productivity. By maintaining H and S practices in
the workplace, Staffordshire will be saved money with retention of employees. Money that spent
on recruitment and absences will reduce and contributes to better productivity.
As per the act of Management of Health and Safety Regulations 1992, employees have the right
to make arrangements for the implementation of H and S measures to get clear information and
training for these situations. Staffordshire can improve the safety of the workplace by creating a
plan (Gedefaw, et. al, 2018). Develop a safety plan and inform employees what the organization
is doing for their safety and what organization expect from them. Regularly check all the tools
and equipment's to ensure that they are well maintained and in working condition.
All the employees should be instructed on how to lift heavy products without injure themselves.
Appropriate training is required to all the employees, so that no risk regarding injury will take
place. Encouragement of the employees should be done to share one’s thoughts and ideas about
how to improve the safety in the workplace.
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