Health, Safety, and Security in Health and Social Care: A Report

This report provides a comprehensive overview of health, safety, and security in health and social care settings. It begins with an introduction emphasizing the importance of a hazard-free environment and adherence to laws and legislations. The report then identifies potential hazards, including security, equipment, infections, substances, and working conditions, along with the harms associated with each. It explores the influence of relevant legislation, policies, and procedures, such as the Care Minimum Standard 2003 and the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, in ensuring a safe environment for both employees and service users. A risk assessment is presented, categorizing hazards and their likelihood, and the report concludes with a discussion of priorities and responses to specific incidents, such as fires and equipment-related hazards, within a health and social care context. The report highlights the need for proactive risk management to protect both staff and patients.

HEALTH, SAFETY AND SECURITY IN HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE
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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
P1 Potential hazard and the harm that may arise from each in health or social care setting..3
P2 The way legislation policies and procedures related to health, safety and security influence
in health and social care setting..............................................................................................4
P3 Risk assessment health and social care setting..................................................................4
P4 Possible priorities and responses while dealing with two particular incidents or
emergencies in a health and social care setting......................................................................5
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................6
Reference.........................................................................................................................................7
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Introduction
At the health care setting it is important for to provide services to service user without any
potential hazard. Further all the laws and legislations should be followed in respect to avoid the
chances of getting harm.
P1 Potential hazard and the harm that may arise from each in health or social care setting
There is six main potential hazards that may arise at the Bupa health and social care setting that
is as follows:
 The potential security hazard is the windows such as if there are firewalls then windows
cannot be broken easily due to which risk of getting harm can occur. If there is the fire
then no one can easily get out of it which seriously cause harm (Munn-Giddings and Winter,
2013). Further poor ventilation leads to cause harm. Therefore, it is important that air in
the room should be breathable and does not cause any breathing problem to service user
and provider.
 Equipment: At the Bupa care setting different equipment are used for providing treatment
to the service provider. It should be kept safely and securely and far from patient.
Confidential information: It is important to keep all the information of patient safe and
secure,
 Infections: At the health and social care setting if the procedure is not followed properly
then it can cause harm to patients. After providing treatment it is important to wash hands
and then move toward the other patient, Chances of infection increases at the time when
expired food is provided to service users.
 Substances: Physical forms of the chemical product take place that are fumes, dust etc.
This type of substance can harm service user as well as the provider at the Bupa care
setting. For example, if there is low hygienic problem build up then dust may occur due
to which people at healthcare setting can suffer from allergy.
 Working condition and practices: Working condition is the circumstance in which service
provider should work (Snape, Kirkham and Jacoby, 2014). Further, it is extremely
important in the health and social care setting. Further, it is difficult for staff member and
patient because if cross contamination takes place then infection can transfer from one
person to other. At the time of working hour, safe and hyenic process should be used.
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 Security system: All the personal information of service provider should be kept safe and
secure. If the information is not safe and secure than it can be stolen by other and
misused. Bupa care setting must use new technology for keeping the information safe and
secure.
 Workers at care setting home must follow this procedure with respect to provide
appropriate treatment to the patients.
P2 The way legislation policies and procedures related to health, safety and security influence in
health and social care setting.
There are two important legislation and procedure that Bupa care home should follow in
respect to influence health and safety. Care minimum standard 2003 and health and safety at
work act 1974 must be met in respect to make sure the health and safety of employees and
service user at the workplace (Cameron, Lart and Coomber, 2014). Health and safety get influence
at the work place through making sure that there is not risk or any harmful equipment at the work
place that can seriously harm staff member and patients. Therefore, Bupa care home must follow
the guidelines and legislation in respect to make sure them safe and secure from danger that can
harm the patients. All the rules should be followed by services user such as they should use
sanitizer before entering into a hospital. Apart from this the health and safety work act 1974 is
one of the prime piece of legislation in the Britain. It helps in making sure that employees are
working in risk free environment or not. Further COSHH (Control of Substances Hazardous
to Health') can be followed at the work place. For instance, it is a responsibility of employer to
prevent or minimise their workers exposure to substance which can harm their health at health
care settings.
P3 Risk assessment health and social care setting
At the Bupa health and social care setting it is important to identify the risk and remove it
in respect to prevent service provider and user from getting harm. Hazard is anything that can
harm and riks is the chance that is high, low or medium (Munn-Giddings and Winter, 2013). There
are four different types of hazard such as social, physical, biological, and chemical.
Risk assessment
A B C D E
Hazard Risk (Injury) Chances of
occurrence (1-5)
Risk
4

Cleaning
chemicals not put
far from the
patients
Risk is that service
provider may get
these chemicals
or they got
internal injury
4 Mediums As per the policy
and procedure all
the risk chemicals
should be kept
locked.
Dangerous
equipment’s kept
open
Equipment for
providing
treatment if kept
open then it can
patients
5 High All the risk
equipment should
be kept away
from workplace
and locked.
Staff infections
like flu and cough
There is a risk that
if one of the staff
is getting infected
the it can pass to
patients.
3 low As per the health
and safety policy.
Staff who are
infected should
not came with the
contact of others
at health care
setting
After analysing all the risk, it should be monitored and precaution need to take as per the chance
of risk.
P4 Possible priorities and responses while dealing with two particular incidents or emergencies
in a health and social care setting
First incident can be fire: It can be very dangerous occurrence and also unpredictable as
because of this reason it causes panic in the area (Aveyard, 2014). While at the time when fire
take place then it fires alarm should be raised so that everyone at the health care setting came to
know about it. Further patients who are disabled or hearing or visual impairment should be first
take out from the hospital. second incident took place at the time when equipment was kept
openly that can harm the patient. In such a situation is important to make sure that equipment is
removed from the workplace and patient can be avoided from getting harms.
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Conclusion
From the above report it is concluded that at the health care setting it is important conduct
risk assessment so that employees and service user can carry out their work without facing any
type of risk.
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Reference
Aveyard, H., 2014. Doing a literature review in health and social care: A practical guide. McGraw-Hill
Education (UK).
Munn-Giddings, C. and Winter, R., 2013. A handbook for action research in health and social care.
Routledge.
Cameron, A., Lart, R., Bostock, L. and Coomber, C., 2014. Factors that promote and hinder joint and
integrated working between health and social care services: a review of research literature. Health
& social care in the community, 22(3), pp.225-233.
Snape, D., Kirkham, J. and Jacoby, A., 2014. Exploring areas of consensus and conflict around values
underpinning public involvement in health and social care research: a modified Delphi study. BMJ
open, 4(1), p.e004217.
Coughlan, M. and Cronin, P., 2016. Doing a literature review in nursing, health and social care. Sage.
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