Health and Safety in Health and Social Care - Assignment Example

Health and Safety in Health and Social Care Assignments Table of Contents Case 1 2 Introduction 2 1.1 Implementation of System Policies 2 1.2 Responsibilities for Management of Health and Safety 3 1.3 Analysis of Health and Safety Priorities in Medical 5 Conclusion 5 Case 2 6 Introduction 6 2.1 Importance of Information from Risk Assessment in Care Planning and Decision-making 6 2.2 Impact of Health and Safety Policy on Customers and Care Practice 7 Impact on Customers 7 Impact on Care Practitioners 7 2.3 Dilemmas Encountered by Care Workers in Health and Safety Policies 8 2.4 Effects of Non-compliance with Health and Safety Legislation 8 Conclusion 9 Case 3 10 Introduction 10 3.1 Ways through Which Health and Safety Policies and Practices are Monitored and Review 10 3.2 Analysis of Effectiveness of Health and Safety Policies and Practices in the Workplace in Promoting a Positive Health and Safety Culture 12 3.3 Evaluation of Own Contribution to Placing the Health and Safety Needs of Individuals at the Centre of Practice 13 Conclusion 13 References 14 Case 1 Introduction North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust is developed in order to enhance the mental health of patients along with the wellbeing of communities. The success of the Trust depends largely upon effective health and safety provisions along with the risk management measures. The board of the Trust sets direction to ensure effective management regarding the health and safety policies. The policies implemented must be followed as an integral part of the organisational culture, so that operations are conducted according to desired values and standards (Health and Safety, 2013). The provided case describes about corporate and clinical guidance required to manage the corporate risks by a newly appointed director on the basis of his/her leadership style. The main agenda of the trust is to manage the health and reduce the rate of incidents. In this respect, the director will be liable to ensure that healthcare information are properly communicated and is in accordance with legislative requirements. 1.1 Implementation of System Policies The new director of North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust needs to have a clear understanding regarding the security, safety along with risk associated with health as well as safety measures and accordingly, articulates for effectiveness. The risks that the director needs to respond to includes individual risks, property risk along with protection from health harm and hazards. Moreover, the director needs to ensure that the policies and the agendas are properly communication through social media technologies, training sessions and organisational communication system. The director is also responsible to take into consideration the health and safety of individuals and employees. The new director of the Trust might consider and acknowledge the various laws that are enacted and are implemented in the workplace. The legislative provisions regarding food and health care related activities such as mental health among others are to be followed efficiently along with proper code of conduct. The new director takes into consideration that advanced technologies are used for better communication of healthcare information for the safety and maintenance of a healthy environment. Additionally, an upward communication system will be adopted for the effective involvement of the workforce. The director is responsible for developing the training programs and minimising the risk through the implementation of proper corporate governance policies. The director is also entrusted with the responsibility of seeking that healthcare information is communicated in accordance with legislative requirements. In this respect, the director is required to implement different legislative requirements that include health and safety legislation, codes of practice and regulations in healthcare settings for better healthcare practices. 1.2 Responsibilities for Management of Health and Safety North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust is responsible for safeguarding the health of the society. The management is responsible for managing and monitoring employees by providing different preventive measures. As per the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007, any breach in the duty of care will be treated as an offence for a healthcare employer (Health and Safety, 2013). The management of the Trust are the board of governors, vice chancellor along with policy makers. They are responsible for performing a leadership role and providing direction for the welfare of patients and others. Moreover, to monitor the compliance of the policies and the risk factors additional employees are required to be appointed. Members of the Trust are responsible for their act and are accountable to comply with the implemented policies. The personnel are trained and governed in order to ensure that they conduct their responsibilities as per the organisational guidelines. In addition, staffs are well trained and monitored, so that they abide by their job responsibility. Hazards that might affect the safety of employees, patients along with visitors can be mitigated through the practice of effective legitimate activities. Additionally, reasonable measures are recognised and implemented in order to control the welfare along with the risks that patients as well as visitors face in healthcare settings. The management is taking steps to adhere the rules for the improvement of the safety of employees, patients and locality (Health and Safety, 2013). Furthermore, employees are obligated to take proper care of patients’ health as per the guidelines. It is the duty of employees to maintain a cordial relation with the managers, so that the instructions are followed accordingly in order to avoid any healthcare related issue. The members of the Trust are responsible in reporting any accidents as well as ensure remedies to prevent any re-occurrence of identified issues. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the management to maintain an environment and develop efficient guidance to resolve the emerging issues regarding the health and safety in healthcare settings. In this regard, it can be stated that the goal of the management is to provide high quality healthcare practice models, which are person centred. Management offers holistic approach of care and innovated communication system for better service deliverance to the people for better management of health and safety (Sullivan, 2010). 1.3 Analysis of Health and Safety Priorities in Medical Safety of patients is one of the major issues faced globally by the healthcare settings. The growing issues regarding the health and safety is due to the unsafe medical care and increasing exposure of the people to different health related issues. The injuries of patients are due to various factors and the medical care depends largely on the policies and the code of conduct. The medical care of people depends upon its severity. Therefore, it is important for the Trust to evaluate the factors and the related issues to provide the best medical care to patients. The medical care is scare and unsafe mainly in developing countries with high poverty rate. Therefore, for the health and safety of the community in the medical field, the Trust and board is required to adopt measures and researches to avoid issues regarding the health of the patients and the healthcare people. Risk awareness is another aspect of ensuring safety in the Trust (Paradigm Risk Management, 2013). Conclusion The board of the Trust sets direction to ensure the health and safety of people are maintained with the help of policies and organisations culture. The new director following proper guidelines will be effective in providing safety and reducing the rate of incidents and health insurance premiums through appropriate healthcare services and policies. The responsibility of the management of the Trust is to provide proper training and aid the people and the healthcare workers to perform in a responsible manner. In healthcare settings, medical care is important medium of reducing the risk of diseases. With proper leadership and efficiency, the North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare HHS trust ensures safety and health globally. Case 2 Introduction In the United Kingdom (UK), safety in healthcare settings has been considered as one of the key aspects. The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 has been designed by the UK government for the health occupational in order to ensure safety in the social care assignment. The duty of the health workers also comprises risk assessment within the workplace (Levy & McRae, 2012). This case study intends to explain the ways in which the requirement for health and safety provisions impacts the customers and the task of the practitioners in health care workplaces. 2.1 Importance of Information from Risk Assessment in Care Planning and Decision-making Risk assessment refers to the process of identifying health related risk and finding out appropriate measures for controlling those risks. Risk assessment provides health workers with the information of the risk that can cause harm to patients and find out the probable measures for those risks. Healthcare workers are required to adhere with certain legal responsibilities in relation to the risk assessment. The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 determines that risk assessment is a tool, which enables the healthcare workers to take preventive measures for assessing the risk and make decisions accordingly (Bradley, 2012). For instance, in the case study of “Pensioner death prompts risk assessment reminder to care organizations”, it has been observed that due to the use of unsuitable sling and hoist, 90 years old Alice Belle fell down and dies in the hospital. Although, the devices were not defective, it was the fault of the nurses, as those sling and hoist were unsuitable for the patient due to her frailty. If the person assigned with the task of assessing risk would have measured and monitored the unsuitability of the devices and made appropriate decisions accordingly, the accidental death would not have occurred and the Elderly Directorate of Moseley Hall Hospital would not have been fined by the court. From this case, it can be ascertained that risk assessment is too necessary for the health workers in order to promote best care and also follow their legal responsibilities along with avoiding any kind of uncertain incidents. 2.2 Impact of Health and Safety Policy on Customers and Care Practice Impact on Customers The health and safety policy provides healthcare users with the right of appropriate health care services along with the promotion of their well-being. Through health and safety policies, customers are offered with the right of making effective decisions in relation to healthcare treatment with adequate support from health practitioners (World Health Organization, 2013). In the case, the promotion of health safety would have saved the life of Alice Belle along with meeting the individual needs of the nurses, which in return would promote wellbeing of the hospital. Impact on Care Practitioners The health and safety policy helps the practitioners to set their standard of care and improve the care practices within the workplace (World Health Organization, 2013). With the implementation of health and safety policies in Elderly Directorate of Moseley Hall Hospital, the healthcare practitioners can improve the ways of providing health care services and promote proper well-being of patients. Care practitioners can also establish procedures for handling customers along with ensuring them with the best quality services and care settings. The regular checking of the equipment used in the care procedure would have saved the hospital from being fined by the court. 2.3 Dilemmas Encountered by Care Workers in Health and Safety Policies Health care workers come through numerous dilemmas in the day-to-day practice of health care. In certain cases, few of the care workers come through the dilemma of making proper decisions regarding the process of medication and care to be offered to the patients. The nurses are often not ready to take risk in the process of care setting without the consent of the higher authority. Apart from this dilemma, it has been also encountered that the practitioners often go through the risk benefit analysis in the course of care giving, which might be risky for both practitioners and care use, (Bratianu, 2014). The nurses of Elderly Directorate of Moseley Hall Hospital had also gone through a dilemma of using the sling and hoist in shifting Alice Belle to her bed. If they were informed of the unsuitability regarding the equipment, the accident would not have been occurred. Hence, these kinds of decision-making dilemma usually occur amid healthcare professionals. 2.4 Effects of Non-compliance with Health and Safety Legislation Non-compliance with the health and safety legislation is identified to be accountable for building personal as well as professional effects within health care workplace. If the health care is not framed within the legislation, it is likely that the patients might be the victim of certain injuries and fatalities. The health legislation refers to the provision of legal responsibilities of the care practitioners. Thus, it is their responsibility to promote safety and avoid any kind of health implications to the patients. In this regard, the health care centres might undergo fines and penalties in case if health and safety legislation is not adhered in health care (Perezgonzalez, 2005). For instance, as recognised in the case that due to the breaching of section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, South Birmingham Primary Care Trust was fined with £20,000, which resulted to a financial loss and adversely affected its brand image. Thus, it can be ascertained that non-compliance of health and safety legislation would result to the loss of the health organization as well as degradation of the health condition of patients. Conclusion From the above discussion, it can be analysed that the information of risk assessment is necessary to provide best services to the customers as well as in promoting their well-being. Risk assessment is a tool, which develops legal responsibilities among the health practitioners in the course of care giving. It also helps the practitioners to come out of any kind of dilemma along with providing them with the power of making decisions in relation to health condition of patients. The legal responsibilities among care practitioners will help in protecting them from the effects of non-compliance of health and safety procedures. Case 3 Introduction Every year, several accidents to workers, care providers as well as service users due to the use of work equipment in health and social care are reported. Many incidents are often serious while some are fatal. In this regard, application of the right, well-maintained equipment functioned by trained employees can help reduce/prevent accidents as well as eliminate personal and financial costs associated with such incidents. Correspondingly, monitoring and reporting are the crucial parts of health and safety culture. It is vital that management system allows the board of healthcare organisations to obtain both specific and regular details on the health and safety policy performance. Review of health and safety policies and practices enables the board to ensure whether the necessary health and safety tenets such as strong leadership, involvement of workers and assessment are being embedded in healthcare organizations (European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, 2012). This section of essay intends to discuss about the relevance of monitoring and reviewing health and safety policies and practices in a newly build hospital. 3.1 Ways through Which Health and Safety Policies and Practices are Monitored and Review There are various ways through which health and safety policies and practices can be monitored. In this regard, collection of workplace health and safety data and comparing this data with other in the same sector is an effective measure to monitor health and safety policies as well as practices. At the same time, evaluation by senior managers also serves as an effective way for monitoring health and safety performance. Another method for monitoring can be in the form of receiving routine reports on the health and safety policy and practice (European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, 2012). It is essential to conduct review of health and safety policies and practices at least once in a year. The review aids the board to reflect upon the organizational current priorities as well as plans and targets. The review also enable board to examine the effectiveness and shortcomings of the risk management as well as other health and safety system. It is worth mentioning that effective health and safety policy and practice review in healthcare workplaces facilitate the board to take action oriented decisions to address weaknesses and shortcomings associated with the immediate review. Accordingly, the board devise a system to monitor the implementation of the action (European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, 2012). Concerning the given case study, it might not be possible to avoid all cases of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). However, there are things that can be performed during work in order to assist prevent symptoms from getting worse. Monitoring can be considered as an informal, non-statutory technique of surveying health care workers for symptoms of ill health, comprising lower back pain. This type of occupational health management system can enable the newly build hospital to be aware of health related problems and devise strategies or take decisions to prevent problems or issues made worse by work activities. Another important way for newly build hospital for healthcare settings monitoring can be in the form of obtaining feedback regarding system that reviews the existing control methods in place. Record keeping and periodic auditing are the two major ways of reviewing health and safety policies and practices that can be used by the newly build hospital. 3.2 Analysis of Effectiveness of Health and Safety Policies and Practices in the Workplace in Promoting a Positive Health and Safety Culture Effective of health and safety policies and practices in the workplace enables the healthcare workforce to perform their duties with utmost sincerity that would ensure the protection of service users and reduce risks. Workers complying with the effective health and safety policies and practices in place enable them to identify the level of risks in their workplace as well as avoid any possible waste of efforts in an efficient manner. Correspondingly, it result in avoiding any fatal consequences such as accidents or ill health and also enable to minimize overlaps and delay in time (Heriot Watt University, 2007). Concerning the given case study, effective health and safety policies and practices in the workplace can be considered as vital for promoting a positive health and safety culture within the newly build hospital. In this regard, formulating healthcare policies are widely recognized as the first step towards achieving successful safety culture in the newly build hospital. Effective health and safety policies ensure that the safety message is circulated actively across the newly build hospital. Effective health and safety policies and practices aid in reducing the risk of heavy manual handling process. It may also increase knowledge and awareness of MSD risk factor among the social care workforce and thus, may reduce any possibilities of accidents or any other fatal consequences that may ruin the lives and at the same time increase the cost associated with the business through compensation claims, lost output and increased insurance premiums. Therefore, it can be firmly stated that effectiveness of health and safety policies and practices in the workplace is vital for promoting a positive health and safety culture (Health and Safety Laboratory, 2012). 3.3 Evaluation of Own Contribution to Placing the Health and Safety Needs of Individuals at the Centre of Practice People generally deliver social care services to another people for developing of relationships. It is crucial that the social care workforce is acquainted in such a manner, which reflects compassion, respect and understanding. It is vital that social workers are trained, skilled and accountable. More importantly, it is essential to place the health and safety needs of individuals at the centre of practice (Social care Institute of Excellence, 2013). It is necessary to assess the needs of the service users as well as comply with the policies within care organization. Concerning the given case study, it would be crucial for the newly build hospital to change the wheels of the hoists that is more suitable for use on carpets that have minimum risk level to service providers and patients. Conclusion From the foregoing discussion, it has been identified that monitoring and reviewing of health and safety policies as well as practices is extremely important for addressing the shortcomings appropriately. Besides, it has been recognised from the above discussion that it is crucial to place effective health and safety policies and practices in order to promote positive health and safety culture within the newly built hospital. References Bradley, A., 2012. Health and Safety for Learning Disability Workers. Learning Matters. Bratianu, P., 2014. Nursing Ethics - Ethical Dilemma Faced by Nurses Every day. Nursing Explorer. [Online] Available at: http://www.nursingexplorer.com/nursing-ethics-ethical-dilemma-faced-by-nurses-everyday [Accessed June 23, 2014]. European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, 2012. Leadership and Occupational Safety and Health (OSH): An Expert Analysis. Evaluation of Activities. [Online] Available at: https://osha.europa.eu//en/publications/literature_reviews/leadership-and-occupational-safety-and-health-osh-an-expert-analysis [Accessed June 23, 2014]. Health and Safety, 2013. Leading Health and Safety at Work. Leading Health and Safety at Work, pp. 1-16. Heriot Watt University, 2007. Health and Safety in the Small to Medium Sized Enterprise. Health and Safety Executive, pp. 1-87. Health and Safety Laboratory, 2012. An Investigation into Mechanical Aids and Automation for Reducing the Risks of Repetitive Handling Tasks Involving the Upper limbs. Health and Safety Executive, pp. 1-86. Levy & McRae, 2012. Health & Safety the Legal Framework for Care Providers. Health & Safety Law, pp. 1-21. Paradigm Risk Management, 2013. Health and Safety. Leadership, pp. 1-8. Perezgonzalez, J. D., 2005. An Alternative Way of Managing Health & Safety. Lulu.com. Social Care Institute of Excellence, 2013. Social Care Governance: A Governance Work Book (NI) (2nd Edition). User and Carer Involvement. [Online] Available at: http://www.scie.org.uk/publications/misc/governance.pdf [Accessed June 23, 2014]. Sullivan, H., 2010. Risk Management Annual Report. North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare, pp. 3-21. World Health Organization, 2013. Exploring Patient Participation in Reducing Health-Care-Related Safety Risks. WHO Regional Office for Europe. [Online] Available at: http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/185779/e96814.pdf [Accessed June 23, 2014]. Read More