Introduction
At the workplace, health and safety processes play an important role in protecting employees and employers against several hazards such as disease, injury, accident, violence etc. In order to enhance the productivity of the staff members, there is a requirement of different health and safety policies and other relevant frameworks. In the present time, health and social care organizations are starting to put safety first over higher quality care services (Frieden, 2013). The actions against health and safety reduced accident losses, minimize absenteeism, help to make the care workers more efficient and improve the organizational image in front of service users, business partners and other rival organizations. The present study is based on health and safety and in order to determine its significance in the context of health and social care organizations, Carehome of the UK is taking into the consideration. The following study will help in put the light on several objectives such as implementation of health and safety legislation in care home, ways to determine the impact of health and safety requirements on customers and healthcare practitioners and monitoring and reviewing health and safety policies of cited firm.
TASK 1
1.1
The first given section of Health and Safety Regulations 1991 states that it is a responsibility of an employer to communicate his employees regarding the arrangements and facilities within first aid. In the support of this statement, some procedures of communicating health and safety information to care workers will be developed by Carehome which is as follows:
Care planning: A proper care plan will prepare by Carehome to complete the needs of health and safety requirement of health care workers. Different safety and security policies will be prepared by management for well-being of staffs (Johnstone, Bluff and Clayton, 2012).
Dilemmas: At this stage, Carehome will determine those factors which are responsible for rising of dilemmas between employer of care home and its care workers. Along with this, the negative impact of these elements of health and safety information communication process will also determine.
Classification of individual care practice settings: Here, Carehome will classify care practices of every care workers so that it will become easy to communicate health and safety information to the staff members. This will also help in bring require and important changes in care practices (McCarthy and Rose, 2010).
Monitoring and reviewing: Under this, management of Carehome will monitor and review new health and safety practices to determine the loopholes that may be decreased the significance of it at workplace. On the basis of the generated outcomes of this process, care organization will able to modify health and safety information.
Creating and managing health and safety environment: With the help of communicating health and safety information to carers, Carehome will create and manage a good health and safety environment at the workplace. This will aid in maintain well being of the healthcare workers and enhance their productivity level (Karjalainen, Blencowe and Lillsunde, 2012).
1.2
According to second section of Health and Safety at work act 1974, an employer should make sure about health and safety of its employees at the workplace by protecting their welfare and safety. Same thing applies of Carehome organization where management has responsible for well-being of its care workers, stakeholders, business clients and other external service users. In this regards, evaluation of those accountability of care firm is describing below.
Professional competence: Under this, Carehome has always ensured that its various health care workers show commitment in the direction of long term learning. The responsible personnel have looked towards to deliver right and effective treatment to patients in care organization by minimizing various risk areas. These efforts have motivated staff members to adopt the habit of lifelong learning and offer quality care services (Guzman and et.al., 2015).
Honesty with patient: Management of Carehome has maintained honesty with care users by providing them their right health information without hiding anything. During the treatment, the possible consequences of medical cure have explained to patients and their family so that they can prepare themselves to deal with those issues (Munn-Giddings and Winter, 2013).
Enhancing quality care services: To improve quality of care services, Carehome has followed different kind of quality management and check methods. With the help of this, it has become easy to identify those areas which may harm patients in the future. By doing this, management of care organization has overcome those problems and has enhanced the quality of services.
Retaining trust: From the evaluation, it has found that Carehome has demonstrated the responsibility towards maintaining trust with care workers and patients. All kinds of important information have shared by management with the staff members and services users by keeping confidentiality (Kondo, South and Branas, 2015).
1.3
In Carehome organization, there are some health and safety priorities that are appropriate for a particular health and social care workplace setting. In this context, specific health and safety areas that require serious attention to safeguard the health and well-being of service users are as follows:
Manual handling: The care workers of Carehome have provided assistance to patients in their daily works such as bathing, dressing, waking, eating etc. During these kinds of activities, the staffs manually handle care users. In this situation, the chances of accident with care users may be increased that can harm them either in physical or mental terms. For example, due to poor manual handling practices, it may to lead to musculoskeletal disorders or back pain situation to the patient (Hughes and Ferrett, 2011). So, this is one of the health and safety areas which require serious attention of safeguarding the health and well-being of services users from Carehome side.
Risk assessment: In Carehome, there are several areas which cause hazards or risks for patients that can physically harm them. For example, wet floor or dusty floor may be a reason of accident for the care users during moving or walking from one place to other place. Due to this, they can slip over the floor and it may causes physical injury to them. Hence, it can be said that Carehome organization should look over the following types risk areas and carry out a complete risk assessment process in order to overcome its impact (Lowes and Hulatt, 2013).
RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013): Due to any reason, several kinds of serious accidents at workplace or occupational diseases can be taken place in Carehome. This may harm patients of care organization in both physical and mental harm. Therefore, the cited care organization should give a serious attention to safeguarding of health of patients by setting health and safety priorities (Kondo, South and Branas, 2015).
TASK 2
2.1
From the given case study, it has found that Carehome has prepared a plan for admission of new residents. For this, the top management has given responsibilities to one of the personnel to conduct an appropriate risk assessment process that can able deliver a crystal clear picture of risks presented during care setting. On the basis of those outcomes, a new care plan can be developed (Kane and Kane, 2013). From the evaluation, it has been determined some key principles of care planning of Carehome which are as follows:
- Individual has some strengths and weaknesses.
- Individual has own desires, dreams and expectations to care plan.
- Individual has prime rights on own life along with those people who love him.
- Individual has capability to articulate own choices and preferences in several areas.
- Individual preferences and requirements have considered in care planning process (Ellenbecker and Tsai, 2015).
In this context, main principles of risk assessment process of Carehome are as follows:
- Ensuring that patients have got proper safety and security in care organization.
- Effective identification of hazards.
- Assessment of risks on the basis of harm.
- Evaluation of current hazard control methods with their effectiveness.
- Determined additional controls if it requires (Hadad and et.al., 2013).
- Reviews to find existing control methods are working.
By involving outcome of both care planning and risk assessment, Carehome can able to develop an effective care plan for its new service users which is as follows:
Organisation Name: Carehome, East London, UK |
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List of risks |
Actions needed to take |
Evaluation |
Shock from improper and open electric fittings |
Reinstall all electric wirings and safety equipment with appropriate maintenance. |
Effective fitting of electric wiring with proper maintenance. |
Manual handling may cause physical harm to service users and care workers |
Adopt different lifting equipment to move patients and heavy goods from one place to another (Reeves, Lewin and Espin, 2011). |
Reduced the number of accidents due to manual handling. |
Comes in direct contact with chemical during washing utensils. |
Post various alter signs and brief small posters that can guide both patients and care workers at workplace. |
Staff members have given attention to maintain safety at time of using chemicals (Bowen, Privitera and Bowie, 2011). |
2.2
Health and safety act 1947 has one of the health and safety policies of Carehome that adopted by organization for well-being of both service users and care workers. From the evaluation process of the following framework, it has found that it has protected the staff members of care organization from injury (Health and safety in care homes, 2014). This has assisted in retaining skilled and loyal carers by preventing them from back pain, musculoskeletal disorders, injuries from trips and slips, falls from height etc. Along with this, Health and Safety Act 1947 has reduced absences and sick leave of health care workers in Carehome. It has lead to retain staff members for long time at the workplace. This has enhanced reputations of care firm in East London and other nearby areas of London (Health and Safety at Work etc Act, 1974. 2016). The outcome of this thing has the number of new residents have increased to avail care services of cited organization. On the other hand, assessment of Health and Safety Act 1947 has demonstrated that it has lead to raised productivity and profits of Carehome because the well-being care workers of care organization has effectively and safety deliver the care services to the services users. Hence, from the above evaluation, it has been clearly stated Health and Safety Act 1947 policy of cited firm has made positive impacts on safety and security of workplace from several kinds of hazards (What you need to do about health and safety, 2016).
2.3
Care workers in Carehome often deals with ethical dilemmas in the workplace area at the time of serving the care users. There is one of the examples of following care organization that was encountered in implementing health and safety policies for well-being of patients. As per the given case study, it has been found that there was a 20 year old Black Hispanic female who has serious dementia health issues was meets an accident during handling and carrying. From the diagnosis in hospital, it was determine that she has exhibited signs and symptoms of internal bleeding. It was advised by doctors to have a blood transfusion with urgent surgery to save patient life. But that 20 year lady was refused to accept blood and other related blood products as well as surgery. That rejection was based on a fear of blood transfusion due to her belief in Bible Scripture. As per the health and safety policy of Carehome, it is the responsibility of employer to ensure the well-being and safety of patient (McKitterick, 2012). But in the above discussed case study, there is a ethical dilemma presented is whether to respect autonomy of patient by compromising with safety standards of care organization or ignore her wish in an attempt to save her life.
2.4
Non-compliance in Work Health and Safety means that organization is not following set rules, guidelines, regulations etc related to Health and Safety act at workplace (Tributor, 2014). In Carehome, if care firm has not followed health and safety policies than it will produce several effects and implications for the firm. Because of this, the potential chances of injured someone either staff members or patients will be increased and they will not receive any kind of compensation for this accident from care organization management side. If a care work meets an injury and the employer of Carehome not compliance with safety guidelines then there will be a possibility that the injured person may have reach to media for public assistance in terms of paying compensation, food, medical costs etc. Along with this, it may be possible that family of that person can reach to any public charity or other public charity assistance events to getting the help to care for family members in various ways (Martin, Lippitt and Prothero, 2013). The final impact of non-compliance of work health and safety for Carehome will it will reduce the reputation of care home in East London and other areas. For this, the local or national government may take serious action against cited firm in order to disobey of act. Therefore, it can be said from the above discussion that the effects and implications of noncompliance with health and safety legislation in the health and social care workplace has negative.
TASK 3
3.1
By considering the given scenario, Charehome has needed to monitor and review organization health and safety policies. In this context, the most effective method is proactive monitoring where a care organization takes right decisions in order to minimize chances of accidents at the time of care setting (Haas and Yorio, 2016). Under this, the cited firm will first look towards existing health and safety standards where different management control actions will plan for regular inspections. Further, a safety audit will organize with the aim of executing the actions which can able to reduce the overall negative impact on risks or hazards with care workers and patients (Healy, 2011). Rather than this, reactive monitoring method can also be used by Carehome in order to monitor and review health and safety frameworks. In this, organization will examine the probability and types of risks or hazards at workplace in both social care workers and patients along with their level of impacts. This regular inspection will assist the management to determine the loopholes in current executing health and safety practices. Therefore, the above discussion of different monitoring and reviewing methods of health and safety policies, it has been found that these techniques will help Carehome to effectively monitor health and safety related frameworks (Harris, Olsen and Walker, 2012).
3.2
Carehome has formulated and impose different kinds of health and safety policies at the workplace for well-being of care workers and patients. The impact of this, it has created a positive and safe working environment at the working area that has promoted the efforts to make sure the safety and security of own and care users during delivering of care services. Analysis of effectiveness of health and safety practices of Carehome is as follows:
Supporting responsibilities: Because of the implementation of health and safety policies, Carehome has bound to his care workers to taking of care of following all kind of instructions of management related to health and safety of patients. By doing this, care organization has helped the staff members to recognized their responsibilities towards the firm and service users (Frieden, 2013). The outcome of this has the organization has able to delivered good quality care services to it patients by meeting their different kinds of psychological, physical etc needs.
Reducing level of risks: Carehome has adopted a systematic risk assessment process where various risks or hazards that can be occurred at the workplace have assessed. With the help of this, it has become easy to determine the actions or strategies to minimize level of impact of those risks over patients and care users (Karjalainen, Blencowe and Lillsunde, 2012).
3.3
By working at a position of Senior Care Management in Carehome, I have given widen contribution in completing the needs of service users related care services. In this context, assessment of my contribution in this area can be carried out by using Gibbs Reflective Cycle which is as follows:
Description: From the inspection of workplace, it has determined by me that improper installation of electric lines in patients room and other area of care organization has responsible for accident or injury to care users. Many of the time, service users have touched them which have lead to give them electric shock.
Feelings: On the basis of happening of past incident at the workplace with patients because of open electric lines, I have realized that if the situation remains same then these kinds of hazards may be occurred again and again with service users.
Evaluation: I have carried an assessment of Carehome where I have found that the incomplete and ineffective work done by electric contractors and loos monitoring by management has during the installation of electric lines, switchgears etc have accountable for the accident at workplace of care organization with the patients.
Analysis: By considering outcomes of evaluation process, I have developed a report on following situation. In this, I have mentioned different accident happen due to electric shocks in the past with service users. Along with this, I have presented some evidence of condition of Carehome rooms and other areas in report in the form of photos that can represent actual picture of care firm in front of top management and other accountable persons.
Conclusion: In the conclusion, it can be said that I have given my best efforts to bring the reasons of accident happen with the patients in front of the every one of Carehome. Further, I have given several suggestions to management to overcome this hazard.
Action plan: For health and safety of patients, I have developed an action plan that can be able to reduce the impact of electric hazards. Along with this, I have taken assistance from Health and Safety department of UK and other local authorities to look over the following situations.
Conclusion
On the basis of the above report, it can be summarized that in health and social care organizations, health and safety has an essential aspect. It has able an employer to make ensure the well-being of staff members and protect the clients and business partners from different kinds of risks. For the following thing, there have various health and safety policies have adopted by care organizations to look towards managing of hazards and their impact in right manner.