Diploma Health & Safety Handout 1: Moving & Handling

November 29, 2018November 14, 2017 by Dan

You have been asked to prepare three hand outs for new staff attending an induction. The hand outs are to provide information on the following topics.

Hand out 1 – Moving and handling

This hand out must include:

Ci A description of the main points of health and safety legislation that relates to moving and handling.

Cii Explanations of:
a) How following principles for safe moving and handling protects those in social care setting from injury or harm.
b) The consequences of not following an individual’s care plan or engaging with them when assisting moving and handling.
c) Situations that may require additional supports necessary for safer moving and handling.

MOVING & HANDLING

for Inductees

This handout provides information to new staff about the importance of moving and handling correctly.

Legislation

As well as the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 and Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999, there is additional legislation governing moving and handling.

The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992/2002 explains how to avoid, assess and reduce risk of injury from manual handling.

The Lifting Operations & Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 is a code of practice that applies to the use of lifting equipment.

Purpose

The purpose of this legislation together with company policies is to protect everybody from harm or injury that could be caused from incorrect moving and handling.

By following the principles of safe moving and handling you will minimise risk of injury, be able to identify potential hazards and work with others to develop safer ways of working, which will protect everybody in your setting. You will also be able to identify areas where you or others may need additional training, such as how to use a piece of equipment safely.

Consequences

If you do not follow an individual’s care plan or do not engage with them when assisting moving and handling, you could cause harm or injury to them or yourself. This could also lead to disciplinary action, dismissal or legal action.

Their care plan has been meticulously written to ensure that procedures are carried out in the safest way possible and cutting corners increase the risk of harm.

If you do not work in partnership with the individual in assisted moving/handling, they will not know what it is that you are doing and what they can do to help. It can also cause them anxiety. All individuals have the right to be involved in all aspects of their care and to have their needs and preferences respected. Failure to do so can result in a breakdown of the relationship you have with them and their refusal to work with you as well as it being against the law.

Additional Support

Certain situations may require additional support for moving and handling from others or from equipment.

Some items may be too heavy to move easily or too bulky, awkward or unstable.

The environment may be cramped or have insufficient room to manoeuvre.

You may not have the correct equipment, the equipment may not work correctly or you have not had the training to use the equipment.

Dealing with Complaints Guidance Notes

November 29, 2018November 12, 2017 by Dan

Write a set of guidance notes for social care workers to help them deal with complaints.

In the notes, you must:

Ci Explain legal and organisational requirements for dealing with complaints.

Cii Describe how best to respond to complaints from service users, other practitioners and the family of service users.

It is a legal requirement that all complaints are listened to and dealt with in a compassionate and timely fashion, as documented in the Health and Social Care Act and CQC’s Essential Standards. All care providers must have a complaints system in place so that they can be handled and responded to. It must be investigated thoroughly and appropriate action should be taken if any problems are identified.

Clients Should Know They Can Complain

First and foremost, it is essential that if a client has a complaint about their service provision, they are aware that there is a system in place to take their complaints seriously. Even if you believe that the client does not have the mental capacity to make a complaint or that they may abuse the system by making unsubstantiated claims, they must still be informed of their right to make complaints. If requested, individuals are entitled to a copy of the complaints policy and procedure. This goes for their family members as well.

Complaints Procedure

We have a complaints policy and procedure, which is available in the employee handbook and online.

If somebody wishes to make a complaint verbally then you should take as much time as needed to listen to them attentively and be respectful about what they are saying, whilst recording what they are saying on a complaints form. Alternatively, if the individual wants to fill in the complaint form themselves, you can simply give them the form. Some people may not be able to write their complaint, so assistance should be given. You should write their complaint down in their words and not your own. If the individual seems uncomfortable with making the complaint to you, then you should advise them that another staff member can take their complaint instead, if they would prefer.

If the complaint is relatively minor or the complainant was did not have all the information, then it may be possible for the first responder to resolve the complaint through explanation, however, the nature of the complaint should still be documented.

After the complaint has been made and documented, senior staff should be made aware of the complaint so that an investigation can take place. The complainant should also be informed about what will happen next.

The investigation will be conducted by a senior member of staff who is independent of the scope of the complaint to avoid prejudice. The complainant will be responded to within two days to acknowledge the complaint and the investigation will begin with 5 days.

All complaints will be dealt with within 14 days and contact will be made with the complainant to discuss the outcome. All complaints will be resolved within 28 days, however If the complainant is not happy with the outcome of their complaint, they can escalate it to the Local Government Ombudsman.

Handout Explaining the Importance of Person-Centred Values

November 29, 2018November 12, 2017 by Dan

Your work is running a campaign to improve staff understanding of all aspects of person centred care.

You have been asked to create the following materials:

[Aii] A hand out which explains why person centred values are important and how they influence social care work

PERSON CENTRED VALUES IN SOCIAL CARE

Why Are Person-Centred Values Important?

Person-centred values are of the utmost importance in social care because they put the individual at the heart of their support.

It is based on the premise that an individual is the expert in what support they require and should work closely with health professionals and others including their family, relations and friends to devise the support plan that is best for them.

Person-centred values include:

Individuality – Everyone is an individual with their own needs, goals, beliefs and values.
Choice – Everyone should be free to make their own choices in life and be given the information they need to make decisions in a way that they can understand.
Independence – Everyone should be empowered to do as much as possible for themselves.
Rights – Everyone has human rights that should be respected and upheld.
Privacy – Everyone has the right to their own private space and time and their private information should only be shared on a ‘need-to-know’ basis.
Dignity – Everyone deserves to be treated in a dignified manner and time should be taken to ensure they are treated with dignity.
Respect – Everyone should have their thought, opinions and beliefs respected even if others do not agree with them.
Partnership – Everyone involved in an individual’s care should work together to achieve the best possible outcomes. This includes the individual, their families and health professionals.

How Do Person-Centred Values Influence Social Care Work?

With regards social care work, person centred values should be used to ensure that the care and support an individual receives is unique to them and that they are that the centre of the decision-making process.

Individuals should not be required to fit in with a ‘one size fits all’ system. They should not have to change the way they live to get support, the service provider should change their way of working to fit in with the individual.

The personal beliefs and opinions of the individual should be respected, even if employees of the service provider disagree with them.

Similarly, any decisions that an individual makes should be respected and they should be given the support to follow through with their decisions even if employees of the service provider deem them to be unwise or they go against their own personal beliefs.

Service providers must get to know the individuals that they are supporting in order to understand and provide the support that they need. As well as communicating with the individual, the service provider can get information from the individual’s family and friends as well as other health and social care professionals.