Essay preview
Unit 3:
Unit code: QCF Level 3: Credit value:
Health, Safety and Security in Health and Social Care
A/600/8952 BTEC Nationals 10
Guided learning hours: 60
Aim and purpose
This unit aims to enable learners to gain an understanding of the health, safety and security of individuals in a health and social care context. They will explore legislation, policies and procedures and gain an understanding of the purpose of risk analysis. Learners will also gain an understanding of how to deal with incidents and emergencies in a health and social care environment.
Unit introduction
Health, safety and security are a priority in all health and social care (HSC) practice and this unit gives learners an understanding of key principles that underpin work in the sector. On completing the unit, learners will understand how to minimise risks to all individuals in HSC settings, be they service users, their friends and family, or employees in the setting. The unit requires a clear understanding of the language used in the context of health, safety and security. HSC workplaces are complex environments and services may be delivered in health, residential and day care settings as well as increasingly in service users’ own homes. At the end of the unit, learners should be able to foresee potential hazards and know how to make appropriate responses to minimise risks, in the context of relevant legal and local policy requirements. Learners will investigate potential hazards for individuals in HSC settings. Informal observations, particularly during work placements, of how care workers implement safe practice with different service user groups in different environments would be useful background research. Learners could share their experiences of different settings in class discussions. Case material, video and/or guest speakers could be helpful, especially where access to settings is limited. The practical aspect of the unit requires learners to conduct a risk assessment through investigating hazards for a selected service user group accessing a specific health or social care setting in the local community. Learners will investigate how statutory and local requirements provide a framework for settings to develop policies and procedures relating to safeguarding and health and safety. An understanding of the possible tensions that may arise in relation to balancing health, safety and security considerations with, for example, individual rights to independence or choice, will also be explored. Learners will explore the nature of incidents and emergencies that may arise in HSC and possible responses to these. This could then lead to more focused consideration of the risks arising from a specific incident from a case study, the media or actual experience, and an analysis of the factors that caused the incident or emergency and recommendations of how the risk could have been minimised.
Edexcel BTEC Level 3 Nationals specification in Health and Social Care – Issue 1 – June 2010 © Edexcel Limited 2010
1
The unit provides core knowledge and understanding essential for those working in HSC settings. It will provide a useful overview from which more detailed explorations of selected aspects of health, safety and security can be developed, as relevant to individual specialist units within the programme. Some aspects of the unit can prepare learners before they start a work- experience placement. The unit could be complemented with recognised qualifications in first aid, moving and handling, health and safety and food hygiene.
Learning outcomes
On completion of this unit a learner should be able to:
1 2 3 4
Understand potential hazards in health and social care Know how legislation, policies and procedures promote health, safety and security in health and social care settings Be able to implement a risk assessment Understand priorities and responses in dealing with incidents and emergencies.
2
Edexcel BTEC Level 3 Nationals specification in Health and Social Care – Issue 1 – June 2010 © Edexcel Limited 2010
Unit content
1 Understand potential hazards in health and social care
Hazards: relating to the physical environment, equipment, infections, substances, working conditions, working practices, security systems Harm and abuse: possibility of, eg abuse, injury, acquired infection, psychological distress, inappropriate care planning, exposure to danger, stress, loss of/damage to, eg belongings, premises Setting: types, eg residential care, hospital, day care, pre-school, infant school, childminder, clinic, surgery, any location where an individual receives care services (including in own home or the community); public environment, eg retail area, swimming pool, public park, sports ground, beach, transport Individuals: those receiving care; workers in a setting: care staff (based in setting, visiting setting), support staff (eg caterers, cleaners, administrative), visitors (eg relatives, friends, volunteers) Users of health and social care services: as relevant to setting, eg patients, older people, people with learning disabilities, young people, young children, babies, those with physical disability or sensory impairment, people with mental health problems
2 Know how legislation, policies and procedures promote health, safety and security in health and social care settings Legislation and guidelines: relevant sections for home country, eg Health and Safety at Work Act, Food Safety Act, Food Safety (General Food Hygiene) Regulations, Manual Handling Operations Regulations, Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR), Data Protection Act, Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations, Care Homes Regulations, Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH), Civil Contingencies Act 2004, Care Minimum Standards (various supplements) Safeguarding: vulnerable adults, children and young people; enhanced disclosures, Independent Safeguarding Authority, Protection of Vulnerable Adults (POVA) Influences: staff, eg staff-service user ratios, training; premises, eg location, facilities, access; practices (policies and associated procedures) Policies and procedures: for, eg safeguarding, health and safety, reporting accidents, disposal of body wastes, storage and dispensing of medicines, fire evacuation, lone working, security of premises, possessions and individuals, cleaning, food safety Roles: employers, employees, care staff, users of services, local authority, National Health Service Trust; other individuals, eg visitors, relatives, volunteers Responsibilities: according to legal and organisational requirements; for, eg following organisational safety and security procedures, making risk assessments, minimising risks, dealing with incidents and emergencies, working with others to ensure health, safety and security, reporting of and maintaining records of incidents and emergencies, understanding limits of own responsibilities, keeping self safe
Edexcel BTEC Level 3 Nationals specification in Health and Social Care – Issue 1 – June 2010 © Edexcel Limited 2010
3
3 Be able to implement a risk assessment
Risk assessment: hazard identification, potential severity of harm resulting from each hazard, likelihood/ probability of each hazard causing harm, critical controls, eg HACCP in food safety Calculating the degree of risk: likelihood of something happening, scale of 1 to 5 (1 is not very likely; low risk, 3 moderate risk, 5 means very possible or even probable) Controlling the risk: deciding what needs to be done to reduce or remove the risk Monitoring how the risk is being controlled: taking precautions to reduce risk; clear instructions from health and safety officer Reappraising the risk: risk reduction; regular evaluations by the health and safety officer
4 Understand priorities and responses in dealing with incidents and emergencies Incidents and emergencies: types, eg incidents of suspected/actual abuse, accidents, exposure to infection/ chemicals, spillages, intruders, aggressive and dangerous encounters, fire, major disaster (eg flood, loss of water supply, civic emergency), other critical incidents Responses: maintaining respect and dignity; minimising risk, accessing support for the incident or emergency, working in partnership (eg with emergency services); others, eg dealing with suspected abuse, dealing with disclosure of abuse, role of first aid, evacuation procedure, reporting of accidents, follow-up review of critical incidents and emergencies, accessing support for own emotional reactions after an emergency Priorities: when dealing with incid...