Health Care Policy
Learning Outcome 2 - Current legislation and policy
Health & Safety, Food Handling & Manual Handling=
What do we mean by Health and Safety?
If you have ever worked in a care setting, or in any set=
ting
for that matter, you will have come across the phrase 'Health and Safety'. =
All
employers must by law have a Health and Safety policy, but what does this m=
ean?
Working in small groups, draw a diagram on the flipchart
paper provided to demonstrate:
q =
Who =
is
affected by Health & Safety policies
q =
Who
implements Health & Safety policies
q =
The =
type
of issues covered by a Health & Safety policy in a care setting
Risk Assessment
One important aspect of Health & Safety is carrying =
out
a risk assessment of different tasks and situations that a worker might find
themselves in. You should already be familiar with the principles of risk
assessment from the Principles of Health Care Practice unit.
The Health & Safety Executive (www.hse.gov.uk) describes the five stag=
es of
risk assessment as:
The HSE have produced a useful short guide to risk
assessment which can be downloaded from http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubn=
s/indg163.pdf.
Working in small groups, discuss how a risk assessment m=
ight
be carried out on the following:
q =
A tr=
ip to
the cinema for a group of young people with learning disabilities.
q =
Prov=
iding
respite care for an elderly man with mobility problems and the early onset =
of
dementia in his own home.
Another useful webpage on Health and Safety, including l=
inks
to guidelines on specific health and safety issues, can be found at:
http://www.volresource.org.uk/briefing/hands.htm
Manual Handling
Back problems are one of the major causes of lost working
days in the UK, particularly in the health care sector, where lifting and
moving patients can be a major part of the job.
Poor manual handling can be dangerous for both the worker
and the patient, and government legislation makes it compulsory for employe=
rs
to provide adequate training where manual handling comprises part of the jo=
b.
Under the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992, t=
he
law states that:
Duties of employers
4.—(1) Each
employer shall—
(a) so far as is reasonably practicable, avoid
the need for his employees to undertake any manual handling operations at w=
ork
which involve a risk of their being injured; or
(b) where it is not reasonably practicable to
avoid the need for his employees to undertake any manual handling operation=
s at
work which involve a risk of their being injured—
(i) make a suitable and sufficient assessment=
of
all such manual handling operations to be undertaken by them, having regard=
to
the factors which are specified in column 1 of Schedule 1 to these Regulati=
ons
and considering the questions which are specified in the corresponding entr=
y in
column 2 of that Schedule,
(ii) take appropriate steps to reduce the ris=
k of
injury to those employees arising out of their undertaking any such manual
handling operations to the lowest level reasonably practicable, and
(iii) take appropriate steps to provide any of
those employees who are undertaking any such manual handling operations with
general indications and, where it is reasonably practicable to do so, preci=
se
information on—
(aa) the weight of each load, and
(bb) the heaviest side of any load whose cent=
re
of gravity is not positioned centrally.
Duty of employees
5. Each employee whil=
e at
work shall make full and proper use of any system of work provided for his =
use
by his employer in compliance with regulation 4(1)(b)(ii) of these Regulati=
ons.
q =
In y=
our
experience, how does this law apply to the health care sector?
q =
What
training and guidance has your organisation given you?
q =
Are =
there
any situations in which these guidelines might not be followed, in a 'real
life' situation? What might be the consequences of this?
Further reading and resources on manual handling:=
www.worksmart.o=
rg.uk
- guidelines from the TUC on manual handling and general Health and Safety =
at
work
http://www.nhsplus.nhs.uk/nhsstaff/manual.asp
- NHS advice and information on manual handling
Food handling
In some care settings, a care worker may be expected to
assist with preparation of meals or snacks for clients. If this is required=
as
part of an individual's job, as with manual handling, proper training must =
be
given in accordance with the Food Safety (General Food Hygiene) Regulations
1995.
The guidelines cover issues such as:
q =
Staff
health - do the staff have any potentially infectious diseases or illnesses
which could be transmitted through food preparation?
q =
Hand
washing
q =
Prot=
ective
clothing
q =
Firs=
t aid
q =
Temp=
erature
control, including storage temperatures
q =
Stor=
age
and handling of hot and cold foods
q =
Use =
of
refrigerators
q =
Cross
contamination (e.g. storing foods together)
q =
Clea=
ning
schedules
q =
Infe=
stations
q =
Trai=
ning
of staff
Working in small groups, discuss the reasons why food
handling and hygiene is particularly important in a care setting.