Nvq 3 Duty of Care

Duty of Care

To meet my Duty of Care it is my responsibility to -

( Keep my knowledge and skills up to date
( Provide a quality service based on my skills, responsibilities and activities within my job role
( Be in a position to know what must be done to ensure that the service is provided safely
( Keep accurate records of my work, both in the patients notes, on the computer and in my work diary.
( Not to delegate work, or accept delegated work unless I feel I am competent to do the task
( I must protect confidential information

All employees must -

( Make the workplace safe
( Prevent risk to health
( Ensure that the machinery/equipment is safe to use, and that safe working practices are set up and followed
( Make sure that all materials are handled, stored and used safely
( Provide adequate first aid facilities
( Tell employees about any potential hazards from the work you do, give you information, instructions, training and supervision as needed
( Set up emergency plans
( Make sure that the working conditions all meet health, safety and welfare requirements
( Check that the right work equipment is provided and is properly used and regularly checked and maintained
( Prevent or control exposure to substances that may damage employees health
( Avoid potentially dangerous work involving manual handling and it is cannot be avoided, take precautions to reduce the risk of injury
( Provide health supervision as required
( Provide protective clothing or equipment free of charge if risks cannot be removed or adequately controlled by other means
( Ensure that the right warning signs are provided and looked after
( Report accidents, injuries and dangerous occurrences to the Health and Safety Executive

As a Healthcare worker you owe a duty of care to your patients, service users, colleagues, employer, yourself and the public interest.
Situations where the expectations of your employer may conflict with your duty of care might include -

( Being expected to undertake an excessive or unsafe workload, or cope with inadequate numbers of staff
( Being asked to take on tasks you are not trained for or to delegate tasks to someone else who is not properly trained
( Being told to follow potentially unsafe instructions, and be expected to work in an unsafe environment
( Being harassed at work by other staff, managers or members of the public or suffering from bullying or stress
( Working in a workplace where a climate of fear prevents proper concerns about patients/service user care or staff safety being raised

There are a number of workplace protocols that will be in place to support your duty of care. If you need to formally raise concerns then there are steps you should take. These include seeking Trade Union support, find out who exactly is affected, gather evidence, put your concerns in writing to the relevant manager and once you have received a reply, confirm what action will be taken.

Additional support and advice about conflicts and dilemmas can be obtained via the Citizens Advice Bureau, PALS and websites such as unison, department of health and directgov.

All health and social organisations will have a procedure in place to elicit and monitor customer complaints. Complaints can be an important way of identifying problems with the quality and delivery of care.
Formal complaints will provide valuable feedback and evidence to your managers and employers regarding failures in the service, and give them important information to help improve services.
This means that the problem is formally noted. Once a complaint has been made you should receive a letter within 2 days acknowledging your complaint. The person dealing with the complaint will investigate which may mean speaking to staff and gathering information and a complaint should be responded to within 20 working days.
Most complaint procedures will involve an informal stage, where complaints are discussed before they become more formal issues.
It is good practice for managers to share complaint information with staff in order to help address concerns and improve services.