Task a Presentation on Key Legislation

Task A Presentation
Key legislation that are required in a health care setting are moving and handling, control of substances hazardous to health (COSHH), infection control, health and Safety. Health and safety policies are there to protect everyone, they include staff, the services users and even visitors to the home. The policies are set in the home setting so that they met the minimum care standards that have been set out by legislation. With procedures there are they so that steps are followed, this is so that everyone’s safety is covered. The protection of policies and procedures for care staff who work within the care setting is to ensure that they are trained and know how to use the equipment, or if any hazardous substances are used to clean up any spillages. A social care workers responsibilities are:- To take care of their own health and safety and also of that of others as well, to also co-operate with their manager and to follow health and safety policies and procedures within the home- attending training and following instructions on how to move and handle correctly, to use equipment provided such as PPE, most importantly not to misuse any of the equipment provided for health and safety and the welfare of the residents.
A employers/manager responsibilities are:- To ensure that the environment is safe to work in and also safe for with the service users to live in, to provide the correct equipment and that the equipment is safe to use, to ensure that all hazardous substances are dealt with correctly and also safely, to provide information , training and if necessary supervision. For other responsibilities such as visitors, support workers, volunteers, contractors are:- To ensure that they sign in, to following policies and procedures within the home – such as not to use the lift in the event of a fire and to use the stairs, to co-operate with the staff within the home and to notify staff of any events that may cause harm or injury to others. It is important as we go about our day we are always carrying out risk assessment, we all have the responsibility to report any situation that my care harm or injury such as a loose carpet, where someone may trip or fall. Tasks which are not carried out with potential consequences use of equipment, first aid, medication, assisting moving and handling, emergency procedures, food handling and preparation. When you first start in a new position you undertake in an induction, to which you get to know the routine, it also covers mandatory training such as moving and handling, fire safety, if you’re working in the kitchen then food hygiene and safety is also important. With all of the underlined it is important that training is attended and that policies and procedures are followed. When using equipment it is important to follow moving and handling guidelines and that you have been trained before hand to use the equipment, by not receiving training could result in injury to yourself and to the service user you are moving. You must also make sure that hair is tied up and out of the way of equipment, failing to do this could result in hair getting caught or tangled up. With first aid it is important to keep up to date with the correct procedures, to fall in line with current policies. Medication is very important to everyone, you need to ensure that medication is given in the right dosages, to the correct person, and also the time is important with some medications – such as Paracetamol, has to be given 4 hourly to avoid overdose. For emergency procedures there is contingency plans in place, you never know when an emergency is going to happen, but it important that you know ring the emergency services (999) – depending on the situation that they are required for. In some cases some homes may have piled together disaster planning scenarios to which they could follow n case of an emergency. In the event of a full evacuation a liaison should be made with following care homes/hospitals to place service users in the place of safety should an evacuation happen. With a power cut especially in the winter when its colder months, it is important to have spare torches and spare batteries. All windows doors and curtains are required to be closed to ensure that heat is kept in within the building. Brakes frozen food company will need to be contacted to ensure food doesn’t thaw out and get wasted. There is a list of numbers in the event of severe flooding/gas/water failure to which they can be called in the event of any of these situations happening. It important to know where the stop taps are in this instance for Belvoir House there are two gas cut off points in the laundry, one for the dryer and one for the boiler. There is one in the kitchen for the cooker. And the main cut off point is outside the rear of the building outside the kitchen. For floods the water cut off points are in the same places as the gas cut off points, But the main water cut off point is in the staff toilet. With intruding and security breach the police will need to be called, as they can deal with the situation in hand. At night it is important to do a security check that all windows and doors are locked, especially on the ground floor. In all instances all exits must be kept clear and free from objects, and that if anyone is visiting an ID is required at all times. To gather additional information can be from places such as the internet, CQC, leaflets, other local authorities.