Shona Thomas
P4 - Explain possible priorities and responses when dealing with two particular
incidents or emergencies in a health and social care setting
A priority is “a thing that is regarded as more important than others.”1 An example of
this could be that if there was a fire a setting would have the responsibility of making
more vulnerable people their responsibility as they will find it more difficult to
evacuate the building. This would be classed as a response as it is “a reaction to an
event which is taking place”2.
As there is always a risk of a fire happening in any setting there must be policies and
procedures put into place in order for people to be aware of what actions should be
taken if the event was to occur. The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS foundation
trust have a fire policy, it “covers all premises owned, occupied or managed by the
Trust. It also applies to the activities of the PFI service providers, other employers,
contractors, and volunteers, sharing or working on any of the organisation's sites.” As
a lot of people rely on the service they would need to be reassured that the setting is
safe and secure even if an event like a fire was to take place. To ensure that each
individual is treated correctly during the process of evacuating the setting, each
practitioner has a duty to make sure that the response that is made is appropriate
and the most effective course of action.
There is a fire response team which have the responsibilities of “attending fire
incidents, contact Switchboard to 'stand down' if not required as per policy, take
charge of the fire incident and delegate tasks as appropriate, Implement the Major
Incident Procedure if appropriate, remain available until the fire incident is resolved,
communicate 'stand down' message at the end of a fire incident”3.
Only tackle small fires yourself using the appropriate fire appliances and where there
is no risk to yourself, this could be done through the use of a fire extinguisher which a
member of staff should know how to use by going through fire training when getting
employed.
When the fire alarm is set off everyone should leave the building through the use of
the normal doors as well as the fire exits, everyone should remain calm to prevent
1 https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/priority
2 http://www.dictionary.com/browse/response
3 http://www.newcastle-hospitals.org.uk/FirePolicy201503.pdf
P4 - Explain possible priorities and responses when dealing with two particular
incidents or emergencies in a health and social care setting
A priority is “a thing that is regarded as more important than others.”1 An example of
this could be that if there was a fire a setting would have the responsibility of making
more vulnerable people their responsibility as they will find it more difficult to
evacuate the building. This would be classed as a response as it is “a reaction to an
event which is taking place”2.
As there is always a risk of a fire happening in any setting there must be policies and
procedures put into place in order for people to be aware of what actions should be
taken if the event was to occur. The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS foundation
trust have a fire policy, it “covers all premises owned, occupied or managed by the
Trust. It also applies to the activities of the PFI service providers, other employers,
contractors, and volunteers, sharing or working on any of the organisation's sites.” As
a lot of people rely on the service they would need to be reassured that the setting is
safe and secure even if an event like a fire was to take place. To ensure that each
individual is treated correctly during the process of evacuating the setting, each
practitioner has a duty to make sure that the response that is made is appropriate
and the most effective course of action.
There is a fire response team which have the responsibilities of “attending fire
incidents, contact Switchboard to 'stand down' if not required as per policy, take
charge of the fire incident and delegate tasks as appropriate, Implement the Major
Incident Procedure if appropriate, remain available until the fire incident is resolved,
communicate 'stand down' message at the end of a fire incident”3.
Only tackle small fires yourself using the appropriate fire appliances and where there
is no risk to yourself, this could be done through the use of a fire extinguisher which a
member of staff should know how to use by going through fire training when getting
employed.
When the fire alarm is set off everyone should leave the building through the use of
the normal doors as well as the fire exits, everyone should remain calm to prevent
1 https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/priority
2 http://www.dictionary.com/browse/response
3 http://www.newcastle-hospitals.org.uk/FirePolicy201503.pdf
