Unit 7: Principles of safe practices
Learning aim A: Examine how a duty of care contributes to safe practice
in health and social care settings
A.P1 Explain the implications of a duty of care in a selected health or
social care setting.
A duty of care is an obligation to ensure the service provider has the service
users best interest. It is important because it is about the individual's welfare
and ensuring of good practices are used for the service users. It promotes the
importance of how the right training can encourage good practices, eliminate
ignorance, reduce risks and bring about a safe environment for service users
which can be brought about in policies and legislation (EduCare, n.d.). One
example of duty of care in the healthcare environment is the requirement of
healthcare practitioners to give competent and safe treatment to their patients.
This responsibility is created by numerous legal and ethical criteria, such as
the standard of care, which is the degree of treatment that a reasonable
healthcare professional would deliver under identical circumstances (Cornock,
2017, pp. 812–816). All care workers must follow 7 aspects that are: Legal
obligation to protect wellbeing and prevent harm, this means service
providers act upon a legal obligation that ensures their action doesn’t result in
harm to the service user. Upholding the rights and promoting the interests
of individuals experiencing abuse or neglect, this means the service
provider should uphold the rights of the service user so they are not scared of
people in the surrounding especially the staff members. Protecting health,
safety and wellbeing, this means service providers should ensure service
users should not be exploited or treated unfairly and that service providers
should take steps that ensure they report if they observe an action that is
considered failing the service users. Ensuring safe practice, this means
ensuring service users follow workplace policies that promote safe practices
so accidents don’t occur often or at all. Code of conduct, this means it is a
framework that sets a standard for how service providers should behave to
ensure quality service for service users, it also gives service providers an idea
of how something did not meet the standard or can be improved. Balancing
individual rights with risks, this means balancing the individual's need, right
and risk that might occur and giving service users the rights to accept or reject
any care or treatment given to them. Acting in a person’s best interest, this
means helping make decisions with the person's best interest in mind and
ensuring you have their consent to do so, unless there is evidence the service
user might lack the capacity to make those decisions by/ for themself
1
, Unit 7: Principles of safe practices
(Billingham, M. 2016). Care workers must follow these seven aspects to
ensure they are caring for all service users professionally.
https://www.educare.co.uk/news/what-is-duty-of-care
Duty of care is important for a variety of reasons, because it entails
undertaking all essential measures to guarantee the client's well-being, which
involves evaluating potential hazards, implementing preventive measures, and
reacting suitably in case of an event. It is significant in ensuring the safety of
the clients or patients. The primary purpose of the duty of care is to protect the
people under the care of healthcare and social care providers. This means
taking all necessary steps to ensure their safety, including assessing risks,
taking measures to prevent harm, and responding appropriately if an incident
occurs. Duty of care is also significant because it upholds professional
standards of care, therefore failure to do so can result in disciplinary action or
legal liability. Furthermore, its significance lies in the fact that Healthcare and
social care providers have legal obligations to provide a reasonable standard
of care to their clients or patients. Failure to do so can result in legal liability,
including claims of negligence or malpractice. Lastly, it is important in building
trust and confidence. This is because Patients and clients rely on healthcare
and social care providers to provide them with the support and care they
need. By fulfilling their duty of care, providers can build trust and confidence
with their clients, which is essential for effective care delivery. In summary, the
duty of care is significant in health and social care settings to ensure the
safety and well-being of patients and clients, uphold professional standards,
build trust and confidence, and meet legal obligations.
The focus of my investigation is the Merryvale Residence. Merryvale does
meet the duty of care in some instances. The residence provides support for
10 older men and women, which shows a commitment to providing care and
support to the elderly population, and its effort in trying to be inclusive. The
residence has three residents with hearing impairment, which suggests that
the staff may have taken steps to accommodate their needs, such as
providing hearing aids or using visual aids to communicate. Providing support
for residents with varying degrees of reduced mobility, hearing impairment and
dementia shows that the staff is taking necessary steps to meet the care
needs of the residents. Despite the challenges of staff turnover and limited
resources, duty of care is met when staff members prioritize the basic needs
of the residents, such as ensuring that they have access to personal care,
2
Learning aim A: Examine how a duty of care contributes to safe practice
in health and social care settings
A.P1 Explain the implications of a duty of care in a selected health or
social care setting.
A duty of care is an obligation to ensure the service provider has the service
users best interest. It is important because it is about the individual's welfare
and ensuring of good practices are used for the service users. It promotes the
importance of how the right training can encourage good practices, eliminate
ignorance, reduce risks and bring about a safe environment for service users
which can be brought about in policies and legislation (EduCare, n.d.). One
example of duty of care in the healthcare environment is the requirement of
healthcare practitioners to give competent and safe treatment to their patients.
This responsibility is created by numerous legal and ethical criteria, such as
the standard of care, which is the degree of treatment that a reasonable
healthcare professional would deliver under identical circumstances (Cornock,
2017, pp. 812–816). All care workers must follow 7 aspects that are: Legal
obligation to protect wellbeing and prevent harm, this means service
providers act upon a legal obligation that ensures their action doesn’t result in
harm to the service user. Upholding the rights and promoting the interests
of individuals experiencing abuse or neglect, this means the service
provider should uphold the rights of the service user so they are not scared of
people in the surrounding especially the staff members. Protecting health,
safety and wellbeing, this means service providers should ensure service
users should not be exploited or treated unfairly and that service providers
should take steps that ensure they report if they observe an action that is
considered failing the service users. Ensuring safe practice, this means
ensuring service users follow workplace policies that promote safe practices
so accidents don’t occur often or at all. Code of conduct, this means it is a
framework that sets a standard for how service providers should behave to
ensure quality service for service users, it also gives service providers an idea
of how something did not meet the standard or can be improved. Balancing
individual rights with risks, this means balancing the individual's need, right
and risk that might occur and giving service users the rights to accept or reject
any care or treatment given to them. Acting in a person’s best interest, this
means helping make decisions with the person's best interest in mind and
ensuring you have their consent to do so, unless there is evidence the service
user might lack the capacity to make those decisions by/ for themself
1
, Unit 7: Principles of safe practices
(Billingham, M. 2016). Care workers must follow these seven aspects to
ensure they are caring for all service users professionally.
https://www.educare.co.uk/news/what-is-duty-of-care
Duty of care is important for a variety of reasons, because it entails
undertaking all essential measures to guarantee the client's well-being, which
involves evaluating potential hazards, implementing preventive measures, and
reacting suitably in case of an event. It is significant in ensuring the safety of
the clients or patients. The primary purpose of the duty of care is to protect the
people under the care of healthcare and social care providers. This means
taking all necessary steps to ensure their safety, including assessing risks,
taking measures to prevent harm, and responding appropriately if an incident
occurs. Duty of care is also significant because it upholds professional
standards of care, therefore failure to do so can result in disciplinary action or
legal liability. Furthermore, its significance lies in the fact that Healthcare and
social care providers have legal obligations to provide a reasonable standard
of care to their clients or patients. Failure to do so can result in legal liability,
including claims of negligence or malpractice. Lastly, it is important in building
trust and confidence. This is because Patients and clients rely on healthcare
and social care providers to provide them with the support and care they
need. By fulfilling their duty of care, providers can build trust and confidence
with their clients, which is essential for effective care delivery. In summary, the
duty of care is significant in health and social care settings to ensure the
safety and well-being of patients and clients, uphold professional standards,
build trust and confidence, and meet legal obligations.
The focus of my investigation is the Merryvale Residence. Merryvale does
meet the duty of care in some instances. The residence provides support for
10 older men and women, which shows a commitment to providing care and
support to the elderly population, and its effort in trying to be inclusive. The
residence has three residents with hearing impairment, which suggests that
the staff may have taken steps to accommodate their needs, such as
providing hearing aids or using visual aids to communicate. Providing support
for residents with varying degrees of reduced mobility, hearing impairment and
dementia shows that the staff is taking necessary steps to meet the care
needs of the residents. Despite the challenges of staff turnover and limited
resources, duty of care is met when staff members prioritize the basic needs
of the residents, such as ensuring that they have access to personal care,
2
