SHN169 – Making a Safe Environment
Making and Maintaining a Safe Environment
Learning Outcomes
To have an awareness of safety requirements within all care settings for CYP
To identify the safety needs for specific CYP according to their age, development
stage or condition
To be able to safely equip a bed space for a CYP
What comes to mend when you think of maintaining a safe environment for children in
your care?
Parents/Carers – can’t rely on them to maintain a safe environment (entirely) when
their child is in your care; in a hospital setting
Other Children – their parents
Group Activity 1
Things to consider:
o Consider the safety issues in your environment whether good or potentially
harmful.
o Is there anything else that can be added to help prevent against
unintentional injuries?
o Who else do you need to consider in this environment?
o What other potential harm could occur here?
o Would age and development be a factor here?
Areas
o Children’s Ward
Things that could be improved
Bed Rails are down (but bed not currently being used)
Cluttered
Unclear whether there are blind ties
Need to consider the parents/carers, visitors as well as staff
working
Hand Sanitiser within easy reach of the child (could view it as a
toy)
Curtains are a potential hazard
Things that a good
Open ward so staff can see everything easily (provided the
curtains aren’t closed
o High Dependency Unit (located off the side of a ward)
Things that could be improved
Quite messy – cluttered
o Trip hazard for anyone entering the room
Parent’s/Carers – other family members e.g. younger/older
siblings
Wires/equipment hanging down – easy to pull and/or get
tangled up in
Can’t tell whether there is a blind cord
Things that are positive
1
, SHN169 – Making a Safe Environment
Monitor is up high
Wipes are also placed up high
o Emergency Department (for adults and children)
Things that could be improved
As it is for mixed use it is quite dull and not interesting to
children
Potential risk of car seat on the trolley – risk that the father
might think it is safe/appropriate to place the child in there
when he needs to rest his arms
It is a very busy and therefore potential area just by its very
nature
Potential other safety issues
Mix of adults and other patients coming and going – various
illnesses; conditions; ages; sexes
Other siblings wandering around board
o Health Visitor Clinic
Potential Safety Issues
Very small space – difficult to work in that area especially with
the presence of parent/carer and potentially siblings and also
potentially more than one baby (twins/triplets etc.)
Things that could be improved
No sign of hand sanitiser; wipes etc. – infection control risk
No toys available in case a distraction is needed for older
siblings
o Child’s Home
Things that could be improved
Removal of cleaning products from accessible areas
Handbag on table
Loose change
Fireguard but it is a metal one which means it would get hot
Iron – regardless of whether on or off posses a risk as it has a
cord attached
TV Stand looks like a climbing frame
Safety Issue
Child left unsupervised in the area
o Children’s Outpatients Department
Things that are good
Open Plan so able to see everyone
Suitable for children
Things that could be improved
As open plan and organised in such a way there is not much
opportunity for privacy – and as Outpatients department there
is the potential for there to be lots of people going back and
fore
o Children Wards now have secure doors – why hasn’t
this been done for outpatients?
Not entirely appropriate for older children/teens
2
Making and Maintaining a Safe Environment
Learning Outcomes
To have an awareness of safety requirements within all care settings for CYP
To identify the safety needs for specific CYP according to their age, development
stage or condition
To be able to safely equip a bed space for a CYP
What comes to mend when you think of maintaining a safe environment for children in
your care?
Parents/Carers – can’t rely on them to maintain a safe environment (entirely) when
their child is in your care; in a hospital setting
Other Children – their parents
Group Activity 1
Things to consider:
o Consider the safety issues in your environment whether good or potentially
harmful.
o Is there anything else that can be added to help prevent against
unintentional injuries?
o Who else do you need to consider in this environment?
o What other potential harm could occur here?
o Would age and development be a factor here?
Areas
o Children’s Ward
Things that could be improved
Bed Rails are down (but bed not currently being used)
Cluttered
Unclear whether there are blind ties
Need to consider the parents/carers, visitors as well as staff
working
Hand Sanitiser within easy reach of the child (could view it as a
toy)
Curtains are a potential hazard
Things that a good
Open ward so staff can see everything easily (provided the
curtains aren’t closed
o High Dependency Unit (located off the side of a ward)
Things that could be improved
Quite messy – cluttered
o Trip hazard for anyone entering the room
Parent’s/Carers – other family members e.g. younger/older
siblings
Wires/equipment hanging down – easy to pull and/or get
tangled up in
Can’t tell whether there is a blind cord
Things that are positive
1
, SHN169 – Making a Safe Environment
Monitor is up high
Wipes are also placed up high
o Emergency Department (for adults and children)
Things that could be improved
As it is for mixed use it is quite dull and not interesting to
children
Potential risk of car seat on the trolley – risk that the father
might think it is safe/appropriate to place the child in there
when he needs to rest his arms
It is a very busy and therefore potential area just by its very
nature
Potential other safety issues
Mix of adults and other patients coming and going – various
illnesses; conditions; ages; sexes
Other siblings wandering around board
o Health Visitor Clinic
Potential Safety Issues
Very small space – difficult to work in that area especially with
the presence of parent/carer and potentially siblings and also
potentially more than one baby (twins/triplets etc.)
Things that could be improved
No sign of hand sanitiser; wipes etc. – infection control risk
No toys available in case a distraction is needed for older
siblings
o Child’s Home
Things that could be improved
Removal of cleaning products from accessible areas
Handbag on table
Loose change
Fireguard but it is a metal one which means it would get hot
Iron – regardless of whether on or off posses a risk as it has a
cord attached
TV Stand looks like a climbing frame
Safety Issue
Child left unsupervised in the area
o Children’s Outpatients Department
Things that are good
Open Plan so able to see everyone
Suitable for children
Things that could be improved
As open plan and organised in such a way there is not much
opportunity for privacy – and as Outpatients department there
is the potential for there to be lots of people going back and
fore
o Children Wards now have secure doors – why hasn’t
this been done for outpatients?
Not entirely appropriate for older children/teens
2
