In this report, I will be talking about different legislations, policies and procedures
and how each of them helps to maintain health and safety within the Beeches
Drop-in centre. I will also be stating how effective they are in promoting safe
practice and ensuring quality care. The roles of staff within the centre and how
they can better the service provided by following the policies and procedures. I
will first be talking about legislation and its overall influence on health and social
care practice.
Legislations are a specific set of rules passed through parliament that
determines individuals and organisations’ rights and responsibilities. Legislations
are intended to protect people in work, those using their service and the wider
general public. The legislation sets out a law where the organisation must follow
the procedure, whereas, a policy is a principle or action proposed by an
organisation or individual that has to be carried out in everyday work within the
health and social care setting.
Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) -
The act sets out the statutory roles and requires responsibilities for employers
and employees relating to health and safety.
The act imposes various general duties upon both employers and its primary
objectives are to:
- Secure the health, safety and wellbeing of people at work,
- Protect people other than people at work against risks to health safety
arising out of, or in connection with, the activities of people at work.
The act has many influences on the practice, the act issues that the setting must
have had risk assessments and that a safe working environment is maintained.
Employees must take reasonable care for the health and safety of themselves and
others who may be affected by the employee’s acts or omissions at work. A care
worker spills water on the floor. They are responsible for making sure the water is
dried or if they cannot do it immediately, they must warn others and ensure no
one can slip. Within the Beeches Drop-in centre, employers should regularly risk
assess tasks and reduce the risk of injury from slips, trips, and falls. Risk
assessments are an important influence on the setting as they form an integral
part of an occupational health and safety management plan. Risk assessments
help to create awareness of any hazards and risks and identify what needs to be
done to reduce these. After the risk assessments have been made, the legislation
would ensure that staff, service users and visitors at the centre are a lot safer
when they are in the setting. The risk has been reduced, and the staff would feel
safer, leading to their work being improved, which concludes in them being able
to provide better care for their service users.
Care Act 2014 -
The act placed a duty on local authorities to promote well-being, to focus on
preventing, reducing or delaying needs, to provide information and advice to
service users and change from a service-led system to a person-centred one that
focuses on outcomes for service users. The principles of the Care Act 2014 allows
vulnerable adults to be protected from mistreatment and improve their quality of
life. Local authorities have a legal duty to prevent, reduce and delay people’s
needs from worsening and must promote a person’s wellbeing when making any
decision about that person. One of the main influences within the Care Act is it
involves the creation of individual care plans for service users which takes a
holistic approach. It ensures that local authorities provide or arrange services
and how each of them helps to maintain health and safety within the Beeches
Drop-in centre. I will also be stating how effective they are in promoting safe
practice and ensuring quality care. The roles of staff within the centre and how
they can better the service provided by following the policies and procedures. I
will first be talking about legislation and its overall influence on health and social
care practice.
Legislations are a specific set of rules passed through parliament that
determines individuals and organisations’ rights and responsibilities. Legislations
are intended to protect people in work, those using their service and the wider
general public. The legislation sets out a law where the organisation must follow
the procedure, whereas, a policy is a principle or action proposed by an
organisation or individual that has to be carried out in everyday work within the
health and social care setting.
Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) -
The act sets out the statutory roles and requires responsibilities for employers
and employees relating to health and safety.
The act imposes various general duties upon both employers and its primary
objectives are to:
- Secure the health, safety and wellbeing of people at work,
- Protect people other than people at work against risks to health safety
arising out of, or in connection with, the activities of people at work.
The act has many influences on the practice, the act issues that the setting must
have had risk assessments and that a safe working environment is maintained.
Employees must take reasonable care for the health and safety of themselves and
others who may be affected by the employee’s acts or omissions at work. A care
worker spills water on the floor. They are responsible for making sure the water is
dried or if they cannot do it immediately, they must warn others and ensure no
one can slip. Within the Beeches Drop-in centre, employers should regularly risk
assess tasks and reduce the risk of injury from slips, trips, and falls. Risk
assessments are an important influence on the setting as they form an integral
part of an occupational health and safety management plan. Risk assessments
help to create awareness of any hazards and risks and identify what needs to be
done to reduce these. After the risk assessments have been made, the legislation
would ensure that staff, service users and visitors at the centre are a lot safer
when they are in the setting. The risk has been reduced, and the staff would feel
safer, leading to their work being improved, which concludes in them being able
to provide better care for their service users.
Care Act 2014 -
The act placed a duty on local authorities to promote well-being, to focus on
preventing, reducing or delaying needs, to provide information and advice to
service users and change from a service-led system to a person-centred one that
focuses on outcomes for service users. The principles of the Care Act 2014 allows
vulnerable adults to be protected from mistreatment and improve their quality of
life. Local authorities have a legal duty to prevent, reduce and delay people’s
needs from worsening and must promote a person’s wellbeing when making any
decision about that person. One of the main influences within the Care Act is it
involves the creation of individual care plans for service users which takes a
holistic approach. It ensures that local authorities provide or arrange services
