Unit 7 PRINCIPLES OF SAFE PRACTICE IN HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE
This unit will look at how practitioners within different health and social care settings have a
responsibility to maintain a duty of care to all service users. I will be looking at two case studies to
see how service users can be affected when practitioners do not follow guidelines or policies that are
in place to protect service users. I will also look at how practitioners are protected as well and how
they are supported so that they can carry out their roles effectively.
Legal obligation to protect wellbeing and prevent harm
Duty of care, in terms of the law, is always acting in the best interests of the patient. Within a health
and social care setting, healthcare providers must ensure that they don’t act in a way that results in
harm being caused and they also must act within their competence level. It is also very important to
set boundaries when forming relationships with patients, as relationships with patient and carer are
different to a relationship with family.
Upholding the rights and promoting the interests of individuals experiencing abuse or neglect
As a health and social care provider, trust is built between the provider and the service user. This
could mean that the healthcare provider has to act as an advocate, to ensure they are being treated
fairly and with dignity and respect [1]. Sometimes, healthcare users feel as though they can't speak
out about an issue, so it can be the providers duty to help protect their rights as they understand the
implications of the circumstances.
Protecting health, safety and wellbeing
When working with service users it is the responsibility of the carer or provider to ensure that the
user isn't exploited, intimidated or unjustly treated [2], especially with vulnerable patients. It is
important to be able to explain to subordinates how the actions taken were safe, fair, considered
and warranted, as this could impact the service user and their confidence. In the Zebra Ward, the
safety and wellbeing of Lucy and Kevin Smith was not protected, as the marks found on both of
them weren’t put on record and weren't documented by several different healthcare professionals.
The doctor that did notice the marks and was unconvinced by their parents' story failed to record
her suspicions.
Ensuring safe practice
When is a health and social care setting, workers must ensure that they are complying with the
workplace policies that are put in place to protect bother the service provider and user. If these
policies are not followed, it could lead to accidents which would then have to get investigated in to.
This can be costly as it causes a loss of confidence for the organisation and healthcare user, as well
as taking a lot of time. All environments contain potential hazards, especially the services users
house as they will have furniture. This means that the service provider will have to consider these
hazards when attempting to use additional equipment, such as a hoist, as ignoring these hazards can
pose as a risk. The Quality Care Commission requires all healthcare workers need to carry out health
and safety training to ensure that once they are trained, they can promote safe practice and
maintain high standards of care.
Code of conduct
A code of conduct is a framework of set standards that tells workers how to behave when
interacting with both patients and co-workers, how to stay safe when working and promoting the