Safe Practice
Assignment 1
Safe Practice Assignment 1
P1-
They This report will be looking at and discussing Duty of Care and safe practice within health and social
care and will be relating to a case study about an NHS ward. This report will contain the significance of
Duty of Care and complaints procedures. It will also be considering what procedures would be used
within a setting if there was abuse and neglect. It will discuss the factors which could contribute to
neglect and abuse and what signs and symptoms could be shown.
Within the first section of this report, I will be explaining implication of Duty of Care and relating them to
a case study. I will be defining what Duty of care is, why it is used and what would happen if Duty of Care
wasn’t used.
Duty of care is a legal obligation and is used to protect and safeguard others. It cares for an individual’s
wellbeing, compliance, welfare and safe practice. All Care settings, ’whether a school’, nursing home,
children’s centres or hospitals etc., require ‘legal obligations’ to ensure that everyone that are associated
within the services (staff member, volunteer, service user etc.) are protected from harm and abuse.
Duty of care makes sure that the care being given to service users is to a reasonable standard and that
the service providers don’t put themselves or the service users in danger. There are many different
policies and procedures that come under the Duty of Care that is provided within a care setting. For
example: Equality Act 2010. This act ensures that there isn't any discrimination within the setting and that
everybody is treated the same and with respect. Within the Duty of Care for every care setting,
individual’s rights and interests should be promoted. For people who experience or have experienced
neglect and abuse, their personal rights wouldn’t have been met and they would have been in the risk of
many things (for example: injuries).
If Duty of Care wasn’t used within a health and social care service, the care being given towards the
service users and the staff isn't being provided to the best standard. If there was a breach within the Duty
of Care at a care setting, there wouldn’t be a balance between the individual’s rights and their risks (this
is where the rights of the individuals aren't being met and the risks aren't being evaluated.
Implications means that someone suggests something or implies something without saying it directly.
Within a health and social care setting, implications mean that the service provider suggests something to
the service user with other intentions. A professional within the setting should have a duty of care to
ensure that the individuals are protected from harm and that their health and safety and wellbeing isn’t
at risk. An individual using the service could want to do something without support from a professional.
However, the activity could be putting them at risk or could cause them harm. The professional would
then have to say something that doesn’t make the service user feel like they aren’t capable of the activity
but on the other hand, the professional would need to say/ suggest something so that the service user
stays safe. Ensuring safe practice is important within the setting. For example, in the case study, the
electric lock is broken so the staff within the hospital would have to ensure that safe practice is in place
to ensure that the health and safety and wellbeing of all patients including Lizzie is protected and
promoted. It also ensures that they are safe from neglect after having surgery.
Within the Welling’s NHS Trust Ward 3B case study, an implication would be that when Lizzy’s husband
came to visit, he ‘insisted on drawing the curtains around the bed’. As the visits are ‘never supervised’,
Lizzy’s husband could leave without opening the curtains. If the curtains are left closed, the nurses may
think that the husband is still visiting. If Lizzy was deteriorating, nurses wouldn’t be able to see and give
medical attention.
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/duty-of-care
https://www.educare.co.uk/news/what-is-duty-of-care
https://phdessay.com/duty-of-care-in-health-and-social-care/
https://sielearning.tafensw.edu.au/MCS/CHCAOD402A/chcaod402a_csw/knowledge/duty_of_care/
duty_of_care.htm
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