Responsibilities of organisations towards people who work in health and social care settings Flashcards
What are organisations providing health and social care services required to ensure?
That all employees understands how to meet national standards in their professional practice.
What must HSC services must ensure their employees know?
- understand how to implement the organisation’s codes of practice
- meet National Occupational Standards (NOS)
- undertake continuing professional development (CPD)
- are safeguarded through being able to:
o have internal/external complaints dealt with properly
o take part in whistleblowing
o have membership of trades unions/professional associations
o follow protocols of regulatory bodies.
Describe “implementing the organisation’s code of practice”
The Health and Social Care Act (2008), and the linked regulations of 2014, require that registered providers of care services must ensure that they have sufficient numbers of appropriately qualified staff to meet the needs of their service users at all times. They must also provide or support training and professional development to ensure that their staff can carry out their caring role.
What are new staff required to do in social care settings?
In social care settings, new staff are required to complete an induction programme
and to meet the requirements of the Common Induction Standards (2010) within 12 weeks of commencing their new job. This requires the manager to ensure that all new employees understand how to implement the codes of practice in their workplace and how to meet the current National Occupational Standards (NOS) for their role.
What are National Occupational Standards?
They are the standards of professional practice that should be met in the workplace. They describe best practice.
What do the National Occupational Standards do?
The NOS underpin the codes of practice in care settings and the curriculum for the training of practitioners and cover the standards that are also included in the codes of practice for professional bodies, for example the Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC)
What is continuing professional development (CPD)?
Continuing professional development (CPD) is the way in which registrants continue to learn and develop throughout their careers so they keep their skills and knowledge up to date and are able to practise safely and effectively.
What does undertaking continuing professional development mean?
Practitioners need to continually update their skills to maintain the high standards required in the sector. This will ensure they are following the best practice and most up-to-date procedures.
How is continuing professional development ensured?
all members of the GMC, the NMC and the HCPC are required to complete regular professional training to remain on their registers. It is the responsibility of care managers to ensure that support staff who are not members of professional organisations also regularly update and extend their skills.
How are internal and external complaints addressed?
- allegations of poor practice made against staff will initially be addressed through the organisation’s internal disciplinary systems.
- in more serious instances, the regulatory body: the NMC, GMC or HCPC may be involved.
- In extreme cases of assault or death thought to be caused by negligence or active abuse, the police may also deal with complaints.
What do trade unions and professional associations do for practitioners?
Support for members if they are accused of professional misconduct or are in conflict in other ways with their employer. For example, many doctors belong to the British Medical Association (BMA), nurses may belong to the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), midwives to the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) and social workers are often member of the trade union UNISON.
What are protocols?
Protocols are accepted codes of practice and behaviour required of professionals by
their regulatory bodies.
What do regulatory bodies do?
The regulatory bodies, such as the GMC, the NMC and the HCPC, also provide protection for employees by ensuring that the standards expected of them are clear and transparent. As part of their induction and ongoing training, health and care practitioners must fully understand their professional responsibilities and the protocols by which they must practice.
How can whistleblowing be a form of protection for staff?
If the quality of care in an organisation is poor and this is going unchecked, whistleblowing will protect not only the service user but also other members of staff and sometimes the provision itself. Poor practice damages the reputation of the sector. It may lead to investigations by professional organisations, the inspectorate and, in extreme cases, by the police. Poor practice is a matter for the organisation to check and remedy.
