Responsibilities of Care Workers Btec Health & Social Care Responsibilities of Care Workers

Responsibilities Care workers have some responsibilities towards the people they care for Some have a “duty of Care” There are standards set out by law and care workers and their employers must keep to these

This lesson will look at what advice care workers need and how they can access it. By the end of the lesson you should have all the information required to complete the next part of the assignment

Who should they get advice from?

The Care Standards Act 2000 The Care Standards Act reforms the regulatory system for care services in England and Wales. The Care Standards Act sets out a broad range of regulation making powers covering, amongst other matters, the management, staff, premises and conduct of social care and independent healthcare establishments and agencies. Section 23 gives powers to the Secretary of State to publish statements of national minimum standards which the Commission for Social Care Inspection must take into account when making its decisions.

So what does this mean then? There are National Minimum Standards for registered care services. http://www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/@dh/@en/documents/digitalasset/dh_4135403.pdf For example: STANDARD 16 16.1 The registered person ensures that there is a simple, clear and accessible complaints procedure which includes the stages and timescales for the process, and that complaints are dealt with promptly and effectively.

And…? The manager and supervisor must make sure that all the care workers are following these. The Care Standards Act 2000 also states that new members of staff MUST have specific training in their job. This is to try and help improve the standards of care The Commission for Social Care Inspection enforces these standards

What can your line manager do for you? Mainly support you & give you advice. You will not know everything from day one, so your supervisor will need to support you by ensuring that you know what policies & procedures you should be following. If they can’t give you an answer they should be able to tell you where else you can go for advice

Incidents & Accidents Care workers need to be aware of procedures for how to handle accidents and incidents within the care setting they must use the right book to record the details accurately and promptly

What is an incident? Anything which causes you concern Examples: a child being hit or shaken A service user being bullied Possible racial abuse

What is a Policy? Policies are a set of rules to administer, manage, and control access to network resources Policies make it easier for care workers to give consistent care to service users

What is a Procedure? This is a way to achieve the policy E.g Health & Safety Policy: you must ensure surfaces are clean at all times in the kitchen Health & Safety Procedure: you must use the blue cloth with antibacterial cleaner on the work surface in the kitchen The procedure helps you to accomplish the policy aims

Professional Organisations These are organisations which are either funded by the government or are voluntary which will give advice. They include: Help the Aged Citizen’s Advice Bureau Age Concern

Professional Organisations On 1 October 2007 the three equality commissions merged into the new Equality and Human Rights Commission: Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) Disability Rights Commission (DRC) Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) Equality and Human Rights Commission  The Equality and Human Rights Commission champions equality and human rights for all, working to eliminate discrimination, reduce inequality, protect human rights and to build good relations, ensuring that everyone has a fair chance to participate in society.

Responsibilities of care workers Must take responsibility for being aware of policies & procedure Should ask for advice from managers & supervisors when unsure Must support the team by following procedures Can get extra support from professional organisations