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Prime Recruitment Ltd Homecare, provides services for their Clients with ensuring that a staff member understands the importance of the health and safety of the Client’s Service Users, other staff members and visitors to a Care/Residential or Nursing home.


Policy Aim


Prime Recruitment will work in a manner that ensures their staff members are fully aware of their obligations and duties with regard to Health and Safety are met at all times.


Responsibility


It is the responsibility of the Manager and Director of Prime Recruitment Ltd to bring to the attention of all its staff members, and if requested that a copy of policy is made available to the Client’s using the services of Prime Recruitment Ltd.

All staff members must ensure that they read this policy and ask for further information, if they do not understand. The staff member must also ensure that they understand the procedures, and report any concerns straight away to the person running the shift and the Manager or Director of Prime Recruitment Ltd.


Regulatory requirements that the Client’s of Prime Recruitment are required to follow:


The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.

Guidance for Providers on Meeting the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.


Prime Recruitment Ltd and the staff requirements to Health and Safety


Prime Recruitment Ltd will ensure that all staff carry out the required training in relation to Health and Safety, with providing information to staff that they must follow safe procedures, with reporting all Health and Safety concerns to the Clients of Prime Recruitment when they are working. Staff must all report concerns to the Manager or Director of Prime Recruitment Ltd.


All staff are required to renew their training yearly for Health and Safety with the other required mandatory subjects such as:

 

 

Fire safety, Manual Handling, First Aid, Risk Assessment, Accident and Incident reporting/recording, Health and Safety information and training, Infection Control, Covid 19, Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) and Lone working.

 

Staff Responsibilities


All staff must ensure that they co-operate with carrying out their training and working safely at the premises of the Clients, to make sure all duties are carried out safely and with following the legislation in place.


Staff must take reasonable care of their own Health and Safety, not to take risks and to be aware of the Health and Safety of others, who would be affected by failing to work safely.

It is important that Staff familiarise themselves with the Health and Safety arrangements that apply to them with the work that they do, when working at the Clients of Prime Recruitment Care/Residential or Nursing homes.


Staff are responsible to report to the person in charge of running the shift when they are working, the Manager or Director, any equipment that is identified with needing regular maintenance and servicing or not fit to be used and any other Health and Safety concerns they find. This could be around trip hazards, unsafe items, fire hazards, COSHH concerns and any other concerns.

 

Risk assessments


All staff must make sure that they read the Care Plans and risk assessments for the Client’s Services users. They must also follow the Clients Health and safety policies and procedures when working at all times. If there is a Health and safety concern when supporting a Client’s Service User which is not documented in the care plan or not expected, this must be reported to the person in charge of running the shift immediately. Staff are then required to report this concern to the Manager or Director of Prime Recruitment Ltd.


Safe handling of hazardous substances (COSHH)


Prime Recruitment Ltd Homecare understands the importance to ensure that all staff carry out training around COSHH.


All staff must work in a safe manner when handling cleaning materials or any other hazardous chemicals that could cause harm, with following the Care/Residential or Nursing Home processes and risk assessments.


Any concerns around a service users being unsafe or a staff member being at risk around COSHH must be reported straight away to the Registered Manager and Director.


Accidents and First Aid


Staff must ensure that they report all accidents when they are working following the Client’s Accident/Incident reporting procedures at all times.

The accident book at the Care, Residential or Nursing home must be completed and the person in charge of running the shift must be informed.


Prime Recruitment must also be notified with reporting to the Manager or Director.

Staff should find where the First Aid box is and ask for information on what to do in the event of an emergency, such as if there was a Fire, Flood or an Accident has happened.


Covid-19 unless they are officially exempt, all staff must carefully follow the organisations policies on the use of personal protective equipment, with using a facemask when required.

Here is the latest guidance from the Government:


Please read the following link:

 

 

Eye protection

Consider wearing eye protection such as goggles or visors where there is a risk of blood or body fluids splashing into the worker’s eyes. Do not touch the eye protection when wearing. Decontaminate reusable eye protection in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions and store safely.


Regular spectacles do not provide sufficient protection. Visors may offer greater comfort for those who wear spectacles.


PPE recommendations summary

Table 3: the recommended PPE that should be used as standard precautions

Activity

Face mask

Eye protection

Gloves

Apron

Care or domestic task involving likely contact with blood or body fluids (giving personal care, handling soiled laundry, emptying a catheter or commode)

Risk assess if splashing likelyType IIR if splashing likely

Risk assess if splashing likely

Yes

Yes

General cleaning with hazardous products (disinfectants or detergents)

Risk assess if splashing likelyType IIR if splashing likely

Risk assess if splashing likely

Risk assess

Risk assess

Undertaking an AGP on a person who is not suspected or confirmed to have an infection spread by the airborne or droplet route

Yes - type IIR to be used for single task only

Yes

Yes

Yes (consider a gown if risk of extensive splashing)

For people with an infectious illness, follow the above principles and any additional advice for the specific infection.

 

Staff health and wellbeing is considered a key priority and all reasonable actions will be taken to ensure that staff are protected and kept informed.


Staff or service users with a positive COVID-19 test result _ guidance from the government – updated March 2023.


Healthcare staff whose job does not primarily involve providing direct inpatient care to severely immunosuppressed patients, who have symptoms of a respiratory infection, and who have a high temperature or do not feel well enough to go to work, are advised to stay at home and avoid contact with other people.


They are not required to take a COVID-19 test and should follow the guidance for people with symptoms of a respiratory infection including COVID-19. They should stay at home until they no longer have a high temperature (if they had one) or until they no longer feel unwell.

 

 

If staff members have a positive COVID-19 test result, regardless of whether they have symptoms, they should follow guidance for the general public who have a positive test result.


Staff who test positive should stay away from work for a minimum of 5 days after the day they took the test.


After 5 days, staff can return to work once they feel well, and do not have a high temperature. If they are still displaying respiratory symptoms when they return to work, they should speak to their line manager who should undertake a risk assessment.


Although many people will no longer be infectious to others after 5 days, some people may be infectious to other people for up to 10 days from the start of their infection. Staff should be supported to avoid contact with people at higher risk from becoming seriously unwell from COVID-19 for up to 10 days after the day they took their test.


Any updates from the Government, Public Health England will be fed out to staff and risk assessments updated accordingly.


Covid-19 risk mitigation measures


Prime Recruitment Ltd will keep up to date with the latest public health and national government information about the risk of coronavirus in the UK. The infection control lead for the agency will maintain close links with local health protection teams and will be responsible for circulating essential information to staff and service users and their families.


Prime Recruitment Ltd has supported and will continue to support the Covid-19 vaccinations. In this organisation all care workers are strongly encouraged to be vaccinated against Covid 19


Any updates from the Government, Public Health England will be fed out to staff and risk assessments updated accordingly.


Infection prevention and control (IPC) measures


Prime Recruitment Ltd Homecare, believes that general adherence to high standards of infection prevention and control is the best way to prevent the person-to-person spread of pathogens such as coronavirus and maximise the safety of both staff and

 

service users. To achieve this the organisation’s infection control policies and procedures will be implemented in full, especially those related to: • compliance with national guidance on the care of service users • strict self-isolation of symptomatic staff or staff who test positive for coronavirus • appropriate use of personal protective equipment (PPE) as recommended in relevant official public health guidance • appropriate use of masks and face coverings as recommended in relevant official public health guidance • enhanced environmental cleaning, including more regular cleaning of frequently touched surfaces (eg door handles, taps, etc) • support for appropriate respiratory hygiene (eg tissues, etc) • support for effective hand hygiene (eg availability of hand sanitiser, etc). Staff should comply fully with all policies and procedures, including those relating to PPE wearing and hand sanitisation.


Work-related ill health


Prime Recruitment Ltd Homecare is committed to taking any action required to ensure the health and wellbeing of its staff. It is understood that sickness rates can indicate health problem issues.


Training


Providing adequate health and safety training to ensure employees are competent to do their work.


All staff would of carried out training before their first day of employment and renew their training yearly (mandatory training), so that they are familiar with the basic procedures once they at their place of work. New staff will be expected to attend induction training, which will include the information to ensure they are working safely at work.


All new care staff will be inducted into a programme of health and safety training when they commence their employment.


Staff will further be expected to complete the Care Certificate, which includes the required health and safety requirements they will need to follow.


A record of the staff training will be kept to ensure that these records are reviewed to prompt the annual renewal training being arranged.


If any further information is required regarding the information in this policy or there is a concern around Health and Safety, please report to the Manager or Director of Prime Recruitment Ltd.

 

 

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