Safeguarding In Health And Social Care

In this essay it will explain safeguarding the wellbeing, health and safety of individuals in health and social care services.
Safeguarding the wellbeing, health and safety of individuals in health and social care, is relevant to service users within a health and social care setting for many reasons. One of the reasons that it is relevant, is because within a health and social care setting all individuals within the service are safeguarded, this is to ensure that each person within the service gains a better quality experience, and a part of these individuals is the service users. The service users are the most important individuals within a health and social care setting, as they are the ones in which the service is made to care for, by safeguarding

them this will ensure that they gain the highest standard of care and satisfaction. Another reason that safeguarding is relevant to service users is, it ensures that all of their human rights are protected so that they are cared for, to at least a basic standard.

This will allow them to be protected from any type of abuse or neglect. (CQC, 2018)
Practitioners can support the health and wellbeing of service users in many ways that relates to safeguarding. One of the ways that a practitioner can help to safeguard a service user, is by ensuring that they complete all of their annual training, which will give them information on the policies that they will have to follow regarding safeguarding, this training will also give them lessons on how to deal with scenarios where safeguarding will be an important role in keeping individuals safe. “We all have a part to play in securing this for the adults in our care, particularly for those who are especially vulnerable.” (Royal College of Nursing,

2015). Within their training, practitioners will be shown how to protect vulnerable service users to a high standard by informing them on the actions that they should take if they were to witness an incident where an individual may receive any kind of harm, abuse or neglect. This is to ensure that individuals can feel that they are safe and secure when they are using the service, if they are to feel this then they will gain a higher standard of care. Another way that a practitioner can help to safeguard a service user, is by establishing a safeguarding adult’s board. “Safeguarding Adults Board where different health and social care sectors and agencies work together to help and safeguard adults with care and support needs” (Wyatt, 2017). A safeguarding adults board is where a group of practitioners from within the service, work together to ensure that existing safeguarding policies and rights are met, although they can also identify if a higher number of risks are arising then they will be able to give each other ideas on new policies which will help to stop these acts taking place (SCIE, 2016).
There are many policies and procedures that relate to safeguarding within Health and Social Care, for example the child protection policy. Within this policy, it states that “all children without exception have the right to protection from abuse regardless of gender, ethnicity, disability, sexuality or beliefs” (GOV, 2014). This means that, by law, all qualified healthcare staff that interact with any individual below the age of 18 have to ensure that the individuals are protected from abuse in every way possible. This includes: the need to report all incidents of abuse towards a child that is witnessed first-hand; to record any suspicious behaviour from the child or visible unexplained markings on their body which could be linked to any type of abuse, in a secure written document; to keep professional confidentiality regarding all interaction with a child, however it also includes sharing information with colleagues when it is in the best interest of the individual. If any of these incidents are reported within the service, then these will then need to be referred to social services, they will then contact the family of the child and ask to complete an assessment on the child’s home, this is to guarantee to safety of the child, their parent or carer could then be against the assessment however if social services believe that there could be a serious issue within the household they can then contact the police, who will issue a child assessment order so that the assessment will legally need to take place (NSPCC, 2018).
Another safeguarding policy and procedure that is used within health and social care would be, the dental safeguarding vulnerable adult’s policy. As vulnerable adults are often victims of abuse, it is important that all health services that these individuals may have to visit have procedures in place in order to safeguard effectively. This policy states that, before any of their staff are employed they will need to have enhanced criminal record checks and DBS Adult First Checks that show no past convictions or offences, by doing this the service can ensure that their staff members are highly responsible for the safety of their service users including vulnerable adults. Within this policy it also covers that, the service has a legal requirement to keep documents referring to a service users’ (including vulnerable adult users) appointment information and personal details confidential and unable to be reached by the public or colleagues within the service, that are not involved with the care of the individual. (Bridge Dental Surgeries LTD, 2018)
A person-centred approach is a way of safeguarding individuals within health and social care, this is because it ensures that all care for service users is individualised so that it only meets the needs of the particular individual.

This is in place to ensure that all care principles are met to the service users own standards, as each individual has different needs and preferences when it comes to their own health care. “Offering personalised care, support and treatment. Supporting people to recognise and develop their own strengths and abilities to enable them to live an independent and fulfilling life” (The Health Foundation, 2014). This means that, when a service user is given person centred care then their safety is a priority to the service as the staff will need to ensure that individuals are calm and comfortable so they can then be aware of any situations that may cause discomfort, which may signal that the individual has problems within their home life such as physical or emotional abuse. These could be signs such as: always being thirsty or hungry, could link to malnutrition; acts of self-consciousness; unwillingness to be examined by GP; unexplained bruising; shaking of the body while the temperature is warm; poor concentration, etc. if a professional noticed these signs then they would report this to their line manager, who may alert authorities, and keep a record so that they will be able to ensure the safety of the service user (Royal College of Nursing,

2016).
One of the ways that the government ensures all health and social services, within the UK, inforce policies in their company that relate to safeguarding, is by making legislations in which details the need of an individual’s well-being, health and safety. One of the legislations, which are already in place that relates to safeguarding, is the Care Act 2014, within this act there is a detailed section of safeguarding individuals over the age of 18. In this section, it states that, “Local authorities must make enquiries, or request others to make them, when they think an adult with care and support needs may be at risk of abuse or neglect and they need to find out what action may be needed,” (SCIE, 2016). This means that, if a member of staff that is employed by a health and social care service, was to witness an act of abuse or neglect towards a service user who was over the age of 18, then they would use this legislation to write a report about the event which were seen and then take this report to higher authority. This will also occur if: a member of staff notices a vulnerable individual to be acting in a strange manner when interacting socially; a professional takes into account any visible markings on a service users body, especially if when confronted about how these markings happened they couldn’t explain clearly; Noticeable weight loss between visitations. Due to the Care Act 2014, all serious reports of safeguarding incidents will be brought to the local Safeguarding Adults board, who will monitor the services procedures and give guidance to staff on how to conduct themselves when interacting with an individual who is thought to be a victim of abuse, while investigations are being carried out.
The wellbeing, health and safety of individuals within a health and social care setting are well-maintained by professionals by them completing their practice inclusively. One of the ways that a professional can work in an inclusive way is by them acknowledging that each individual has their own unique rights, which should not be discriminated against in any way. All individuals within a health and social care service, should be treated fairly, this includes having the freedom to be respected, which can be ensured by providing individuals with individualised care. “Individualization is considered a particularly important feature of nursing care by nurses, patients and their families, and by health care administrators”, proves this (Alster, 2002). Individualised care is given to all service users by, ensuring that patients are given the correct medication to suit their condition and taking into account any allergies that they may suffer from. Individual rights also includes inclusion, this is ensuring that everyone’s ideas are promoted equally so that they can feel as though they are an important part of society (Newton, 2017). This ensures, that all service users are safeguarded because they are being given the correct care and treatment that suits their own needs, this excludes any chances of an individual being abused by a professional, for example there is no chance of accidental overdose if they are given the correct medication dosage for themselves, there will also be no chance of a known allergic reaction, which will keep the individual safe.