Duty Of Care In Health And Social Care Research Paper

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Introduction to duty of care in health, social care or children’s and young people’s settings What is duty of care All health and social care organisations have what is called a duty of care towards the individuals they look after. This means they must ensure they do everything they can to keep the individuals in their care safe from harm. The safety, welfare and interests of the individuals is priority not only by the care establishment but also the care workers that are employed by them. The employer also has a duty of care for staff members, whereby they must ensure that working conditions are safe and suitable to enable staff to deliver the right care to individuals in their care. Duty of care is your responsibility to keep the…show more content…
You as a carer have a duty of care to keep the individual safe but you must always respect the individuals’ rights and choice, so this would cause a dilemma. For example if an individual no longer wishes to use her walking frame, but her care plan states she needs it to move around then you must ensure you encourage her to use it. In this situation you could carry out a risk assessment to ensure it is dealt with as safely as possible. You would need to explain the risks to her and make sure she understands. You could come to a compromise and suggest she uses a walking stick for a while instead to see if she can manage and in the meantime you can monitor the situation. All of the changes should be documented including any risk assessment that’s been carried out. If at any point the individual still insists on walking unaided you need to get them to sign consent to document they are aware of the risks. If an individual refuses to take their medication you would need to voice the benefits and again advise them of the risks if they don’t take their medication. If the individual still refuses it would need to be recorded in their medication administration record also it would need to be recorded in their communication notes to be discussed at handover so other staff members are aware if a problem arises. You have a duty of care to keep the individual safe and must do everything you can to ensure their safety, however if an individual insists on doing something that is unsafe or risky that is their choice and you must respect their right to make that

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