WORKING IN HEALTH SECTOR

Unit 5: Maintaining quality standards in the health sector

Unit 5: Maintaining quality standards in the health sector

Section 1: Know how legislation, policies and procedures determine quality standards of work

Using the table below, identify how quality standards link to legislation, policy and procedures in your current health sector organisation (or one that you know well).

Legislation

Key point

Which policy is affected by the legislation?

Which quality standard does it affect in your organization, and how?

The Health and Safety Act 1974

An act of Parliament which establishes the current health and safety legislation;

This legislation establishes the basic authority and structure for encouraging, regulating, and enforcing the welfare, safety, and health of patients within the UK.

The organizational heads and executives, while formulating policies, must consider that training is an effective means for the promotion of health and safety practices in the workplace. Training may be employed together with the establishment procedures and policies. Frequent risk assessments would also foster effective practice that would be included in the organizational procedures and policies.

Quality Standard: patient safety

As pertinent trainings are included in the organizational policy, and are considered as a routine procedure, this ascertains that the nurses and doctors consider patient's welfare and safety as the most essential part of their job role.

Care Standards

Act (2000)

An act of the UK Parliament that looks after the management of various care institutions, counting in residential care homes, nursing homes, self-governing hospitals, and children's homes

This legislation calls for the establishment of a unit in the organization that is responsible for the inspection regarding health care quality.

The organization establishes standards which must be obligated by every health care staff member.

Quality Standard: clinical effectiveness

It is ensured that every care provision is in compliance with the National Minimum

Standards. Also, the organization establishes standards for the level of healthcare provided to the patients, necessitating clinical effectiveness and supreme quality health and social care.

Data Protection

Act (1998)

An act of UK Parliament that establishes the UK law on the processing of information regarding the particular individuals.

The major aspect of legislation that administers the protection of anybody's personal data within the United Kingdom.

The organization, due to the enforcement of this act, is required to set out policies for ascertaining the protection of paper based information regarding the patients, storage of classified patients' information, appropriate and accurate maintenance of records, and protection of computer based information.

Quality Standard: patient experience

This provides for the protection of personal and classified data belonging to the individuals with respect to storage and processing

Describe how personal attitudes and behaviours in your current health sector role (or one that you know well) impact on the quality of service in your organisation.

Attitude/behaviour

How does it impact on your role?

Effectiveness

Effectiveness implies that the services are provided on the basis of scientific knowledge to everybody who would benefit and abstain from the provision of services to the ones that are not probable of benefitting.

Efficiency

Efficiency helps in the avoidance of waste, encompassing the waste of energy, ideas, supplies, and equipment.

Equity

Equity ensures the provision of health care which is not ...