Care work has a lot of perks to it, and it also has a lot of things that you have to remember to keep everything above board and safe for all involved. From the Enhanced DBS check in care work to knowing which areas to focus on in the home for the best care practices, it all plays an important role. When you’re looking at considering care work as a new profession, here are some of the important details that you’ll want to think about related to safety.
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Furniture
and equipment safety:
It’s important that patients are surrounded by safe equipment and
furniture. A proper check should be followed out on everything from
sofas to ovens to bed frames, etc. It’s important a patient’s
environment is safe at all times.
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Drugs
and other substances:
It will be your responsibility to
make sure that you are following all proper protocols with
medications. This includes medications at the right time and the
correct dosages.
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Behaviour
and mood changes:
As certain illnesses and sicknesses progress, mood and behaviour
changes will become more common. It’s important that you adapt to
these while protecting the individuals safety as well as your own.
This is were your training will be most helpful to ensure all of
those.
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Infections
and sicknesses:
Even the smallest sickness or infection can severely worsen your
patient. You’ll need to keep proper hygiene with their care, your
own, and also make sure that you are handling food hygienically for
your patient’s protection.
There
is also a few requirements that you as an individual must adhere to
when working within a care home or with vulnerable adults:.
-
You
protect the patient:
Your first point of concern is to protect your patient. It could be
protection from injury, sickness or themselves. This is the priority
of care work in the most broadest term.
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You
must be properly trained:
Additionally, you’ll want to make sure that you’ve received all
of the important training within the study of care giving. This
includes any specialised courses and further educational ventures to
help you protect them.
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You
must have an Enhanced DBS check:
For any and all care giving positions as well as quite a few care
work programs, you have to have a current Enhanced
DBS Check
and make sure that this is cleared and also that it is renewed when
needed to keep it current. This is just like any other kind of
criminal check in its importance. This is a specialised clearance
check specifically for care work which allows you to work within
care homes so it’s important to make this a priority.