Policies and procedures for managing health and safety in services

The Patient Safety Incident Response Framework sets out how health and care providers should respond to patient safety incidents, with a focus on improvement rather than blame. It encourages organisations to prioritise learning, involve those affected, and take a more proportionate, flexible approach to investigations.

This page includes specific guidance for independent care providers, charities, and adult social care services, along with templates and planning tools.

This resource is based on the e-learning module ‘NES: Breaking the Chain of Infection’ from the Scottish Infection Prevention and Control Education Pathway. The information in the pdf covers:

• How micro-organisms spread 
• The chain of infection model
• Risk factors for infection
• Specific actions to break the chain of infection

Are you looking to complete an online infection prevention course? This qualification aims to prepare you for tackling the outbreak of infection in hospitals and healthcare settings by aiding you in understanding the many causes of infection and how it can be spread, as well as how you can help control it.

This course is designed for those who are looking to become a certified DSE assessor in their workplace. It is applicable to any environment in which DSE is used. No previous knowledge is required and so anyone at any level of their business can take this course.

This in-person course covers the essential elements of food safety to enable you to safely prepare and handle food and to support people with their nutrition and hydration needs.

The course is funded for adult social care staff working for Brighton and Hove City Council, and staff working in adult social care provider services that contract with Brighton and Hove City Council.

West Sussex County Council are providing health and social care services with the following ‘Preventing Infection Workbooks’ for free:

• The 11th Edition of Preventing Infection Workbooks Guidance for Care Homes
• The 2nd Edition of Preventing Infection Workbooks Guidance for Domiciliary Care Staff

What do the booklets cover?

• Latest national guidance
• Evidence-based information
• 18 topics including the 10 Standard infection control precautions, aseptic technique, specimen collection, preventing a UTI, urinary catheter care, viral gastroenteritis/norovirus, clostridioides difficile, M.R.S.A. and M.R.G.N.B.

To request for copies of this workbook, please contact WSCC via email at: [email protected].

Under the Health & Safety at Work etc Act (1974), managers need to have effective Health and Safety policies and have a responsibility for the health and safety of staff, service users and other colleagues. By the end of this course you will be able to organise for health and safety, outline health and safety policies for lone workers, and measure health and safety performance.

This guidance is intended to help those providing and managing care homes – to
give them a better understanding of the real risks and how to manage them
effectively. It has been extensively rewritten, with a number of new topics, and
brings together key messages on risks to both workers and residents. It will also be
of interest to others working in social care.

This Health and Safety Training for Managers course is suitable for all employers, managers, and supervisors and is intended to help them with their responsibility of ensuring and maintaining high health and safety standards at work. This includes those who have responsibility for training employees, maintaining health and safety standards, and enforcing a positive health and safety culture at work.

This is a half-day webinar for all staff that work in residential, day care or supported living services. It can be completed as part of an induction programme or as an update to previous learning. The workshop covers basic knowledge of common infections, the risk of infection to vulnerable people in our community and staff responsibilities to prevent the spread of infection.

Our online Infection Prevention and Control – Train the Trainer Course + Trainer Pack provide the learner (the trainer) with the necessary subject knowledge to train new health and social care workers and those who do not hold formal qualifications.

To be compliant, effective prevention and control of infection must be part of everyday practice and be applied consistently by everyone. Therefore, we have created you a comprehensive Infection Prevention & Control (IPC) Audit. It allows you to keep track of your annual IPC review reflecting high standards of infection prevention (including cleanliness) are developed and maintained under good management and organisational processes.

The following resources have been compiled by the Community-based Social Care Infection Prevention and Control Project (IPC project) to support the knowledge from the Infection Prevention and Control e-learning training on the East Sussex Learning Portal.

This introductory course will provide you with the fundamental knowledge of types of infection, the chain of infection and appropriate measures you should take to break the chain.

This online learning module is for new staff as part of an induction, as part of the Care Certificate – Standard 15, or for existing staff as a knowledge refresh. The aim of this module is to provide you with the knowledge and behaviours required to carry out your role and responsibilities in preventing the spread and risk of infection in your work or home environment.

What does this course cover?

• Key infection control principles
• Key legislation and regulations
• Understanding the legal framework and standards
• Standard infection prevention and control precautions
• Managing health to prevent infectious risk.

What does this course cover?

• Overview of infection prevention and control standards
• Key legislation and regulations and a detailed review of the relevant laws and policies
• Identification and management of disease-causing pathogens
• The chain of infection and steps to interrupt the infection process
• Best practices for reducing infection risks.

The resources on this page were collated for a ‘Sussex Infection Prevention Link Practitioner and Champions Development Day’ in 2023. 

This resource contains general infection prevention and control (IPC) principles to be used in combination with advice and guidance on managing specific infections. It is for those responsible for setting and maintaining standards of IPC within adult social care in England.

The Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) champions network has been developed to provide peer learning, enhancing the application of IPC training. It has been developed to support an individual/individuals from a care settings in establishing and maintaining IPC standards in their workplace. The staff member is expected to act as a named contact for their organisation and support the organisation in recognition of infectious diseases and mitigation’s to reduce transmission, as well as supporting the uptake of vaccinations and IPC management.

The NHS Infection Prevention and Control team provide a wide range of resources for those working in the health and social care sector. These resources are either free to download or available to purchase via their website.

These short case studies highlight real issues that have happened in care settings—what went wrong, how the provider responded, and what action the CQC took. Each one ends with practical steps you can take to help prevent something similar in your own service.

What does this course cover?

• The common infectious diseases in care homes
• The steps that can be taken to prevent infections from spreading
• The different routes of communication for reporting outbreaks and incidents of infection.

This quick guide provides advice on situations where you may need to contact your local UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) HPT.

Infection prevention and control (IPC) measures are critical components in maintaining a safe environment in health and care settings. In this newsletter we share a selection of resources, courses, and guidelines to equip health and care professionals with the knowledge and tools needed to enhance IPC practices and safeguard the health and wellbeing of the people we care for.

Supporting people with mobility is part of everyday life in care homes. This might mean helping someone out of bed, assisting with repositioning or using equipment. It can be one of the most physically and emotionally demanding aspects of care.

In this edition of the MILE newsletter, we focus on the essentials of safe and respectful moving and handling, with key reminders, practical resources, and a mix of local and online courses to support good practice.

Perfect for team training and personal development, this manual handling course for carers will give an overview of moving and handling, how injuries occur, and how to assess and manage risk when completing manual handling tasks.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) provides comprehensive guidance on safe moving and handling practices in health and social care settings. This resource is essential for care providers aiming to protect both staff and service users from injuries and to uphold dignity during care. It covers:

• Legal responsibilities 
• Risks of poor practice and how to manage these
• Key moving and handling equipment with tips for safe use.

This online module is for staff who are working with adults in a care setting in West Sussex. The module will provide you with information on safe, practical moving and handling techniques when working with customers.

Safely and respectfully moving and handling people is a crucial skill in healthcare. This course provides the knowledge and practical techniques to confidently assist individuals with their mobility needs while minimising the risk of injury to both yourself and the person you’re supporting.

This course will provide you with the information and guidance you need to move and position service users safely, and in a way that promotes their independence, dignity and functional mobility. It will also teach about the importance of risk assessments and the potential hazards involved, along with the key legislation relevant to moving and handling.

The course covers both theory and practical elements of caring for and assisting clients with restricted mobility. It will refresh your knowledge on:

• Legislation, including LOLER requirements, 
• Risk assessments
• Sling selection and safely fitting slings, 
• Best practice techniques when hoisting clients
• The use of stand aids, dressing aids.

This module is where the theory and legislation behind safe practice in relation to moving and handling is reviewed. The responsibilities of both the employee and the employer in relation to safe moving and handling are examined in addition to the actions that must be taken in the event of a moving and handling adverse event (accident) and when and how to report it. 

This is an evidence-based practice manual for use by all those involved in care provision in England. It should be adopted as mandatory guidance in NHS settings or settings where NHS services are delivered, and the principles should be applied in all care settings.

This national framework sets out how health and care providers should respond to patient safety incidents, with a focus on improvement rather than blame. It encourages organisations to prioritise learning, involve those affected, and take a more proportionate, flexible approach to investigations.

The objectives of this qualification are to give learners working or intending to work in health care settings knowledge and understanding of infection prevention and control to support their role in the workplace.

A monthly audit tool to support Care Homes in complying with the Health and Social Care Act 2008: code of practice on the prevention and control of infections and related guidance. The audit tool should be completed by a Manager or Lead person for Infection Prevention and Control.

This course introduces or increases staff awareness of the problems associated with caring for people needing assistance with moving or who use a wheelchair and offers the opportunity to practice up to date techniques and explore strategies for the safer handling of clients in both day care settings and 24-hour care. The course includes informal discussions and practice with a variety of transfer techniques and equipment. Participants will receive an attendance certificate to show that they have received training in relation to the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992.

The course is funded for adult social care staff employed by Brighton & Hove City Council, and for staff working in provider services commissioned by the Council.