Introduction to Duty of Care in Health

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Introduction to Duty of Care in health, social care or children’s and young people’s settings Understanding the meaning of Duty of Care 1.1 Define the term ‘Duty of Care’ Duty of Care is where health and social organisations have a duty to look after people meaning they must do everything they can do to keep the people in their care safe from harm. Not only do the care workers of a company have to prioritise the safety, welfare and interests of the people using its services but also the company itself. An employer also has a duty of care for staff members to make sure where employees work is in safe conditions and suitable for them to deliver the service. 1.2 Describe how the duty of care affects own role at work The Duty of care I have in my work role is to keep myself safe and my service user safe. To do this I should keep my training up to date, follow all policies and procedures set by employer in order to keep things safe. If I see something that is wrong my duty of care would be to report what I see happen i.e. whistle blowing. Also if I am told to do something I don’t feel comfortable doing or something not in my job description make sure I decline doing it as it’s my duty of care to only carry out duties I feel competent doing. Be aware of dilemmas that may arise about Duty of Care and the support available for addressing them 2.1 Describe dilemmas that may arise between the Duty of Care and an individual’s right You may have a case as a care worker where an individual may want to do something which could be a risk to their own health and safety. It’s your duty of care to do all you can to keep them safe but you also have the duty to respect them as an individual. This causes a dilemma. An example of this is a resident no longer wanting to use her Zimmer Frame, but in her care plan it states that she uses it to help her move
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