Suitable for Care Or Nursing Home Settings

Policy – First aid (worked example)

Suitable for care or nursing home settings.

Note: this worked example policy is for illustrative information only. It may be used by a care home as a basis upon which to develop their own policy but should be fully customised and adapted to the specific needs of the home concerned.

Aim

The aim of the home is to ensure that effective first aid cover is provided at all times in such a way as to fulfil the statutory requirements of the home and according to up-to-date good practice guidelines.

Background

This home understands ‘first aid’ to refer to basic emergency medical care for the treatment of minor injuries or basic emergency care administered to minimise the consequences of more serious injury and illness until qualified medical assistance is available.

It is the policy of this home to be able to provide first aid support to someone who is injured or becomes unwell while on the premises of the home, or when involved in activities organised by the home. The prime objective of the policy is that someone trained in basic first aid skills should be able to attend an incident on care home premises quickly and provide appropriate first aid or take appropriate action.

The main requirements of the law are that the home provides:

· an adequate number of appropriately trained first aid staff so that first aid risks and requirements of the home are addressed at all times

· an adequate number of first aid boxes containing basic first aid equipment

· appropriate signs placed in prominent areas displaying the location of the nearest first aid box, the contact details of the nearest first aider and the first aid/emergency arrangements of the home.

The home understands there to be two types of first aid personnel:

· a fully qualified first aider who has completed a first aid at work (FAW) or an emergency first aid at work (EFAW) training course approved by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE)

· an appointed person who is not a first aider but who has undertaken a basic emergency first aid training course and whose duty is to provide cover for and otherwise support the first aider and the first aid arrangements in the home.

The policy is fully compliant with the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (MHSWR) and the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981.

The desired outcome is that the health of service users, visitors and staff is promoted and protected as far as can be reasonably expected.

Policy

In this home:

At least one fully qualified first aider will be included on the staff rota at all times. For the purposes of this policy the home understands a fully qualified first aider to include any member of staff who has completed a FAW or an EFAW training course approved by the HSE and whose qualification is up-to-date (i.e. they have attended re-qualification training where required) or a fully qualified member of the nursing staff who is registered with the Nursing & Midwifery Council and who is considered to be competent in first aid (note: some members of nursing staff may require additional training in first aid to increase their competency to an acceptable level).
At least one appointed person will be included on the staff rota at all times in order to cover for the first aider in the case of an emergency and in order to assist them.
An appointed person or a first aider will be allocated for escort duties outside of the home wherever an assessment of risk indicates that there is a need.
Appropriate signs will be placed in prominent areas displaying the location of the nearest first aid box, the contact details of the nearest first aider and the first aid/emergency arrangements of the home – these signs should be designed to take into consideration the needs of our service users, particularly those with sensory impairments, and be available in various formats so that they can be understood by all.

Management duties

Managers and supervisors in the home have a duty to:

· Protect the health and safety of service users, staff and visitors and everybody who uses the home.

· Conduct, record and annually review an assessment of the first aid risks and needs of the home, producing a first aid plan and reviewing that plan on a regular basis or whenever there is a significant change in the home that might affect first aid provision, for example changes in residents’ dependency levels or changes in staffing.

· Ensure that the first aid policy is being implemented properly.

· Ensure that suitably stocked first aid boxes are available in key points around the home.

· Maintain up-to-date lists of first aiders/appointed persons and ensure that they are included in the staff rota as dictated by this policy.

· Ensure that adequate staffing levels are maintained to meet all first aid requirements.

· Ensure that first aiders are covered by other staff if they have to leave to attend an incident or an emergency.

· Ensure that staff attend appropriate first aid training and that the home keeps records of who has attended – this should include induction training where new staff are provided with information about first aid arrangements in the home.

· Maintain an overview of the numbers and availability of first aiders and ensure that sufficient new first aiders are being trained/appointed to meet the needs of the home.

· Maintain first aid information on notice boards and ensure that the first aid arrangements of the home are included in the staff handbook.

· Take all reasonable steps to ensure that staff from outside agencies working in the home have received appropriate training/information on how to respond to first aid emergencies in the home, including who the qualified first aiders are, where they can be contacted and where the nearest first aid box is.

Staff duties

First aiders in this home are responsible for:

· giving immediate basic first aid assistance to casualties with common injuries or illnesses

· making an assessment as to whether an ambulance or other professional medical help is required and ensuring that such help is obtained where appropriate, rendering continuing first aid to the victim until that help arrives.

Appointed persons in this home have a duty to:

· take charge when someone is injured or becomes ill in the absence of the qualified first aider

· look after first aid equipment and restock the first aid boxes

· support the first aider and ensure that an ambulance or other professional medical help is summoned when appropriate.

Training

In this home:

· All staff, including new recruits at induction, should be trained in the contents of this policy and in the first aid arrangements in this home including: first aid/emergency procedures, numbers and identities of first aiders, numbers and identities of appointed persons and whereabouts of first aid boxes.

· First aiders should be released to attend appropriate HSE-approved FAW or EFAW training courses and sufficient updates to ensure that they maintain their qualification. The care home manager and/or supervisors should discuss needs with first aiders during appraisal/supervision and include any training update needs in their personal development plans.

· Appointed persons should be released to attend appropriate training courses and sufficient updates to ensure that they maintain their skills. The care home manager and/or supervisors should discuss needs with approved persons during appraisal/supervision and include any training update needs in their personal development plans.

· The care home manager and/or supervisors should assess the competency of members of the qualified nursing staff to act as first aiders during appraisal/supervision and include any training update needs in their personal development plans.

· The care home manager should maintain an overview of the numbers and availability of first aiders and ensure that sufficient new first aiders are being trained/appointed. In selecting a member of staff to act as a first aider the care home manager should consider the person’s suitability, willingness and career aspirations, including: their reliability and communication skills, their aptitude and ability to absorb the knowledge and skills required, their ability to perform the role and to cope with potentially stressful and physically demanding emergency procedures, and their normal duties – a first aider must be able to attend an emergency immediately.

Applicability and scope

This policy applies to all staff and volunteers working at the home without exception. All staff at the home have responsibility for ensuring that they work within the remit of this policy and in the manner in which they have been trained.

Responsibilities

Responsibility for the implementation, monitoring and review of this policy lies with the care home manager.

Signed:

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