Safeguarding and Protection in Health Essay Example for Free

precautioning and Protection in Health Essay on that point be m some(prenominal) forms of affront but ar usually classified under five of import headings, forcible, sexual, psychological, financial and institutional. Signs of think equal affront can come in physical forms, much(prenominal)(prenominal) as bruises, cuts, thin forth marks, and so forth emotional signs like flinching, crying and any early(a) changes in the normal behaviour of the lymph node. Although these are signs of horror it is in no way conclusive evidence of such(prenominal).Warning signs are NOT evidence of annoyance but doable indicators of such. natural shame can take many forms but is usually where few form of bodily harm is committed. For example hitting, slapping, scalding, burning, pinching, force feeding, refusing access to toilet facilities, misuse of practice of medicine or restraint, leaving someone in soiled clothes or bedding, and so onThe warning signs for mathematical ph ysical abuse can be things like withdrawal or mood changes, finger marks or multiple bruises, black eyes or bruised ears, scratches or cuts, burn marks, welt marks, a history of unexplained falls or injuries, pres reliable sores or rashes from wet/soiled bedding or clothes, fractures especially if attach to by multiple bruises or finger marks, explanations that dont match the injuries, reluctance to be left with the alleged(a) absubstance ab exploiter, and so onteraSexual abuse is when a sexual activity is performed without apprised consent world freely implementn, such as rape or sexual assault, indecent exposure, sexual harassment, masturbation, involving a vulnerable adult in pornography, enforced witnessing of sexual acts or sexual media, attempted or penetration of intimate areas without assureed consent, etc. It can also involve abuse of a position of index number. Children are unable to give informed consent to any sexual activity of any description. Some adults are also unable to do this due to diminished cleverness or a lack of understanding of the meaning.The physical warning signs for possible sexual abuse can be things likescratches, abrasions or persistent infections in the anal or genital area (including urine infections), pregnancy, bruises, bite or scratch marks on the body, burns, blood on underwear, abdominal pain with no diagnosable cause, etc.The emotional warning signs for possible sexual abuse can be refusal to undress for activities such as swimming or washup, flinching when carrying out normal duties such as process, self injury, self destructive behaviour including alcohol or drug abuse, suicide attempts, depression, aggression, anxiety, crying, sexual abuse of others, provocative sexual behaviour or promiscuity, reluctance to be left with the alleged abuser, etc.The key point to remember when determining possible sexual abuse is the amiable capacity to give informed consent to any sexual activity.Psychological abuse an el ement of psychological abuse exists in all forms of abuse. Emotional distress will be caused when a person becomes a victim of abuse at the haps of someone they trusted such as a family member, friend or attentionr. thither is some abuse that is purely psychological such as bullying, shouting, ignoring, swearing, humiliation, blaming, intimidation, verbal abuse, threats of harm or abandonment, harassment, coercion, exit of privacy or dignity, etc.Indicators for possible psychological abuse can be the carer (either professional, family or friend) presumable to ignore the vulnerable persons presence and needs, cared for person fearful of raised voices or distressed if they feel they are in trouble, compensates from neighbours about shouting, screaming or swearing, the leaf node non wanting to be alone with alleged abuser, no value of basic human rights (such as opinion, choice and dignity), being treated like a child, etc.Financial abuse can be committed by family, friends, ca re workers or other outside influences and accepts fraud, theft, exploitation, pressure regarding things such a wills, property, inheritance or financial transactions, etc.Indicators are raft not being able to manage their own financial affairs when they piss the mental capacity to do so, family unwilling to pay from clients funds for services even though the client has enough funds, distraction or misappropriation of clients finances, denying client access to their own draw card, loss of trust, insecurity, client is overly conforming or submissive and Power of Attorney obtained when individual is unable to comprehend.Example A client is bed ridden and gives a family friend her bank card in order for that care sponsor to do shopping, pay bills, etc. The family friend and then abuses this position by stealing the money from the clients bank or transferring it directly into their account (fraud).Institutional abuse can be committed by organisations, groups or even individuals a nd includes abuse of power or authority, not maintaining professional boundaries, misuse or misappropriate dispensing of medication, physical restraint, using information of client to embarrass or bully and not maintaining dignity.Indicators can be loss of control, execrable self-esteem or confidence, crying, a severe lack of ply, aggressive or submissive behaviour.Self put down/Neglect by others can be done either by the client themselves or by their carer, professional or otherwise, not meeting the support needs of the vulnerable person and can include neglectful or self harming behaviours, refusing to eat or drink, neglecting personal hygiene, refusing the toilet when able to use, actual bodily harm e.g. berth and hitting. Neglect by others can include not maintaining an expectable take aim of hygiene e.g. leaving client in wet/soiled pads, not covering the basic needs of the client e.g. not washing them properly, toileting, feeding or personal care.Indicators are weight los s, lack of personal hygiene e.g. not bathing or washing regularly, dehydration, signs of self harm, depression, withdrawn or submissive behaviour.Discriminatory abuse can include racist or sexist abuse, abuse based on disability, age, gender, sexual orientation or faith harassment or slander.Again Warning signs are NOT evidence of abuse but possible indicators of such.Factors contributing to risk of abuse are age e.g. elderly or young children poor dialogue between care giver and service user (this could be because of a medical problem or social/relationship issue) care giver having an addiction such as alcohol or drugs repugn behaviour by the service user care giver believing service user is being deliberately demanding, care type forced not taken on willingly, major changes to lifestyle because of fine-looking care, multiple care responsibilities, carer or service user having lack of sleep, being socially isolated, care giver or service user being young or immature, financia l or housing issues, unsoundness or injury, culture or religion discrimination or prejudice, refugee or asylum-seekers, environmental/economic factors such as financial situation, mental health difficulties, physical disabilities such as sensory impairment, cognitive ability, level of education, in come apartectual understanding, learning difficulties and many more.Abuse by professionals risk factors are bullying of staff members by manager, a culture of not treating the service users with dignity or respect, poor-quality training, lack of investment into further staff training, poor staffing issues, lack of opportunity for care giver to form a rapport with the service user, low staff morale and not enough support for the staff via appraisals or supervisions.If you suspect someone is being abused then use your skills such as observation and communication with other professionals. You must(prenominal) inform your line manager of your suspicions and monitor the situation closely.If a services user makes an allegation of abuse root you must inform themthat you cannot promise to keep it confidential, you will have to inform the office. This can be difficult because often abuse sufferers will start off by saying something like If I state you something, will you promise not to tell anyone else? Never promise this. Explain to the service user that you lingo promise that you wont tell anyone but the people you do inform will be able to help the service user or it will only be shared on a need to know basis.However, if the service user (vulnerable adult) refuses to allow you to share the information then, other than the necessity to tell your manager, it will be difficult for you to do anything about the abuse. All effort should then go into exhausting to encourage the service user to agree to the sharing of information and pursuing an investigation. If the client has wide-cut mental capacity, and absolutely refuses, then you will have to accept that you can onl y monitor the situation carefully.Secondly, guarantee the service user that you believe what youve been told, offer comfort if required and also confirm that it is not their sack that this has happened to them.Try to not get into a situation where you are given a lot of diminutive information, although this might be difficult because the service user might want to tell you everything once they have started to talk or the location/environment might not allow it. If you do get stuck in a situation where you are given a lot of information try not to train leading questions such as and then did he punch you? Say instead and then what happened? harken carefully and try to remember everything you are told so that you can record the details later.Any write information pertaining to alleged or potential abuse must be unploughed in a locked cabinet. If the information is held electronically then it should be password protected. Only essential information should be kept and only used f or the abused benefit or best interests.In response to alleged abuse you should Protect, Report, concern, Record andRefer.Protect -Make sure the abused person is safe and protected against any further abuse. assure medical treatment is provided when necessary. Offer comfort and support to the abused so they know that they are safe. Concerns, suspicions or conclusive evidence of abuse require an immediate response. You may be even required to pull back the alleged offender, take the service user to a safe place or offer to turn over a trusted family member to provide support.Report All concerns about an abusive situation should be reported immediately to your line manager, or if that is not possible the on-call person so you can hand over the responsibility to them. It will be necessary to also write up a full write report as soon as possible after the admission or occurrence.Preserve You must ensure any evidence of the alleged abuse is not compromised.ExamplesSexual or Physic al abuse can leave traces of forensic evidence so every effort should go into preserving it, such as dont clear up, dont clean any part of the area where the abuse took place, dont remove bedding or any clothes the abused might be wearing, keep other people away from the aversion scene and try to persuade the abused not to take a shower, bathe, wash, brush their hair or teeth.If you suspect or are told about financial abuse then you must ensure that any documentation pertaining to that fact is kept in a safe place so it can be used as evidence.Record and refer Any form of abuse, suspected or otherwise must be recorded either by writing it down as soon as possible after being told or on audio tape so it can be written down later. This can then be used as part of theevidence process. Make sure you take note of everything you observed, anything you have been told (hearsay) and by whom, any previous concerns and what has specifically has raised your concern this time. When do a forma l statement or preparing a document that will be used in court, you dont include anything that can be classed as hearsay.A referral is where you provide the authorities with the information they require in order to resolve the matter for the service user such as the police, social services, the health trust, etc.The national policies and local systems that relate to safeguarding and certificate from abuse areNational share Quality Commission, whitlow Record Bureau (CRB checks), Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA), Common Assessment Framework (CAF), Vetting and Barring Scheme (VBS), No Secrets national framework and codes of practice for health and social care (2000), Safeguarding Adults review (2009), Working Together to Safeguard Children (2006) and Every Child Matters (2003).Local Local Area Agreements (LAAs), Local Safeguarding Adults Board (LSABs) and Local Safeguarding Childrens Board (LSCBs).The role of these different agencies include multi-agency and inter-agency work ing collaborations such as health services, e.g. GPs, nurses, health visitors, occupational therapists automatic services, e.g. NSPCC, period UK, MIND, RNIB, RNID social services, e.g. residential childrens home workers, social worker, care assistants the police consulting the police regarding all safeguarding incidents responsibilities for overseeing the Safeguarding Assessment and its yield allocating a named person usually from statutory agencies in health or social care formula or chairing strategy meetings, including the agreement of responsibilities, Lead Professional actions and time-scales providing information about activities and outcomes to the Safeguarding Coordinator overseeing the convening of Safeguarding Case Conferences coordinate and monitoringinvestigations.There are numerous sources of information and advice about the role of a home care assistant with regards to the safeguarding and protecting individuals from abuse such as policies, procedures and expected ways of working within the workplace environment information from the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) relevant and up to date information from websites, leaflets, organisations, local and voluntary groups including government sources e.g. DfE and DoH voluntary organisations e.g. NSPCC, Benardos Social Care Institute for Excellence and publications, e.g. Health and Social Care 3rd Edition What to Do If You Suspect A Child Is Being Abused (2003) National Council for conscious Youth Services Keeping it Safe a young person-centred approach to safety and child protection Working Together to Safeguard Children (2006).You can make out the risk of abuse by giving association and empowerment to the service provider this includesPerson-centred values Dignity, independence, rights, fulfilment, privacy and choice. Reducing vulnerability by boosting confidence autonomy positive communication listening and promoting independent decision making. Awareness that everyone has the righ t to live without fear, violence and abuse protected from harm or exploitation.It is important that you build self esteem and confidence by back up active participation in a variety of activities such as personal care, walks, cooking, etc.Promoting choices and rights by encouraging independent thinking, choices and decisions empowerment, independence and the importance of informed consent.It is vital to have an accessible complaints procedure in place that is easily read and understood. This will give the service user the confidence to know how to report a complaint and what action the company will take once the complaint is issued. This will reduce the likelihood of abuse. Thecomplaints procedure should have transparent policies accountability procedures and outlines of working practices clear guidelines on reporting and recording the complaint robust guidelines for following up the complaint and accessibility (wide distribution, high visibility, etc).ExampleThe company provides a care plan folder which is left in the service users home. This includes personal information of the service user such as name, telephone, address, doctors surgery, etc observation sheets medication records including authorisation to administer medication on behalf of the service user and the medication policy Financial Record including procedures and expenses sheets client guide giving an overview of the aims and objectives of the company, services offered, service overview, legal injury and conditions, quality assurance process, key policies and contacts, complaints on compliments procedures and hours of operation. At the back is a copy of the fetch between the company and service user.Unsafe practices which might affect the well-being of service users areNeglect of personal care duty such as not giving a wash or bath when required, withholding toilet facilities, force feeding and inappropriate dressing.Not following the medication procedures such as failing to check dosage or not properly recording the administration of medication on the given documentation.Failing to record financial transactions correctly.Misuse of authority physical restraint, not respecting professional boundaries.Failure to carry out supervisions or risk assessments.Bad communication and sharing of esoteric confidential information such as not giving the client the respect they deserve or talking to them in a derogatory manner and breech of confidentiality.Failing to keep staff updated on current legislation and safeguarding practices such as insufficient training or unsafe recruitment, not carrying out CRB or reference checks.If unsafe practices have been identified then you must immediately report your concerns verbally to your direct line manager and then follow it up in writing. Find out what the policies are on whistle blowing and follow them.You can be dismissed or suspended if you fail to report your suspicions or allegations of abuse, unsafe practices or not following proc edures. If nothing is forthcoming after you have do your report then you have the right to contact the police or social services directly. It is then their responsibility to ensure your report is investigated and followed up.