Policy News - 11 January 2020

The following policies have recently been ratified by the Trust’s Policy Committee.   Please take the time to review those which may be relevant to your role.  

Use of Restraint to Patients (Adults and Adult-Sized Children and Young People) Policy

The aim of this policy is to provide staff with the guidance needed to practice in accordance with the law and within professional standards.

This policy does not relate to the routine use of sedation e.g. within anesthetics and critical care.

This policy relates to care given to adults and adult-sized young people (see definition below) and those between 16-18 years old.  It is recognised that there is not the equivalent legislative documents around young people.  However, under the duty of care to protect the person, staff or other legitimate users of Trust premises and facilities from significant injury or harm, such escalation should be deployed.

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Risk Management Policy

This policy is designed to support the delivery of the Trust Risk Management Strategy by strengthening the existing risk management arrangements, further embedding risk management at a directorate and divisional level, and ensuring appropriate escalation of the risks through the organisation to the Trust’s Board of Directors.

Our staff are best placed to understand the risks applicable to their areas of work and therefore manage these risks within a structured risk management framework. In addition, greater local level ownership of risk, enhanced clarity regarding roles and responsibilities for risk management and strengthened governance arrangements will support delivery of improved risk management. 

This policy provides clear instructions on the identification, assessment, recording and management or risks and ensures:  
 

• a consistent approach to managing all risks and the actions necessary to reduce risk;
• the Trust’s Board of Directors can be confident that the highest level risks are identified to inform decision making and business planning and action is taken to mitigate risk where ever possible; and
• all staff, sub-contractors, volunteers, students etc are aware of their roles and responsibilities within the risk management process.

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Fire Safety Policy
 
The purpose of this policy is to ensure the Trust has suitable and effective operational arrangements in place for the management of fire safety in all Trust premises including premises that are rented in the community for Trust purposes.  This policy sets out the Trust’s organisational lines of responsibility, the duties of all grades of staff and the arrangements for the implementation of the Trust’s statutory and legislative duties.
 
This Policy will apply to all staff, contractors and other relevant persons, who enter Trust owned properties, grounds or parts of community rented premises for any purpose.  This includes staff from other organisations using Trust premises as a base and/or to provide services.
 
Trust employed staff working in premises out in the community leased or rented from a landlord must also comply with the fire policy and local procedures applicable to the premises occupied.
 
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Health & Safety – General Policy on the Management of Health & Safety Policy
 
The purpose of this policy is to ensure that the Trust has suitable and effective operational arrangements in place for the management of health and safety.  This policy sets out the Trust’s organisational lines of responsibility, the duties of all grades of staff and the arrangements for the implementation of the Trust’s statutory and legislative duties under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act (1974) and sub-ordinate regulations.
 
This policy applies to all staff, patients, visitors, contractors and other relevant persons, who enter Trust owned properties or rented premises or grounds for any purpose whatsoever.  This includes staff from other organisations using Trust premises as a base and/or to provide services.
 
Trust employed staff working in premises out in the community leased or rented from a landlord should also comply with local health and safety procedures applicable to the premises occupied.
 
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Radiation Safety Policy
 
The use of ionising radiation is necessary within many areas of the Trust, primarily for diagnostic reasons (e.g. the use of x-rays for imaging). However, as there are potential hazards involved in the use of ionising radiation the Trust has a legal responsibility to  ensure, as far as reasonably practicable, that the health and safety of anyone who may be exposed to the hazards arising from the use of ionising radiations, lasers, ultra-violet and other time-varying electric or magnetic fields within the Trust is maintained at all times; whilst also ensuring the safety and protection of patients undergoing examinations and procedures requiring the use of ionising radiation.
 
The Radiation Safety Policy sets out how these risks are to be managed within the Trust. The policy also describes the arrangements for the personal radiation monitoring of employees working with radiation.
 
This policy applies to all members of staff working within the Trust.
 
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Incident Reporting Policy

This policy applies to the reporting of all incidents, including those where no harm or near miss has occurred.  The procedures described in the policy apply to all incidents, irrespective of whether those incidents are clinical or non-clinical in nature.  Staff must report everything which they perceive to be an incident.    This policy explains how to report an incident and how the Trust reports some incidents to external agencies.  It steers staff to other relevant policies and explains how the Trust ensures that the processes described remain up to date and relevant.

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Parent’s Leave Policy
 
The purpose of this policy is to ensure that employees are fully informed of their rights and entitlements to various statutory and contractual parental provisions.  The policy also provides managers with detailed information and guidance to enable them to offer comprehensive support and advice to any member of their staff who has or is going to have parental responsibilities.
 
It is applicable to all Trust employees including permanent and fixed-term employees. It does not apply to staff who are on secondment from other organisations.
 
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Bullying and Harassment (Dignity and Respect at Work) Policy
 
The purpose of this policy is to:

• Provide guidance to all staff about their responsibilities towards each other in the workplace and therefore aims to prevent bullying and harassment occurring;
• Provide guidance to managers about their responsibility to provide a safe and healthy working environment , free from discrimination and victimisation
• Provide a process of challenging unacceptable behaviour through an informal and formal resolution procedure, timely, sensitively and confidentially;
• Promote fair treatment and good working relationships and therefore be able to provide the best care to patients through improved team working and staff morale.
   

The policy applies to all staff, and also volunteers, contractors, agency workers, all students and individuals employed by other/ external organisations, working on and off Trust premises and engaged to work in the Trust.  This policy also applies to work related social events.

Inappropriate behaviour can also occur during the use of email, text or telephone calls and messages, or via social network sites which are all covered by this policy.

Where staff are adversely affected by harassment from service users or relatives, they should raise their concern with their manager.

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