Elderly adults are extremely vulnerable mentally and physically, which makes it vital to have policies in place to protect them from harm. When evaluating care homes, one key factor to closely observe is how effectively they implement policies to safeguard their residents and promote their physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) defines safeguarding as the means of protecting the health, well-being, and rights of individuals, ensuring they are safe from harm or abuse.
Safeguarding residents should be the central focus of every care home. Organisations that care for vulnerable adults, such as care homes, must show that there are adequate procedures and processes in place to achieve this.
What Safeguarding Responsibilities Do Care Home Staff Have?
Care homes and their staff play a crucial role in caring for ageing and unwell loved ones who are not able to be cared for at home. In addition to providing various services, care homes and their staff also have safeguarding policies in place to protect the well-being of the individuals they care for.
Safeguarding in a care home involves caring for vulnerable adults and following procedures designed to keep them safe, including fire safety measures.
Care home staff have various responsibilities in the home to safeguard the residents. The staff must be trained on new policies to equip them with the skills to provide the highest level of care for residents without restricting their independence.
The care home staff are expected to carry out assessments in line with the needs of the residents, including;
- Ensuring residents have comfortable and clean beds, along with other essential equipment, that maintain high standards of living when used correctly and safely.
- Ensuring that there is minimal risk for falls for residents in the home.
- Monitoring and managing drugs and other dangerous substances in the care home.
- Controlling access to and use of hot water and other hot substances and surfaces, and ensuring such use is within a safe environment, and providing extra support where necessary.
- Monitoring and preventing the spread of infection and disease through maintaining high standards of hygiene for both residents and staff.
- Learning how to manage and respond to the possibility of aggression or challenging behaviour from the residents.
Approaching these factors using a balanced risk approach ensures care home staff can cater for each resident and create a safe and pleasant environment.
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Which Safeguarding Policies Must a Care Home Staff Follow?
Most of the policies that must be followed in a care home are outlined in The Care Act 2014. This act clearly outlines the responsibilities of care and support between health and local authorities. Both have a responsibility to promote wellbeing and safety within the caregiving communities.
The core principles that care home staff are expected to follow to achieve the correct safeguarding of residents include the following:
Empowerment
Each resident requires a different form of care, which calls for a personalised approach. Care home staff should strive to build strong relationships that offer support and empowerment to those in their care, ensuring they receive the best possible care and support.
Prevention
It is better to take action to prevent harm from falling on the care home residents. This principle focuses on preventing abuse and neglect by identifying risks early and offering proactive support to reduce the risk of harm. The care home staff should receive the correct training to enable them to identify potential abuse and harm, and take action to prevent it before it occurs.
Proportionality
This principle dictates that the response to any safeguarding issues should be appropriate to the level of risk and seriousness of the outcome. This means not overreacting to minor concerns but taking firm action when serious risks are identified, ensuring the least intrusive response appropriate to the risk presented. Additionally, care home staff should act in the least intrusive way while caring for the resident and also have the best interests of the residents at heart.
Protection
This principle emphasises the need to provide help and support to those who are at risk of abuse or neglect and ensure they receive the protection they need to feel safe. The staff should provide support and protection for any resident suffering or wanting to openly report abuse and ensure the necessary safeguarding procedures are followed.
Partnership
Local services must work together with the community, residents, and staff. Safeguarding is a shared responsibility that requires effective collaboration between the different sectors and services to protect vulnerable adults. The staff and residents should have access to communities that collaborate to protect, prevent and report abuse.
Accountability
Safeguarding should be transparent and consistently followed by all care home staff at all times. Additional and follow-up training may be necessary to ensure the staff are updated on any new or updated policies. Under this safeguarding principle, everyone should understand their roles and responsibilities, with transparent reporting and communication channels, to ensure that actions are taken appropriately and effectively.
Recognising Signs of Abuse and Neglect
Abuse in care homes can manifest in various forms, including physical, emotional, sexual and even financial. Here are some of the key indicators to watch for:
- Physical abuse: Common indicators of physical abuse include burns, injuries and unexplained bruises. Frequent unexplained accidents or injuries that don’t match the given explanation can also be a red flag.
- Emotional abuse: Signs of emotional abuse include changes in behaviour, loss of confidence, withdrawn behaviour, uncooperative, low self-esteem, fearfulness and difficulty with sleep, among others.
- Sexual abuse: Indications of sexual abuse can include difficulty waking or sitting, physical symptoms such as pain, bleeding or presence of sexually transmitted infections.
- Financial abuse: Sudden changes in financial situations, such as changes in will or power of attorney, distress about finances, sudden inability to afford basic items and missing personal belongings.
It is essential to be vigilant for any of these indications and report them to the relevant offices promptly when noticed, to safeguard the resident.