Policies & Procedures

Health & Safety Procedure & Policy v2.0

Health & Safety Procedure and Policy

Policy Lead Mrs. Tavleen Sharma - Registered Manager

Version No. 2.0

Date of issue May 2026

Date to be reviewed May 2027

Statement of Intent:

VCare Consultancy Services Limited (“VCare”) is committed to ensuring, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of:

• service users;
• employees;
• agency staff;
• visitors;
• contractors;
• members of the public affected by our activities.

VCare recognises that effective health and safety management is essential to delivering safe, high-quality care and support services.

VCare is committed to:

• providing safe systems of work;
• preventing accidents, injuries and ill health;
• identifying and reducing risks;
• maintaining safe environments and working practices;
• complying with health and safety legislation;
• promoting a positive health and safety culture.

This policy is aligned with:

• Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974;
• Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999;
• Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014;
• CQC Fundamental Standards;
• South Gloucestershire Council commissioning expectations;
• adult social care best practice.

Scope

This policy applies to:

• domiciliary care services;
• community support services;
• live-in care;
• supported living support;
• office-based activities;
• all VCare employees and representatives.

The policy applies during:

• care delivery;
• travel between visits;
• office activities;
• training;
• community-based support activities.

Responsibilities

Directors / Senior Management

Responsible for:

• overall health and safety governance;
• ensuring legal compliance;
• allocating resources;
• ensuring risk management systems;
• reviewing health and safety performance.

Registered Manager

Responsible for:

• implementing this policy;
• monitoring compliance;
• undertaking investigations;
• ensuring risk assessments are completed;
• ensuring training compliance;
• responding to incidents and concerns.

Supervisors / Coordinators

Responsible for:

• supporting safe practice;
• monitoring staff compliance;
• escalating concerns;
• completing spot checks and reviews.

Employees

Responsible for:

• taking reasonable care of themselves and others;
• following policies and procedures;
• reporting hazards and incidents;
• using equipment safely;
• attending training.

Risk Assessment

VCare will undertake suitable and sufficient risk assessments relating to:

• service users;
• moving and handling;
• lone working;
• medication support;
• infection prevention and control;
• fire safety;
• environmental risks;
• travel risks;
• community-based activities.

Risk assessments will:

• identify hazards;
• assess risk levels;
• identify control measures;
• be reviewed regularly or following changes/incidents.

Safe Systems of Work

VCare will maintain safe systems of work including:

• safe moving and handling;
• medication procedures;
• infection prevention and control;
• lone worker arrangements;
• safe travel arrangements;
• incident reporting systems;
• safeguarding procedures.

Employees must follow care plans, risk assessments and organisational procedures.

Lone Working

Many VCare staff work alone within community settings.

VCare will:

• undertake lone working risk assessments;
• maintain communication arrangements;
• monitor staff safety;
• provide lone worker guidance.

Employees must:

• follow lone working procedures;
• report concerns immediately;
• avoid unsafe situations;
• maintain regular communication where required.

Moving and Handling

VCare recognises the importance of safe moving and handling practices.

VCare will:

• complete moving and handling risk assessments;
• provide training;
• ensure use of appropriate equipment;
• monitor competency.

Employees must:

• follow moving and handling plans;
• use equipment correctly;
• report unsafe equipment or concerns;
• avoid unsafe manual handling.

Infection Prevention and Control

VCare maintains robust infection prevention and control arrangements.

Employees must:

• maintain hand hygiene;
• use PPE appropriately;
• follow outbreak procedures;
• report illness and infection concerns.

VCare will provide:

• PPE;
• infection control training;
• outbreak guidance.

Fire Safety

VCare will:

• undertake fire risk assessments where applicable;
• maintain emergency procedures;
• provide fire safety training.

Employees must:

• follow emergency procedures;
• report fire hazards;
• understand evacuation arrangements where applicable.

Equipment Safety

VCare will ensure equipment used during service delivery is:

• safe;
• appropriately maintained;
• used by trained staff.

Employees must:

• use equipment correctly;
• report faults immediately;
• avoid using damaged equipment.

Hazardous Substances (COSHH)

VCare will comply with COSHH regulations.

Hazardous substances may include:

• cleaning chemicals;
• bodily fluids;
• clinical waste.

VCare will:

• undertake COSHH assessments;
• provide information and training;
• provide PPE where required.

Employees must follow safe handling procedures.

Accident and Incident Reporting

All accidents, incidents, near misses and hazards must be reported promptly.

VCare will:

• investigate incidents;
• identify learning;
• implement improvements;
• make safeguarding referrals where appropriate.

Incidents may include:

• falls;
• injuries;
• medication errors;
• aggressive behaviour;
• environmental hazards;
• vehicle incidents.

Service User Safety

VCare will support service user safety through:

• person-centred risk assessments;
• care planning;
• safeguarding arrangements;
• safe medication practices;
• infection prevention and control;
• environmental risk monitoring.

Staff Wellbeing

VCare recognises the importance of employee wellbeing.

VCare will:

• support staff wellbeing;
• monitor workload concerns;
• provide supervision;
• encourage open communication.

Employees are encouraged to report stress, fatigue or wellbeing concerns.

Violence, Aggression and Abuse

VCare operates a zero-tolerance approach to:

• violence;
• aggression;
• harassment;
• discrimination;
• abuse.

Risk assessments and support arrangements will be implemented where risks are identified.

Employees must report concerns immediately.

Safeguarding

Safeguarding remains central to health and safety management.

VCare staff must:

• recognise abuse and neglect;
• report safeguarding concerns;
• cooperate with investigations;
• prioritise service user safety.

Training and Competency

VCare will provide health and safety training including:

• moving and handling;
• fire safety;
• infection prevention and control;
• lone working;
• first aid awareness;
• COSHH awareness;
• incident reporting.

Training compliance will be monitored.

Competency may be assessed through:

• spot checks;
• supervision;
• observations.

Equality and Diversity

Health and safety arrangements will:

• respect dignity and rights;
• promote equality and inclusion;
• support reasonable adjustments where required.

VCare will not tolerate discriminatory behaviour.

Information Governance and Confidentiality

Health and safety records will be managed in accordance with:

• UK GDPR;
• Data Protection Act 2018;
• confidentiality obligations.

Monitoring and Auditing

VCare will monitor health and safety through:

• audits;
• spot checks;
• supervision;
• governance reviews;
• incident analysis;
• training monitoring.

Learning identified through audits and incidents will support continuous improvement.

Emergency Planning and Business Continuity

VCare will maintain contingency arrangements for:

• severe weather;
• staffing shortages;
• IT failures;
• emergencies;
• infectious outbreaks.

Employees will be informed of emergency procedures.

Related Policies

This policy should be read alongside:

• Safeguarding Policy
• Infection Prevention and Control Policy
• Medication Policy
• Lone Working Procedures
• Incident Reporting Policy
• Equality and Diversity Policy
• Business Continuity Policy
• Staff Training Matrix
• Quality Assurance Framework

Monitoring and Review

This policy will be:

• reviewed annually;
• reviewed following incidents or legislative change;
• updated following CQC or commissioner feedback.

Compliance will be monitored through:

• governance meetings;
• audits;
• supervision;
• quality assurance systems.