General

HSG 220 – Health and safety in care homes provides guidance on all aspects of health and safety.  Inspectors should recommend this publication to every care home inspected.

Balanced decision making

Inspectors should be mindful of the need for social care providers to strike the right balance between enabling adults who use care services to lead independent and dignified lives and the need to avoid and prevent unnecessary harm to them and their carers.  The Department of Health produced a guidance document ‘Independence, choice and risk: a guide to best practice in supported decision making’ to help providers meet this challenge.

Manual handling

• Manual handling in care homes CD  - it is strongly recommended that inspectors work through this prior to first inspection as it provides guidance about the standards expected (including checklist to assist the inspection), video clips of moving and handling practices and information sheets on the various types of equipment available.  Details about the CD and where to obtain a copy can be found in Manual handling in care homes interactive training CD - SIM 07/2008/04.

Slips and trips

• STEP - Slips & Trips eLearning package for health services
• HSAS2 Slips and trips in health services [PDF 36.6KB]
• HSE information sheet : Importance of floor cleaning [PDF 60.9KB]
• Preventing slips and trips in kitchens and  food services [PDF 70.5KB]
• Topic inspection pack on slips and trips [PDF 939KB]

Service user issues

• SIM 07/2007/09 / LAC 79/4 Burning risks from hot surfaces in health and social care
• SIM 07/2007/08 / LAC 79/5 Scalding risks from hot water in health and social care
• SIM 07/2007/07 /LAC 79/6 Falls from windows in health and social care
• SIM 07/2007/06/ LAC 79/8 Bed rail risk management. 
• BUPA/HSE Safe use of bed rails - interactive training session.

Legionella

• Legionnaires’ disease – The control of legionella bacteria in water systems – L8 ACOP
• Controlling legionella in nursing and residential care homes – INDG25

Challenging behaviour

• HSG220 Health and Safety in Care Homes

Dermatitis

• INDG233 Preventing contact dermatitis at work [76KB]
• SIM 07/2003/24 Natural rubber latex sensitisation in healthcare [PDF 43.4KB]
• Dermatitis topic inspection pack [PDF 254KB]

Asbestos

• Briefing on the October 2008 asbestos campaign - 'Asbestos - The Hidden Killer'
• SIM 03/2008/07 : Inspection intervention on worker protection – Duty to manage asbestos
• INDG223 (rev3) A short guide to managing asbestos in premises [183KB]
• Inspection pack for duty to manage asbestos in premises [PDF 159KB]
• OC 265/50 Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 - General Enforcement Guidance and Advice

Migrant workers

• Inspection topic pack Migrant Working [PDF 193KB]