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CH100-Staff Safety and Abuse Prevention Policy

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Registration Number: {{org_field_registration_no}}

Staff Safety and Abuse Prevention Policy

1. Purpose

This policy outlines {{org_field_name}}’s commitment to ensuring the safety, security, and well-being of all staff while preventing and responding to incidents of abuse. It aligns with CQC regulations, the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, and the Equality Act 2010. The policy aims to foster a culture of safety, respect, and zero tolerance towards abuse in the workplace.

2. Scope

This policy applies to all employees of {{org_field_name}}, including full-time, part-time, bank, agency staff, contractors, and volunteers. It covers the prevention, identification, reporting, and management of abuse against staff members from colleagues, the people we support, visitors, or external parties.

3. Legal and Regulatory Framework

{{org_field_name}} will manage staff safety, violence, aggression, harassment and abuse in accordance with applicable legislation and regulatory requirements, including:

4. Staff Safety Responsibilities

Employer Responsibilities

{{org_field_name}} will:

Employee Responsibilities

Employees must:

5. Preventing Abuse Against Staff

6. Identifying Abuse Against Staff

Types of Abuse Staff May Face

Signs of Abuse Against Staff

7. Reporting and Responding to Abuse

Immediate Response

Where an incident of violence, aggression, abuse, harassment or threatening behaviour occurs, staff must prioritise immediate safety.

Staff must:

Internal Reporting Procedures

All incidents, allegations, threats and relevant near misses must be reported promptly to the appropriate line manager or the Registered Manager.

Reports may be made by:

Where the concern relates to the employee’s line manager, the Registered Manager, or another person normally responsible for receiving the report, the employee must use the next appropriate level of management or the organisation’s whistleblowing procedure.

An internal incident record must be completed as soon as practicable and, under {{org_field_name}}’s internal reporting procedure, normally within 24 hours. The requirement to complete an incident form must never delay emergency action, medical treatment, safeguarding action, police involvement or a statutory notification.

The Registered Manager or delegated competent person must determine:

CQC Notifications

The Registered Person is responsible for ensuring that notifications required by the Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009 are submitted to CQC without delay.

An incident involving abuse of, or aggression towards, a member of staff is not automatically notifiable to CQC solely because a member of staff has been affected.

A CQC notification must, however, be made where the statutory criteria are met, including where:

Submitting information to another organisation does not remove the Registered Person’s responsibility to make a required CQC notification.

Safeguarding Referrals

Where an incident gives rise to reasonable cause to suspect that an adult with care and support needs is experiencing, or is at risk of, abuse or neglect and is unable to protect themselves because of those needs, the concern must be referred promptly through the relevant local authority adult safeguarding procedure.

The local authority safeguarding adults service or team, rather than the Safeguarding Adults Board itself, will normally receive and coordinate individual safeguarding concerns.

Any required safeguarding referral must be made without unnecessary delay and must not be postponed while an internal employment investigation is undertaken.

Police

The police must be contacted where immediate police assistance is necessary or where required by law.

Where there is reason to believe that a criminal offence may have been committed, the Registered Manager must consider police referral alongside any safeguarding or regulatory reporting requirements.

Internal disciplinary or management procedures must not be used as a substitute for appropriate police referral.

RIDDOR

The person responsible for RIDDOR reporting on behalf of {{org_field_name}} must assess work-related injuries and incidents against the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013.

Acts of non-consensual violence arising out of or in connection with work are capable of being reportable accidents under RIDDOR.

A work-related act of violence must be reported under RIDDOR where it results in:

Other incidents, diseases or dangerous occurrences must also be reported where they meet the applicable RIDDOR criteria.

Required RIDDOR reports must be submitted to the relevant enforcing authority using the prescribed reporting arrangements and within the applicable statutory timescale.

Support for Affected Staff

Following an incident, {{org_field_name}} will consider appropriate support based on the circumstances and the employee’s needs. This may include:

The affected member of staff will be kept appropriately informed about actions arising from the incident, subject to confidentiality, data protection requirements and the rights of other persons involved.

8. Managing Aggressive or High-Risk Individuals

Risk Assessment and Care Planning

Where a person using the service presents a known or reasonably foreseeable risk of violence or aggression, {{org_field_name}} will complete an individual risk assessment and incorporate appropriate risk-management measures into the person’s care plan.

The assessment must take account of relevant factors including:

Risk assessments and care plans must be reviewed following a significant incident, a material change in the person’s needs or behaviour, or where existing control measures appear ineffective.

Staff who may reasonably be exposed to the identified risk must be given sufficient relevant information to enable them to work safely, while respecting confidentiality and data protection requirements.

Behavioural Expectations and Agreements

Where appropriate, expected standards of behaviour may be explained to people using the service, relatives and visitors.

Any behavioural agreement involving a person using the service must:

Where there is reason to doubt a person’s capacity to understand or agree to a relevant arrangement, staff must follow the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

Intervention and De-escalation

Staff must use appropriate prevention and de-escalation strategies wherever reasonably practicable.

Responses to violence or aggression must be individualised and must take account of the person’s needs, known triggers, communication abilities and care plan.

Any restriction, physical intervention or restraint must:

Any use of restraint must be documented, reviewed and escalated in accordance with the service’s restraint, safeguarding and incident-reporting procedures.

Where the Service Can No Longer Safely Meet a Person’s Needs

Violent, aggressive or challenging behaviour must not, by itself, result in the arbitrary, punitive or immediate termination of a person’s care.

Where, despite appropriate assessment and risk-management measures, {{org_field_name}} reasonably considers that it can no longer safely meet a person’s assessed needs, the Registered Manager must arrange an urgent review of the placement.

The review must involve, as appropriate:

Any decision to terminate a placement or transfer a person to another service must:

Where immediate emergency measures are required to prevent serious harm, only necessary and proportionate action may be taken, and appropriate health, safeguarding, commissioning or emergency services must be contacted without delay.

9. Lone Working Safety Measures

Lone Working Risk Assessment

Communication Protocols

Incident Procedures

10. Training and Awareness

11. Documentation and Compliance

Incident Records

All incidents of violence, aggression, abuse, harassment, threats and relevant near misses must be recorded accurately and in sufficient detail to support appropriate risk management, investigation and organisational learning.

Records must include, where applicable:

Records must be accurate, contemporaneous as far as reasonably practicable, appropriately confidential and stored securely in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018, UK GDPR and the organisation’s records-management requirements.

CQC Notifications

The Registered Person must ensure that statutory notifications are submitted to CQC without delay where required by the Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009.

In relation to incidents covered by this policy, particular consideration must be given to:

The Registered Person remains responsible for ensuring that a required notification has been submitted even where the matter has already been reported to the local authority, police, commissioner or another organisation.

Evidence of the notification and any related correspondence must be retained in accordance with the organisation’s records-management arrangements.

RIDDOR Records and Reports

{{org_field_name}} will assess relevant accidents, injuries, acts of work-related violence, diseases and dangerous occurrences against the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013.

Where an incident is reportable, the responsible person will:

An internal incident report does not replace a statutory RIDDOR report.

Monitoring, Audit and Learning

The Registered Manager will ensure that incidents are reviewed to identify:

Where weaknesses are identified, proportionate corrective action must be taken and its implementation monitored.

Policy Review and Updates

This policy will be reviewed annually and earlier where:

Any required amendments will be communicated to affected staff and incorporated into relevant training, supervision or working arrangements.

12. Related Policies

Responsible Person: {{org_field_registered_manager_first_name}} {{org_field_registered_manager_last_name}}
Reviewed on: {{last_update_date}}
Next Review Date: {{next_review_date}}
Copyright © {{current_year}} – {{org_field_name}}. All rights reserved.

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