DW194. Risk Assessment and Management for People Using a Care Service
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Risk Assessment and Management for People Using a Care Service (Wales) Policy
Purpose and Aims
This policy, which applies to all adult care services, sets out the values, principles and procedures underpinning {{org_field_name}}’s approach to assessing and managing the risks to the people using its service from coming to harm. Implementation will achieve the requirements of the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014, and the Regulated Services (Service Providers and Responsible Individuals) Regulations 2017, which are being implemented under the Regulation and Inspection of Social Care (Wales) Act 2016.
Regulation 15: Personal Plan, Regulation 18: Provider Assessment, Regulation 21: Standards of Care and Support — Overarching Requirements, and 20 and 21 on “Safeguarding” are all relevant in relation to this policy.
This policy should be used with reference to the Health and Safety Risk Assessment and Control policy (Wales).
Policy Statement
- {{org_field_name}} works on the basis that the people who use its service lead their own lives as they wish and choose, which means that from time to time they will take different kinds of risk, and they have the right to do so.
- At the same time, {{org_field_name}} recognises that it has a specific duty of care to see that people who use {{org_field_name}} are kept safe from harm and injury in its service provision and a general duty to ensure that they are protected from harm and risk of harm because of neglect or abuse.
- As part of the process of planning care, the service helps each potential person to {{org_field_name}} to assess the risks involved in any of its proposed activities, weighing the benefits and possible adverse effects, and coming to a measured conclusion.
- Such risk assessments are recorded on the person’s plan of care together with any plans to manage significant risks that are identified from the assessments.
- People who use {{org_field_name}} who might lack the mental capacity to assess and manage their risky behaviour will have their rights protected through the carrying out of risk assessments in line with mental capacity law “best interests” decision taking, and, where required, deprivation of liberty authorisation procedures.
- The service routinely carries out assessments in respect of risks to people who use {{org_field_name}}s’ personal safety, their level of nutrition and vulnerability to falls and pressure sores, and use of medication, where indicated from the person’s plan of care.
- The results of these risk assessments together with any risk management plans are also included on the person’s plan of care.
- Risk assessments are also carried out for people who use {{org_field_name}} who are responsible for their own medication, where the service is required to assist in some way.
- The service will carry out all risk assessments relating to potential outbreaks of infectious illness such as Covid-19 in line with national and local public health guidance, and put in place all risk control measures required of it.
Summary of Key Risk Assessment and Management Areas
The service might carry out risk assessment and management plans in relation to the following areas in which people who use {{org_field_name}}s’ personal safety might be threatened in some ways and to some significant level or degree.
Note: The list is not exhaustive and will require adjusting to service requirements.
| Risk area for assessment | Key risk assessment methods | Actions taken to manage any assessed risks |
| Nutritional status | Where involved in helping with a person’s nutrition and hydration, the service assesses all risks to the person’s nutritional status, typically in partnership with GP and dieticians | Nutritional management plans are developed with advice from GP and dietician |
| Risks of falls and other injuries from difficulties with mobility | Falls and general mobility risk assessments are made wherever needed | Falls prevention and management plans developed as required |
| Risks from daily living environment | Risks to personal safety from hazards within the daily living environment are routinely assessed from observation and understanding the individual’s needs | Individual support plans to manage any risks are put into place with specialist, eg occupational therapist, advice and guidance where indicated |
| Gardens and outside areas (where applicable) | Regular checks are made to ensure the safety of paths, furniture, ponds and other features that could be hazardous; all high-risk areas are protected, eg with fencing for ponds, non-slip surfaces, etc | Individual support plans for anyone who might be at risk of injury from outside areas, eg falls/wandering into unsafe areas |
| Skin health and tissue viability, including vulnerability to pressure sores | Risk assessments are made using a validated professional tool, which is approved, accredited or validated by NHS (Wales) | Care plans are put into place with appropriate medical advice and guidance depending on the individual needs |
| Behavioural and emotional risks from aggressive or challenging behaviour and situations including self-harm | Risks are assessed to ensure personal safety of a person who uses {{org_field_name}} and others involved in their care, including care workers for whom the service has a duty of care | Behavioural and emotional risk management plans are used to reduce all risks to anyone’s personal safety from challenging behaviour and situations |
| Protection from harm | Any person who is vulnerable to being harmed is assessed in line with local adult safeguarding policies and procedures | A risk management plan is put into place to comply with protection of vulnerable adult procedures |
| Administering Medicines, including Self-medication | Where the service is involved in administration of medication, it: assesses all risk from the taking of the medicine including possible administration errorsassesses people who use care services’ capacity to be responsible for their own medication and any risks from self-administrationrecords and reports any risks to responsible medical staff and avoids possible errors. | Plans to monitor and supervise any identified risks from administration of medicines and self-medication, particularly with PRN medicines, multi-prescribing and use of non-prescribed medicines, and ensuring full reporting of risks and their management. |
| Additional health and other risks such as from smoking habits | These are assessed on an individual case-by-case basis | Appropriate risk management plans are put into place based on the risk assessment |
| Needs for positive risk-taking | These are also assessed on an individual case-by-case basis and recorded on the personal plan | Appropriate risk management plans are put into place as indicated from the assessment (see separate Positive Risk Taking for People Who Use {{org_field_name}} Policy) |
Wherever an area of risk is identified it is systematically assessed and management plans made as an outcome of the assessment. All risk management plans are reviewed as part of the regular reviewing of the personal care plan and re-assessments made as needed.
See also the service’s policies on needs assessments and service delivery plans and health and safety.
Expectations on Staff
The service expects its employees to:
- be constantly aware of any identified risks to the personal safety of the people who use {{org_field_name}} with whom they work
- receive training and ongoing supervision in all aspects of assessing and managing risks, and in reporting procedures
- be aware of what support is available to them and how to summon it, if they require it in situations that threaten people who use {{org_field_name}} and their own personal safety
- protect anyone as far as practically possible from harm or abuse and in doing so follow agreed procedures; including anyone who is at clear risk of causing undue harm to themselves from their behaviour and actions
- make sure that by their own actions they do not deliberately increase the risks to the personal safety of people who use {{org_field_name}}.
Training
All new staff receive training in all aspects of assessing and managing risks as part of their induction programme, following the All Wales Induction Framework for Health and Social Care and in line with the current health and safety training standards.
Further and specialised training is provided for staff with specific roles and responsibilities for implementing risk assessment and management policies.
Needs for refresher training are assessed during supervision and appraisals.
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}}
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