UNIT 7
Principles of safe practice in health
and social care
Case study 1: Beeches Drop-in Centre
The drop-in centre caters for adults of all ages many of whom, are homeless. All of the users of the
service have social and often health issues. They live chaotic lives and do not always get on with
Duty of care -> Duty of care is a moral or legal obligation to ensure the safety or well-being
of others. Health care professionals have a duty of care to all their patients regardless of race,
gender, religion, sexual orientation, or any of the other characteristic protected by the
Equality Act (2010), this means promoting wellbeing and making sure that people are kept
safe from harm, abuse, and injury.
Human Rights Act (1998) -> The human rights act is a law passed in 1998 that allows an
individual to have right to life, liberty, freedom of opinion and expression as well as the right
to work and education and many more. Everyone one in the UK – regardless of if you’re a
British citizen, immigrant, or asylum seeker - is entitled to these basic human rights without
facing discrimination.
Equality Act (2010) -> The equality act of 2010 is a law that states characteristics - sex,
age, sexual orientation, religion, disability, pregnancy - are all protected under the act which
means people can’t be discriminated against due to these characteristics as it is a criminal
offence.
, each other. There have been incidents of violence resulting in individuals being injured. No records of
incidents and accidents are kept as the book got lost and has not been replaced. Although they are
not supposed to, users of the service are often drunk when they attend. The staff ask them to leave
but the offenders tend to sit outside harassing any late comers. Several of the users of the service
have mental health problems including depression and anxiety. Other users of the service tend to
isolate these individuals, often refusing to speak to them. Two of the individuals have a phobia to
certain foods which can make mealtimes difficult. Several of the users of the service have suffered
abuse. The centre is staffed by two full time workers, one of whom is a Social Worker and the other a
Registered Nurse. There are also several volunteers, some of whom come five days a week and
others one or two. There is a signing in and out book at the centre however, some of the users of the
service cannot read and write and others are too concerned with their own issues to bother signing
the book. This means that no record is kept of who attends. The full-time staff do occasionally take a
register, but this is only when they remember. The building is old and belongs to the local council.
There is no step-free access. The kitchen is old and difficult to clean, and the fridge doesn’t always
seem to work. The fire doors are kept locked to prevent users of services going into the yard at the
back to use drugs.
the implications of a duty of care
It is important for health and social care professionals to balance the rights of service users against
the risks involved, to respect an individual's wishes and ability to make their own decisions, while
protecting service users from harm and ensuring that they protect
themselves from harm; staff have a duty of care for all service users under
their care. People using health
services should be encouraged
to make their own decisions and
they can expect from the staff
who support them: respect,
equality as well as dignity, and
protection from harm and
danger. In balancing the rights
of the person and the duty of
care of the service user, staff
by Unknown Author is licensed under must consider a number of factors. Collier, E. (2021)
states that patients at the drop-in centre are more at risk of discrimination and not being given
equal opportunities; due to being homeless they are vulnerable at the centre even though it’s
supposed to be a safe place for them, they are still at risk. There’s a lot of diversity in the centre so
the staff need to make sure every individual’s needs are met because everyone is different and
different types of assistance/needs. Upholding Service users’ rights and acting in their best interest
meaning doing what you can to make sure they are not scared or intimidated by other service users,
staff members or anyone else, if they come to you with a problem, you cannot judge them or tell
them they’re wrong and NEVER tell them you’ll keep a secret because if it’s something that requires
safeguarding you need to report it you made a promise you couldn’t keep causing them to lose trust
in you and the organisation. However, this could prove to be difficult because in trying to do what’s
best for your service users you also must try balance their individual rights that are protected under
the 1998 human right act, logistics and ethics are a weakness currently in the case study because
the basic necessity such as having step free access in not available to all users which is not only
discriminatory, it’s also in breach of their human rights. Another weakness is safety, there has been
numerous acts of violence and no records of them have been kept nor are there any records of who
attends the centre which is a massive health and safety concern because if there’s is a fire,
emergency responder won’t know how many people were in the building and that could put their
life in danger as well as others. Since violent outbreaks have been common maybe the local council
Principles of safe practice in health
and social care
Case study 1: Beeches Drop-in Centre
The drop-in centre caters for adults of all ages many of whom, are homeless. All of the users of the
service have social and often health issues. They live chaotic lives and do not always get on with
Duty of care -> Duty of care is a moral or legal obligation to ensure the safety or well-being
of others. Health care professionals have a duty of care to all their patients regardless of race,
gender, religion, sexual orientation, or any of the other characteristic protected by the
Equality Act (2010), this means promoting wellbeing and making sure that people are kept
safe from harm, abuse, and injury.
Human Rights Act (1998) -> The human rights act is a law passed in 1998 that allows an
individual to have right to life, liberty, freedom of opinion and expression as well as the right
to work and education and many more. Everyone one in the UK – regardless of if you’re a
British citizen, immigrant, or asylum seeker - is entitled to these basic human rights without
facing discrimination.
Equality Act (2010) -> The equality act of 2010 is a law that states characteristics - sex,
age, sexual orientation, religion, disability, pregnancy - are all protected under the act which
means people can’t be discriminated against due to these characteristics as it is a criminal
offence.
, each other. There have been incidents of violence resulting in individuals being injured. No records of
incidents and accidents are kept as the book got lost and has not been replaced. Although they are
not supposed to, users of the service are often drunk when they attend. The staff ask them to leave
but the offenders tend to sit outside harassing any late comers. Several of the users of the service
have mental health problems including depression and anxiety. Other users of the service tend to
isolate these individuals, often refusing to speak to them. Two of the individuals have a phobia to
certain foods which can make mealtimes difficult. Several of the users of the service have suffered
abuse. The centre is staffed by two full time workers, one of whom is a Social Worker and the other a
Registered Nurse. There are also several volunteers, some of whom come five days a week and
others one or two. There is a signing in and out book at the centre however, some of the users of the
service cannot read and write and others are too concerned with their own issues to bother signing
the book. This means that no record is kept of who attends. The full-time staff do occasionally take a
register, but this is only when they remember. The building is old and belongs to the local council.
There is no step-free access. The kitchen is old and difficult to clean, and the fridge doesn’t always
seem to work. The fire doors are kept locked to prevent users of services going into the yard at the
back to use drugs.
the implications of a duty of care
It is important for health and social care professionals to balance the rights of service users against
the risks involved, to respect an individual's wishes and ability to make their own decisions, while
protecting service users from harm and ensuring that they protect
themselves from harm; staff have a duty of care for all service users under
their care. People using health
services should be encouraged
to make their own decisions and
they can expect from the staff
who support them: respect,
equality as well as dignity, and
protection from harm and
danger. In balancing the rights
of the person and the duty of
care of the service user, staff
by Unknown Author is licensed under must consider a number of factors. Collier, E. (2021)
states that patients at the drop-in centre are more at risk of discrimination and not being given
equal opportunities; due to being homeless they are vulnerable at the centre even though it’s
supposed to be a safe place for them, they are still at risk. There’s a lot of diversity in the centre so
the staff need to make sure every individual’s needs are met because everyone is different and
different types of assistance/needs. Upholding Service users’ rights and acting in their best interest
meaning doing what you can to make sure they are not scared or intimidated by other service users,
staff members or anyone else, if they come to you with a problem, you cannot judge them or tell
them they’re wrong and NEVER tell them you’ll keep a secret because if it’s something that requires
safeguarding you need to report it you made a promise you couldn’t keep causing them to lose trust
in you and the organisation. However, this could prove to be difficult because in trying to do what’s
best for your service users you also must try balance their individual rights that are protected under
the 1998 human right act, logistics and ethics are a weakness currently in the case study because
the basic necessity such as having step free access in not available to all users which is not only
discriminatory, it’s also in breach of their human rights. Another weakness is safety, there has been
numerous acts of violence and no records of them have been kept nor are there any records of who
attends the centre which is a massive health and safety concern because if there’s is a fire,
emergency responder won’t know how many people were in the building and that could put their
life in danger as well as others. Since violent outbreaks have been common maybe the local council
