Health & Safety Policy

Do you need a written health and safety policy?

HSE says that if you have five or more employees, you must write your policy down and share it, and any changes to it, with your staff. Most care services pass that number quickly. A care service also has to show CQC how it meets regulations 12, 15 and 17, so a generic office policy leaves gaps.

What this health and safety policy template covers

The policy statement is written for care work. It covers:

• risk assessment, including personal risk assessments that sit in each care plan, new and expectant mothers and young workers

• moving and handling people, hazardous substances, and water systems and legionella

• training for new staff, agency workers and anyone facing a new risk

• premises and equipment, with faulty equipment taken out of use and labelled

• first aid, including the needs of travelling and lone workers

• accidents and RIDDOR, with the time limits and what counts as hospital treatment

• emergencies, working with landlords and other employers, staff wellbeing, and inspections

How it changes by service type

The scope is different for each kind of service, and the template says so. In a care home the policy covers the whole building, the grounds, all equipment and all residents. In home care it covers the office and staff working in people's own homes, where some duties in regulation 15 do not apply to equipment the agency did not supply. Supported living services agree in writing who is responsible for building safety: the service, the landlord or the tenant.

Before you issue it

Delete the service-type lines that do not apply. Add your named people, contacts and list of risk assessments, set your review and training intervals, and check each legal reference is still current.

Staff who visit people alone follow the Lone Working Policy & Procedure. Record accidents and near misses in the Accident & Incident Log, and keep infection risks in the Infection Prevention & Control Policy & Procedure.