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Annex 1: Draft Code of Conduct and Practice for Employees
Title: Working to Standard: a Code of Conduct and Practice for Support Workers in Healthcare.
1. Introduction
1.1. Welcome to this Code of Conduct and Practice for Support Workers in Healthcare.
1.2. As a healthcare support worker, you play a vital role in helping the NHS deliver its services. What you do has a big impact on the quality of health care for people who use the service.
1.3. It's the importance of what you do that makes this Code of Conduct and Practice so necessary. It is a list of statements that set the standard for how you should work on a day-to-day basis.
1.4. The code is here to help you, your employer and the patients 5 you work with.
1.5. You can use the code to check that you are 'working to standard'. Your employer can use it to make sure that standards are being upheld in the service and that patients' safety is assured. Patients can use it to help them understand what kind of service they can expect from you and your colleagues.
1.6. The statements are based on existing good practice. You'll probably find you are already working to standard in most, if not all of them. If not, they will show you how you can change the way you work to ensure you are working to standard.
1.7. The statements are fit for all healthcare support workers in Scotland, regardless of where they work and what job they do. It is therefore a national code of conduct and practice that will help to make sure that patients all over the country can get the same high-quality, safe and effective service from healthcare support workers.
1.8. Your employer also has a code of practice to guide how they treat you as a worker and how they support you to achieve these standards.
2. Where has the code come from?
2.1. The code was developed by a working group brought together by the Scottish Executive. The group worked very closely with similar groups in other parts of the UK to make sure that the statements in the code are the right ones. Special care was taken to ensure that the code is in keeping with 'like' codes in other relevant sectors, such as social services.
3. Working 'to standard'
3.1 As a support worker, you are expected to work to a certain standard. You need to be able to do your job properly, behave properly, and do the right thing at all times. Patients and their relatives, your employer and your colleagues all expect this, and you should expect this of yourself.
3.2 But what does this mean on a day-to-day basis? It means that in your work, you should always be of good character 6. This means that, in your work, you should always do the following.
3.2.1. Do your best for patients and their relatives - ADVOCACY.
This means that you might have to speak up for them from time to time.
How will I know if I'm 'working to standard' on advocacy?
When you're working to standard on advocacy, you'll be putting patients' interests first at all times and making sure their wants and needs are catered for. You will understand that all patients are individuals with different tastes, likes and dislikes.
3.2.2. Respect the patient - SENSITIVITY.
He or she is a real person with real feelings and emotions. Think about how you might feel if you were in their position.
How will I know if I'm 'working to standard' on sensitivity?
When you're working to standard on sensitivity, you'll be treating patients and relatives politely and courteously, even when they may be annoyed, confused, angry or frustrated.
3.2.3. Treat all patients in the same way - OBJECTIVITY.
You must not have 'favourites' or patients you don't like - you must give everyone the same high-quality care.
How will I know if I'm 'working to standard' on objectivity?
When you're working to standard on objectivity, you'll be working to the same high standard with every patient you meet. It won't matter to you what the patient is like as an individual, what colour or religion he or she is or how he or she lives their life - to you, all patients are worthy of respect and your best efforts.
3.2.4. Make sure that patients are always treated with dignity - CONSIDERATION.
Try always to ensure that patients are never placed in an embarrassing situation.
How will I know if I'm 'working to standard' on consideration?
When you're working to standard on consideration, you'll be making sure patients are never exposed or put in an embarrassing situation in front of relatives, fellow patients or healthcare workers.
3.2.5. Tell patients what you intend to do, and listen carefully to what they say - CONSENT.
Always tell them what you plan to do with them and make sure they agree to it.
How will I know if I'm 'working to standard' on consent?
When you're working to standard on consent, you'll be showing that you are interested in patients and want to hear what they have to say. You will always be making sure the patient knows what you are doing and is happy with it. If, however, the patient doesn't agree to what you want to do, you can't do it!
3.2.6. Protect the patient's privacy - CONFIDENTIALITY.
Make sure you don't give away information about patients to anyone other than colleagues who need the information to help in the patient's care.
How will I know if I'm 'working to standard' on confidentiality?
When you're working to standard on confidentiality, you'll be making sure you don't 'gossip' or chat about patients to anyone. When you do pass on information to a colleague as part of your job, you'll be accurate and clear in what you say or write.
3.2.7. Work well with your colleagues as part of a team - CO-OPERATION.
Value the part you play in the team and those that others play.
How will I know if I'm 'working to standard' on co-operation?
When you're working to standard on co-operation, you'll be working as a member of the team, respected as a valuable colleague by all.
3.2.8. Make sure you don't put patients and colleagues at risk of harm - PROTECTION.
Make sure patients and colleagues are protected from hazards and risks.
How will I know if I'm 'working to standard on protection'?
When you're working to standard on protection, you'll be aware of the dangers patients and colleagues face in your work setting and will do what you can to reduce risks of accidents or harm.
3.2.9. Try to increase your own knowledge and skills by talking to patients and colleagues and seeking out learning opportunities - DEVELOPMENT.
The more interested you are in your work and the more you know in relation to your job, the better you will be able to offer a service to patients.
How will I know if I'm 'working to standard' on development?
When you're working to standard on development, you'll be taking every chance you can to learn new things that will help you work better. You'll know that learning doesn't just come from courses and what colleagues tell you, but also from what patients tell you. You'll be interested in what you do at work and will be trying to do it to the best of your ability.
3.2.10. Be honest with yourself and others about what you can do - AWARENESS.
Know yourself and your capabilities, and seek help from colleagues if you have worries or concerns.
How will I know if I'm 'working to standard' on awareness?
When you're working to standard on awareness, you'll know fully what you can do, and what you can't. You'll understand that some procedures can only be carried out by people who have had special training, and that you need permission from qualified staff before you do certain things with patients. If you feel you're being asked to do something you haven't been trained to do, you'll speak up.
3.2.11. Always do what is right to protect the patient - INTEGRITY.
Always do your best to make sure nothing you or anyone else does will harm the patient's mental and physical health or delay his or her recovery.
How will I know if I'm 'working to standard' on integrity?
When you're working to standard on integrity, you will be protecting patients every way you can, being prepared to report issues that cause you to worry.
3.2.12 Observe any changes that could affect a patient's needs or progress - VIGILANCE.
Always try to notice when a patient isn't doing what might be expected of him or her and report your observations to an appropriate person.
How will I know if I'm 'working to standard' on vigilance?
When you're working to standard on vigilance, you will notice when patients are 'just not right'. You'll notice, for instance, when the patient just can't move as well as usual, or perhaps hasn't eaten the food provided at meal times.
3.2.13. Ensure that you can always 'answer' for your actions or omissions - ACCOUNTABILITY.
Make sure you are comfortable with the actions and omissions for which you are responsible in your daily work and that you are able to justify them to patients, your supervisor, your employer and others.
How will I know if I'm 'working' to standard on accountability?
When you are working to standard on accountability, you will know that you may be called to account for your actions or omissions at any time and therefore need sound justification for the way you have acted.
4. What this means for you
4.1. The Code of Conduct and Practice means that as a healthcare support worker, you have a responsibility to work to standard. This means that you must:
4.1.1 only do what your job remit and boundaries allow you to do - if you do something, or accept an instruction from another healthcare worker to do something, that isn't within your remit or level of skill, you could be disciplined
4.1.2 let your manager or supervisor know if you feel you are being asked to do something you don't know how to, or something you know isn't in your job remit
4.1.3 make sure you always follow the standard procedures for doing things
4.1.4 make sure you obtain consent, in line with the policies of your organisation, before doing anything to a patient.
4.1.5 follow the rules on something called 'duty to care' - this means you must always make sure patients and colleagues don't come to harm because of something you've done, or because you've been careless or reckless
4.1.6 take care when making notes about patient care - anything you write, no matter how informal it might seem, can be used as evidence in an enquiry by your employer or even in Court.
4.1.7 raise issues of concern with your manager where they relate to the delivery of care, the personal health, safety and security of patients or to the harm and abuse of patients.
5. Want to know more?
5.1. If you'd like to find out more about the issues in this Code of Conduct and Practice, talk to your manager, supervisor or trade union representative. You could also have a look at the following sources:
- The NHS Scotland Staff Governance Standard for NHS Scotland employees
- Blowing the Whistle - advice from the Royal College of Nursing on how to speak up if you feel something is seriously wrong in your workplace.
- The Duty of Care - a UNISON handbook to assist healthcare staff to carry out their duty of care to patients, colleagues and themselves.
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