Maintaining Quality Standards in the Health Sector

Know how legislation, policies and procedures determine quality standards of work.

Ways quality standards link to legislation, policies and procedures may include:

• provide a benchmark or measure to work to
• provision can be assessed against standards
• standards are usually part of a larger framework to raise quality of service
• policies and procedures ensure workers follow the same rules and processes.

The impact of personal attitudes and behaviours in the work role may include: 

• improved efficiency and effectiveness
• positive and can-do attitude
• positive culture within the work place
• helps service users feel safe and valued.

Assessment Criteria

• 1.1
  Identify how quality standards link to legislation, policy and procedures.
  
• 1.2
  Describe how personal attitudes and behaviours in a work role impact on service quality.

Know the limits of own expertise and knowledge and when to refer to others.

Being competent may be defined as:

• able to work to a required standard
• having the necessary skills, ability and knowledge to do something successfully
• appropriately qualified to do the task.

Examples of when to seek help from others may include:

• do not understand the task
• need help to move or position a service user
• need clarification on what to do
• being shown how to carry out a new procedure
• concerned about malpractice.

Reasons for seeking help and reporting issues may include:

• personal or service user safety is being compromised
• suspect abuse
• suspect unprofessional practice i.e. whistle blowing.

Benefits of learning from others may include:

• they have more experience so can approach the task with confidence and skill
• opportunity to observe good practice before attempting it yourself
• opportunity to ask questions about the learning.

Assessment Criteria

• 2.1
  Describe what is meant by being competent.
  
• 2.2
  Identify examples of when to seek help from others.
• 2.3
  State why it is important to seek help and report issues to others
• 2.4
  Describe the benefits of learning from others.

Know how to use resources efficiently to support quality standards.

Importance of using and maintaining resources may include:

• own and others health and safety
• legal requirement
• accidents or injuries may happen
• organisation is held accountable.

Reasons for reporting resource issues may include:

• responsibility of the employee and employer as part of health and safety legislation
• gives notification to ensure the resource is no longer available for use, is fixed or has been replaced.

The efficient use of resources and their contribution to quality may include:

• makes the care more comfortable for service users
• prevents injury to the worker and possible loss of working time
• making the process quicker.

Assessment Criteria

• 3.1
  Describe the importance of using and maintaining resources properly.
  
• 3.2
  State why it is necessary to report issues related to resources
• 3.3
  Identify how efficient use of resources contributes to the quality of service.