Maintaining Quality Standards in the Health and Social Care 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
• who are the regulators of quality standards (e.g. Care Quality Commission)

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 user
• 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.