Educators' Guide for Pedagogy and Assessment
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Unit: 2. Effective Communication and Safe Practices in Health and Social Care.
Health and Social Care
Learning Outcome: 1. I know the communication cycle and the different forms of communication

Stages of the communication cycle:
- sender: ideas occur; message encoded; message sent;
receiver: message received; message decoded; message understood.WRITING


- Different forms of communication: one-to-one; group; formal; informal.
- Different contexts: service users; colleagues; managers.
Learning Outcome: 2. I can communicate effectively with service-users, care workers and other professional staff.


Barriers that affect communication: e.g. sensory deprivation, verbal constraints, visual impairment, foreign language, jargon, slang, dialect, use of acronyms, cultural differences, emotional difficulties, challenging behaviour, mental health problems, physical disability, intellectual disability, dementia, environmental problems, misinterpretation of message, differing humour, inappropriate behaviour.


Skills for effective communication:
- Verbal: e.g. greeting, checking for understanding, open-ended and close-ended questions, empathy, confrontation, constructive and destructive feedback, summarization, termination;
- Non-verbal: e.g. facial expressions, eye contact, gestures, touch, posture, proximity, tone of voice;
- Written: e.g. incident reports, journals, contact book, policies and procedures, memos, medical records, telephone notes, prescriptions, referrals;
- Technological Aids: e.g. hearing aids, door bells with flashlights, electronic writing board, computers;
- Alternative forms of Communication: e.g. sign language, lip reading, flash cards, signs and symbols, objects of reference, Makaton, Braille;
- Human Aids: e.g. human interpreters, translators, signers.


Overcoming communication barriers: e.g. adapting the environment, understanding language needs and preferences, using the individual's preferred language, timing, electronic devices (text phones, telephone amplifiers and hearing loops), effective non-verbal communication.




Learning Outcome: 3. I can identify potential hazards within health and social care settings and know the main principles of health and safety legislation when applied to health and social care.


Hazards in health and social care environments: e.g. equipment, toys, incorrect storage of chemicals, inadequate control of infectious diseases, causes of fire, poor working conditions, unsafe furnishings and furniture, misuse of equipment, bed rail entrapment, lack of maintenance, poor staff training, moving and handling, slips and trips, lack of security, inadequate personal safety precautions.

Legislation: e.g.
- Act 27 of 2000 - Occupational Health and Safety Authority Act,
- LN44 of 2002 - Work Place (Minimum Health and Safety Requirements) Regulations,
- LN35 of 2003 - Protection against Risks of Back Injury at Work Placement Regulations,
- LN36 of 2003 - General Provisions for Health and Safety at Work Places Regulations,
- LN45 of 2002 - Work Places (Provision of Health and/or Safety Signs) Regulations,
- LN121 of 2003 - Minimum Requirements for the use of Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations,
- LN228 of 2003 - Protection of Workers from Risks related to Exposure to Biological Agents at Work Regulations.


Learning Outcome: 4. I can carry out a basic risk assessment to ensure the health and safety of service users.


Key areas:
o Identify the hazards: identifying hazards that could cause risk in everyday activity;
o Decide who might be harmed and how: service users, care workers, other colleagues. (Some users / workers may have particular requirements such as new and young workers, new or expectant mothers, people with disabilities etc.)
o Estimate the risk: scale of risk; concept of likelihood of risk; degree of possible harm for different service-user groups.
o Controlling risks: possible actions to remove hazards completely or to control them so the risk of injury is limited.
o Monitoring effectiveness of controls: instructions for controlling risks; implementing controls;
o Record Keeping of risks and controls
o Review of risk assessment
o Person: Health and Safety Officer and Employer.



Different types of risks: physical; psychological; social.


Areas: kitchen; bedroom; bathroom; living room; corridor/staircase.
Learning Outcome: 5. I Know the basic First Aid skills


Reasons: e.g. working with vulnerable service users, dealing with life-threatening situations, giving assistance until professional help arrives, recognising situations when to ask for medical assistance, having the necessary skills which give confidence, helps one keep calm in a crisis, have clear procedures to follow.

Situations: e.g. cardiac arrest, falls, fractures, bleeding, burns, choking, unconsciousness.



First Aid of above situations.