Staff Safety, Home Safety and Emergencies in the Home
Sets how the Agency keeps patients and staff safe in the home: a home safety assessment at admission and when things change, what staff do in a medical emergency during a visit, safety before, during and after visits including lone-worker check-in, workplace violence prevention, safe patient handling, hazardous chemicals, travel in bad weather, and reporting of staff injuries. Safety is a required training topic for all direct care staff (10A NCAC 13K .0402(b)(12)).
About this policy
- Policy number
- NC-HSP-SAF-01
- Version
- 1.0
- Main rule
- 10A NCAC 13K .0402(b)(12)
- Library
- North Carolina hospice · 60 policies
- Category
- Service delivery
- Sections
- 24
In short
- Check the home for hazards at the first visit, such as fall risks, smoking near oxygen, and unsafe wiring, and tell the nurse.
- Know the patient's code status. In an emergency, follow it: call the on-call nurse, or 911 if the patient wants resuscitation.
- If you feel unsafe, do not go in, or leave politely, and call your supervisor. You will not be blamed.
- Do not lift a patient alone. Use the transfer aids you were trained on.
- On night visits or visits with a safety alert, check in when you arrive and when you leave.
- Report every work injury or threat to your supervisor the same day.
What's inside
24 sections. The full text comes with the One-time Policy Pack.
- Terms of Reference
- 1. Purpose
- 2. Scope
- 3. Definitions
- 4. Policy Statement (10A NCAC 13K .0402(b)(12))
- 5. Home Safety Assessment
- 6. Medical Emergencies During a Visit
- 7. Staff Safety on Visits
- 7.1 Before the visit
- 7.2 At the home
- 7.3 Lone-worker check-in
- 7.4 On the road
- 8. Workplace Violence and Unsafe Homes
- 9. Safe Patient Handling
- 10. Hazardous Chemicals
- 11. Weather, Outages and Disasters
- 12. Staff Injuries and Incidents
- 13. Responsibilities
- 14. Records and Compliance Monitoring
- 15. Staff Training
- 16. References
- 17. Related Policies and Forms
- 18. Approval
- 19. Revision History
An inspector may ask
- Show me the home safety assessment for this patient and what you taught the family.
- What does a nurse aide do if the patient falls or stops breathing during a visit?
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