Working with protocols and guidelines

Working with protocols and guidelines

1. i.e: child protection - stay calm , listen carefully, record facts rather than opinions, fill out inciident form, speak to relevant member of staff, take approriate action and record the action

   • in order to help people through the process and check they are doung it correct but also make the person accountable
     • Standardise aspects of care
     • Guidelines - making staff accountable to those guidelines

2. Where do they come from

   • Particular organisattion
   • Primary care trust
   • National organisations such as SCIE or NICE
   • Royal college of nursing

3. Main purpose of protocols

   • Management Benefits
     • To protect managemnt
     • As part of risk management
     • To protect against litigation
     • To keep insurers happy
   • Effect on Staff
     • To enable underskilled undertrained staff to be usd
     • To extend nursing roles
     • To train new junior staff
     • To provide staff with support they can use to challenge bad practice
     • To support team working
     • To bring older worker up to scratch
   • Improvements to care
     • To define best practice
     • To standardise practice and behaviour
     • To define best practice

4. Problems with using protocols and guidelines Lawton and parker 1999

   • De skills the workforce
     • Can mean a cut down on proper staff training
   • Introduced for the wrong reasons
     • for insurers
     • hospitals covering thier butt
     • Management blaming individuals rather than the system
   • limits flexibility in care - becomes less individualisd
   • rigid thinking - unable to think laterally