Statement 2

• Policy

  A principle or protocol to guide decisions and achieve rational outcomes. It is a statement of intent, and is implemented as a procedure
• Most organisations have their own policies and guidelines specific to the setting
• Policies often come from legislation but reflect the needs of the organisation they are drawn up for
• Managers usually write the policies that enable other staff to put the law into practice for the service users
• Policies are effective in promoting quality care

  • They encourage reporting of poor care (e.g. physical or emotional abuse), so service users are protected
  • As staff can be disciplined for failing to adhere to a policy it is likely encourage them to practise according to the values of care
  • Policies empower staff to report poor practice by others making it less likely to occur in the first place
  • Policies mean there are clear procedures in place so staff understand what they need to do to provide quality care.
  • Policies recognise the rights of service users and encourage staff to respect those
• Policies may fail to be effective in promoting quality care if: staff are not adequately trained in them, insufficient staffing levels exist to allow staff to effectively implement a policy, policies are not accessible to all staff (e.g. language barriers), staff are unaware that the policies exist