Question
Answered step-by-step
Asked by Milo1979
You are a personal support worker for Thomas Trainor. Thomas is a 66 years old male client who has bowel cancer with high care needs. He is receiving home-based palliative care. Thomas spends a lot of time in his bed due to limited mobility. He needs repositioning every two hours to prevent pressure injuries/ulcers or bedsores.
After four days off, you return to care for Thomas. You immediately recognise that Thomas’s skin around his lower back and heel is red, broken and discharging fluid which are the symptoms for pressure sores. You have a brief conversation with Thomas about his skin condition and learn that he did not want to keep reminding the weekend staff to reposition him.
Part A – Research a WHS/OHS policy and procedures for an aged care or palliative care company. Refer to the policy and procedures and download a copy of an incident reporting template that you used for reporting incidents earlier in this unit.
Follow the workplace WHS/HSE policy and procedure for incident reporting.
Part B – Download and fill in the risk assessment template to  this part of the activity.
Conduct a workplace risk assessment relating to Thomas’s care by completing the risk assessment. The assessment must include:
Infection control for Thomas’s sores
Hazardous manual tasks relating to repositioning Thomas
Use of PPE.
Part C – Demonstrate that you can contribute to workplace WHS meeting by preparing brief notes for the Thomas case.
What happened to Thomas, what action did you take and why?
What caused Thomas’s pressure sores?
How can future accidents involving pressures be prevented or minimised?
Discuss a strategy to ensure that you and other staff do not overlook Thomas’s need for two hourly repositionings as part of day-to-day work activities.
Keep your notes are brief and professional.
Include details such as the name and position of the designed person you contacted with regards to Thomas’s incident report. Add any other information that you think will be relevant to Thomas’s case and help contribute to making your workplace safe for you and clients as in a real work situation.
SCIENCE
HEALTH SCIENCE
NURSING
NURSING HLTWHS002