C&G Safety & Environmental Limited

'The NHS is Europe's largest employer. The Nuffield Trust estimated the cost of sickness absence in the NHS to be in the region of £714 million. Reducing sickness absence by 20% by 2001 and 30% by 2003 is one of the Public Sector Agreement targets. The targets also form part of Working Together, the Governments human resources strategy for the NHS, and are core to Improving Working Lives.' Jane Huntley, NHS Head of Workplace Health

Pressure comes from many sources to manage exposure to risk within any Doctors Sugery or General Practice. Your staff, your patients and your colleagues all need to be safe whilst they perform their daily tasks. Legislation places clear responsibilities on employers and on controllers of premises to carry out risk assessments and to act on their findings to reduce risks to their lowest reasonably practicable level. With the huge growth in No Win - No Fee actions your staff and the public at large are more aware of their rights and of the value claims which can be won.

We have provided various services to the health sector including general practice for a number of years including manual handling of patients, fire safety training and risk assessment and general support on health and safety issues. Practices need to have clear documentation, risk assessments and safety protocols in order to comply and to reduce civil and criminal liability exposure but finding the time and building the competence to tackle these issues cost effectively is a difficult task.

We are still arranging visits to Primary Care Trusts and groups of interested practices, if you would like to meet an experienced safety consultant or receive more information please contact us.

The Practice Perfect System

To allow you to manage all of your safety responsibilities adequately and cost effectively a new and collaborative system is proposed.

By working through Primary Care Groups and Trusts the full benefits of specialist consultants can be enjoyed for a fraction of the cost of attempting to complete the work in house. The similar nature of practices and procedures allows the sharing of experiences and solutions throughout the PCG/T and beyond, ensuring not just basic legal compliance but best practice.

Workplace wide risk assessments are completed without disruption, risk assessments are provided, protocols are written and supplied and training to recognised standards is carried out for a known cost from a single source.

Key Benefits

1. Dedicated, flexible and highly experienced staff
2. Continuing professional development assured at no extra cost
3. Vast range of competencies ranging from ergonomic issues through to assistance with new builds or extensions
4. Experience of market conditions and enforcement actions allows reasonably practicable solutions
5. Guaranteed level of support
6. Unlimited support through freefone, fax and e-mail
7. Over 6 Gigabytes of searchable data and dedicated knowledge base
8. No sickness absence, holidays or other hidden costs
9. Specific safety courses designed to help you and your staff work more safely

The Practice Perfect Document

The document is your safety policy and more, containing your statements, generic risk assessments and responsibilities. It will grow and develop as it is adapted by you and will be updated through the scheme as time goes on to react to changes in legislation and best practice.

• Orientation Guide
• Implementing and managing the system
• Statements of Policy
• Commitments required by Law
• Accident Reporting, Recording and Investigation
• Coping and complying with accident law, learning from accidents and preventing reoccurrence
• Waste Storage and Disposal
• Legal responsibilities and good practice
• Fire Precautions
• Inspections, fire fighting, checklists, etc.
• Electrical Safety
• Testing schedules, common faults, etc.
• Chemical Hazards
• Storage, use, protective equipment and practices
• Biological Hazards
• Immunisation, cross contamination, etc.
• Premises & Work Equipment
• Display screens, autoclaves, sterilisers, etc.
• Psychological Hazards
• Drug abuse, stress management, etc.
• Staff Health & Welfare
• Pre-employment assessment, health surveillance
• Guidance on Law Regulations
• Quick summaries of relevant legislation
• Risk Assessments
• Focused risk assessment covering practice work with generic work methods
• Safety Protocols
• Work within the patients home, etc.
• Construction, Alteration or Demolition of the Surgery
• Legal requirements of CDM, welfare issues, etc.
• Other Issues
• Continuity Planning, Record Keeping, etc.
• Supplied in hard copy and electronic formats

The Practice Perfect Commitment

• A free helpline staffed by experienced consultants familiar with the documents, the risks and best practice to guide members through day to day issues and questions on implementation
• Practice Audits completed on joining and repeated once every 6 months to spot hazards, guide practice managers and catalogue risks followed by a full written report as evidence of legal compliance
• A complete Safety Policy and Risk Management document issued in hard copy and written in a user friendly format as a working document
• Electronic versions of the documents supplied on CD Rom in Adobe® PDF format to allow practice managers to easily search, print and disseminate the guidance and procedures
• Free updates on new and emerging legislation and practices, free revisions to key documents based on research and news releases covering the tackling of risk and reduction of liability
• A dedicated web site restricted to subscribing practices where Practice Managers can access free advice, browse relevant documents, submit questions and check through FAQ's etc.
• A free accident investigation service to provide emergency investigation cover to any practice suffering an accident reportable under the RIDDOR Regulations designed to quickly and clearly establish the facts and control potential liability before enforcement officers, insurance agents and personal injury lawyers react
• Optional training aimed specifically at establishing competence for Primary Care Management and support staff including first aid, fire training, fire extinguisher use, manual handling, personal safety, stress management, etc.

Cost Breakdown

In return for this subscription, payable monthly or quarterly, we will

1. Solve all your documentation needs
2. Ensure information is shared
3. Visit without further cost in the event of a reportable accident
4. Maintain a free telephone helpline
5. Create and administer a dedicated support website
6. Complete site risk audits with written reports annually
7. Guide you through new and revised legislation

Tackling Safety 'In House'

An example of the work and costs involved...

Planning [17 hours]

• Initial meeting to discuss options and needs - 2 hours (x3)
• Meeting between Partners and PM - 2 hours (x4)
• Research options available for training & development then book courses - 3 hours

Enabling [£1,165 plus 4 days absence from practice]

• Training of the Practice Manager - 2 Days (£400 + absence cost)
• Training of one deputy to assist - 2 days (£400 + absence cost)
• Purchase of Health & Safety Guidance & updates - £265.00

Scoping [104 hours plus home reading]

• Review of the Practice covering Fire Issues - ½ Day
• Review covering COSHH issues - ½ Day
• DSE Risk Assessment and Review - 1 Day
• Additional areas including Workplace Violence, Electricity, Appliance Tests, Pregnant Workers, Manual Handling, Medication, etc. - 11 Days over 12 months

Developing [124 hours and rising]

• Writing of the arrangements section (duties, responsibilities etc.) - 4 days over 2 months
• Writing of practice checks and reminders (2.5 Days over 1 month)
• Writing of procedures for work from computer equipment through to locking of the surgery at night (11 Days over 12 months, not yet complete)

Reviewing [12 hours]

• Check the original practice risk assessment and procedures as experience has built and originals may be flawed - (1.5 hour sessions x 8)

Maintaining [£250 plus 16 hours plus 3-5 hours ongoing]

• Retraining organised following year for update on new regulations and practices - 1 Day @ £250
• Review legislation to ensure policies and procedures still relevant - 2 Days
• Answer queries from staff, patients, insurers and partners - ongoing, 3-5 hours per month