CHS46 Assess risks associated with health conditions

Overview

This standard is about working with individuals to assess the risks associated with health conditions to manage their health and well-being. It covers the discussion of assessment outcome and assessing a range of risk factors relating to patient status, condition, priorities, cost-benefits, potential improvements. It does not include the development of a care plan based on the assessment outcomes which is covered by other standards. This standard is applicable to a wide range of health contexts and roles in emergency, primary and secondary care. Users of this standard will need to ensure that practice reflects up to date information and policies. Version No 1

Knowledge and Understanding

You will need to know and understand:

1. your own level of competence, authority and knowledge in relation to undertaking risk assessments
2. the importance of identifying the individual and yourself  and gaining valid consent from individuals or from others where individual’s lack capacity to do so.
3. how to manage the privacy and dignity of individual’s throughout required procedures
4. the ethics concerning confidentiality, and the tensions which may exist between an individual's rights and the organisation's responsibility to individuals
5. the importance to respect the rights of individuals to make decisions for themselves and to take risks in the context of their own lives
6. the importance of communicating with individuals and relevant carers in a manner that is consistent with their level of understanding, culture, background and preferred ways of communicating
7. principles of clinical risk management and how to apply these to your work
8. the life style factors and behaviours which determine the risk of specific health conditions and the relative impact of these
9. how to select and use risk stratification tools for risk assessment and the sources of the guidance for the individual and relevant others
10. methods of evaluating the subsequent risks which may be inherent in various courses of action
11. how to explain the outcomes of the risk assessment and subsequent actions which may be necessary
12. the different fears and concerns that individuals may have about the outcomes of the risk assessment
13. the roles of other health and social care practitioners  required to address identified  risk factors and how they relate between and across agencies
14. national and local policy and guidelines for accessing, updating and maintaining individuals' records and confidentiality in accordance with information governance
15. the current European and National legislation, national guidelines, organisational policies and protocols and Clinical Governance which affect your work practice
16. your responsibilities and accountability in relation to the current European and National legislation, national guidelines and local policies and protocols and Clinical Governance

Performance Criteria

You must be able to do the following:

1. work within your level of competence, responsibility and accountability and respond in a timely manner to meet individual’s needs
2. check the individual’s identity and obtain valid consent for the assessment
3. communicate with the individual and, with their agreement, any carer who is present, in a manner appropriate to them and which encourages an open exchange of information
4. respect the individual’s rights and wishes relating to their privacy, beliefs and dignity
5. review the individual's medical history and any medications, using all relevant sources of relevant information
6. review the lifestyle factors and their impact on the health and well-being of the individual
7. select appropriate risk assessment tools, equipment and methodologies which take account of the needs and goals of the individual and that address the health condition risk analysis
8. explain the risk factors and assessment process to the individual and relevant carers
9. apply the appropriate tools and methodologies to measure the relevant risk factors
10. discuss the findings of the risk assessment and how often the risk assessment should be reviewed  with the individual and relevant carers if present
11. record assessment results accurately and clearly, ensuring that all appropriate risk factors have been included
12. ensure you maintain the confidentiality of information at all times in accordance with information governance

Additional Information

This National Occupational Standard was developed by Skills for Health. This standard links with the following dimension within the NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework (October 2004): Dimension: HWB2 Assessment and care planning to meet people's health and wellbeing needs This standard has replaced HCS_SS3