HP6 Communicate risks to health, wellbeing and safety to a range of individuals and advise how the risks can be prevented, reduced or controlled

Overview

This standard concerns providing information and advice to people about risks to health and what they should do in order to minimise these risks. You may communicate these risks in a range of different settings and circumstances, such as: in response to enquiries from individuals, in person or by telephone; or in presentations to individuals or groups in order to inform their actions. The individuals you are speaking to may be healthcare practitioners, environmental health practitioners, other professionals (eg teachers, housing, social care professionals), representatives of commercial organisations, or members of the public, and you will need to adjust the way you communicate to fit their knowledge and understanding.  Where you are responding to requests for information and advice from individuals or groups, you may need to carry out an assessment of the risks in the situation. Where you need to communicate through an interpreter or translator, note that there is another standard in the Skills for Health database concerning supporting individuals to communicate using interpreting and translation services. 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 legal powers and duties, and your responsibilities and accountability under organisational and professional policies and protocols
2. the importance of working within the limits of your own competence and seeking support and advice when faced with situations outside your competence
3. sources of advice and expertise that can be drawn upon to inform you about risks of hazards not commonly found
4. the roles and responsibilities of local health and social care agencies and departments and other agencies at regional and national level
5. the importance of, and how to achieve, effective communication with the public about hazards and risks in order to protect the population’s health and wellbeing
6. the ways in which communication can be altered for different needs and contexts and how to respond to differences in the way that people communicate
7. how to employ questioning techniques to assess a health protection challenge
8. sources of written or other forms of information that can be given to an enquirer
9. good record keeping criteria and how to write contemporaneous notes
10. what influences behaviour, perceptions of risk, and behaviour change in relation to health protection
11. the nature, causes and occurrence of major communicable and non-communicable diseases due to infectious and non-infectious environmental hazards
12. the principles of the modes of transmission, latency, incubation periods, exposure, herd and individual immunity
13. different modes of exposure to environmental hazards, and the effects on health of acute and long-term environmental hazards
14. the nature of outbreaks and incidents and how they are managed
15. the principles of primary, secondary and tertiary prevention programmes as they relate to major communicable and non-communicable diseases due to infectious and environmental hazards
16. the methods employed in assessing, investigating and communicating risks to health and wellbeing including long-term exposure to non-infectious environmental hazards

Performance Criteria

You must be able to do the following:

1. keep up to date about hazards and risks by using reliable sources of expertise and information, to enable you to provide accurate advice and information on anticipated risks
2. communicate with individuals and groups in a vocabulary, manner and pace that is appropriate to them
3. where individuals and groups are seeking advice in relation to particular risks, gather information from them to enable you to make a realistic assessment of:
1. their perception of the risks
2. the actual risks in the situation
4. where necessary, consult with colleagues, or access expert information in other ways, to make an accurate assessment of the situation and the risks involved, and to give appropriate advice
5. provide information and advice to enable individuals and groups to reach a better understanding of the situation and the likely risks within it
6. provide advice on courses of action the individuals or groups should take, where appropriate, based on your assessment of the priorities in the situation, such as:
1. contact other agencies, urgently or routinely
2. take preventive measures
3. be reassured that the risks are slight
7. where appropriate, provide individuals and groups with information in other forms  to support any spoken information and advice
8. record the information and advice you have given clearly and accurately

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: HWB3 Protection of health and wellbeing