Healthcare Health & Safety Policies
Healthcare health and safety policies are essential documents for nursing homes, residential care facilities, and designated centres in Ireland. Our bespoke policy documents ensure your facility meets HIQA requirements and the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005. Policies address lone working, sharps management, challenging behaviour, manual handling, and more. Professional indemnity insured.
Healthcare Health and Safety Policies Ireland
Comprehensive healthcare health and safety policies tailored to the unique requirements of nursing homes and designated centres. At Phoenix STS, we develop bespoke health and safety policy documents that ensure the highest standards of safety and well-being for residents and staff, while meeting HIQA requirements and Health and Safety Authority expectations.
⚕️ HIQA Requirements: Health and Safety Policies for Designated Centres
HIQA requires that designated centres maintain documented policies and procedures covering all aspects of care and safety. Well-structured health and safety policies demonstrate your commitment to governance, risk management, and resident protection.
Phoenix STS develops healthcare health and safety policies that directly address HIQA expectations, providing the documented evidence inspectors require during registration and inspection visits.
HIQA
Compliant Policies
Bespoke
Tailored to Your Facility
CMIOSH
Qualified Consultants
PI Insurance
Full Cover
Healthcare Health and Safety Policy Enquiries
Why Healthcare Facilities Need Health and Safety Policies
📋 Legal Compliance
The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 requires employers to have documented safety management arrangements. Written policies demonstrate your systematic approach to meeting this legal obligation.
🛡️ Consistent Standards
Written policies ensure all staff follow the same health and safety procedures, maintaining consistent standards across shifts, departments, and during staff changes or agency cover.
✅ HIQA Inspections
HIQA inspectors expect to see documented health and safety policies during registration and inspection visits. Well-prepared policies demonstrate governance and due diligence.
🎓 Staff Training Foundation
Health and safety policies provide the foundation for staff training programmes, ensuring employees understand their responsibilities and the procedures they must follow.
⚖️ Legal Protection
Documented policies demonstrate that your organisation has taken reasonable steps to manage health and safety risks, providing important legal protection in the event of an incident or investigation.
📊 Continuous Improvement
Written policies establish a baseline for review and improvement, enabling your facility to track changes, learn from incidents, and continuously enhance safety standards.
Comprehensive Healthcare Health and Safety Policy Documents
Phoenix STS develops a complete suite of health and safety policies tailored to healthcare environments. Our policy documents address all aspects of safety management required for nursing homes and designated centres:
📋 Health and Safety Policy
The cornerstone of your safety management system. Details the commitments and responsibilities of all parties involved in creating and maintaining a safe working and living environment. This policy is dynamic, evolving in response to new risks and regulatory requirements.
👤 Lone Working Policy
Addresses the unique challenges staff face when working alone, particularly during unsociable hours or in less frequented areas of the facility. Establishes robust risk assessment processes and clear communication protocols to safeguard these employees.
💉 Management of Sharps and Needlestick Policy
Crucial for the safe handling and disposal of sharps. Sets stringent guidelines to prevent needlestick injuries and other sharps-related accidents, protecting the health and safety of both staff and residents.
🧠 Meeting the Needs of Residents with Challenging Behaviour Policy
Provides staff with strategies for managing residents who exhibit challenging behaviours, ensuring their care is handled with dignity and respect. Emphasises person-centred care and de-escalation techniques to maintain a calm environment.
🔌 Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) Policy
Ensures all portable electrical appliances are regularly inspected and maintained, reducing the risk of electrical hazards. Aligns with Health and Safety Authority guidelines to enhance safety in the nursing home environment.
📝 Incident Reporting Policy
Mandates a systematic approach to incident reporting, enhancing the nursing home’s ability to identify trends and implement corrective actions. Ensures compliance with HIQA standards and promotes a culture of continuous improvement.
⚠️ Risk Management Policy
Provides a structured approach to identifying and managing potential risks within the nursing home, ensuring compliance with Health and Safety Authority guidelines and enhancing overall safety.
🏋️ Manual Handling Policy
Establishes safe systems of work for all manual handling activities including resident transfers, equipment handling, and general lifting tasks. Includes assessment requirements and training obligations.
🦠 Infection Prevention and Control Policy
Comprehensive guidance on preventing and managing infections within the facility, including hand hygiene, personal protective equipment, outbreak management, and cleaning protocols.
🚭 Smoking and Vaping Policy
Manages smoking and vaping within the facility, designating specific areas for these activities to protect residents and staff from second-hand smoke while respecting resident choices.
🚗 Driving for Work Policy
Covers staff who drive as part of their duties, including vehicle checks, driver competency, and journey planning requirements.
😰 Stress Management Policy
Addresses work-related stress in healthcare environments, including recognition, prevention, and support measures for staff wellbeing.
Our Healthcare Health and Safety Policy Development Process
Initial Consultation and Needs Assessment
We discuss your facility, current documentation, regulatory requirements, and any specific concerns or HIQA findings that need addressing.
Site Visit and Document Review
A health and safety professional visits your premises to understand the building layout, operations, hazards, and existing documentation.
Policy Drafting
We prepare bespoke health and safety policies tailored to your facility, incorporating your specific layout, equipment, resident profile, and operational requirements.
Review and Approval
Draft policies are submitted for your review. We incorporate feedback and finalise documents for approval by the Person in Charge or Registered Provider.
Delivery and Implementation Support
Final policies delivered in editable format for ongoing updates. We provide guidance on implementation, staff communication, and integration with training programmes.
Legislative Framework for Healthcare Health and Safety Policies
- Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005: Requires employers to have documented safety management arrangements including policies and procedures for managing workplace hazards.
- General Application Regulations 2007: Provides detailed requirements for specific hazards including manual handling, display screen equipment, and personal protective equipment.
- HIQA National Standards: Requires designated centres to maintain documented policies and procedures covering all aspects of care and safety management.
- Health Act 2007: Establishes the regulatory framework for designated centres including governance and documentation requirements.
- Biological Agents Regulations 2013: Specific requirements for policies covering exposure to biological agents in healthcare settings.
- Chemical Agents Regulations 2001: Requirements for policies covering hazardous substances including cleaning chemicals and medications.
⚠️ Health and Safety Policy Development Insurance
Given the regulatory importance of health and safety policies in healthcare facilities, it is essential that your provider carries comprehensive professional indemnity insurance. Phoenix STS maintains comprehensive PI insurance specifically covering health and safety consultancy services for healthcare facilities, protecting your organisation should any deficiency in our work contribute to regulatory action.
Benefits of Phoenix STS Healthcare Health and Safety Policies
- Healthcare Expertise: Our consultants possess extensive knowledge of healthcare-specific health and safety requirements, HIQA expectations, and best practices for nursing homes and designated centres.
- Bespoke Documents: Every policy is tailored to your specific facility, not generic templates. Policies reflect your building layout, equipment, resident profile, and operational procedures.
- Regulatory Alignment: All policies are developed to meet current legislative requirements and HIQA expectations, with ongoing updates as regulations change.
- Integrated Approach: Health and safety policies integrate with your safety statement, risk assessments, and fire safety policies.
- Editable Formats: Policies delivered in editable formats allowing you to make updates as your facility changes, with version control guidance.
- Staff Training: Our comprehensive range of on-site and online courses supports implementation of your health and safety policies with CPD-certified training.
Healthcare Health and Safety Policies FAQs
What health and safety policies does a nursing home need?
At minimum, nursing homes need: a health and safety policy, manual handling policy, infection control policy, lone working policy, sharps management policy, incident reporting policy, risk management policy, and policies for any specific hazards in your facility. Additional policies may be required depending on your operations and HIQA expectations.
Are health and safety policies a legal requirement?
Yes. The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 requires employers to have documented safety management arrangements. For designated centres, HIQA requires documented policies and procedures covering all aspects of care and safety. HIQA inspectors expect to see written health and safety policies during registration and inspection visits.
How often should health and safety policies be reviewed?
Health and safety policies should be reviewed annually as a minimum, or whenever there are changes to your premises, operations, legislation, or following any incident or near miss. Following a HIQA inspection with findings, immediate policy review may be required. All policies should have clear version control and review dates.
Can we use template health and safety policies?
Generic template policies are not recommended for healthcare facilities. HIQA expects policies to be specific to your facility, reflecting your building layout, equipment, resident profile, and operational procedures. Template policies that do not reflect your actual arrangements may be challenged during inspection and provide inadequate protection in practice.
What is the difference between a policy and a procedure?
Policies set out what must be done and why, establishing principles and responsibilities. Procedures explain how to do it, providing step-by-step instructions. For example, your Manual Handling Policy establishes your commitment to safe handling and assigns responsibilities, while your Manual Handling Procedure provides the specific steps staff must follow when moving residents.
How do health and safety policies link to staff training?
Health and safety policies provide the foundation for staff training programmes. Policies define what staff must know and do, while training ensures they have the knowledge and skills to implement the policies effectively. Training records should demonstrate that staff have been trained on relevant policies and understand their responsibilities.
Do you provide policies for nursing home groups?
Yes. For nursing home groups, we can develop group-level policies establishing common standards alongside site-specific appendices reflecting each facility’s unique characteristics. This approach ensures consistency across your group while meeting the requirement for facility-specific documentation.
What format are the policies delivered in?
Policies are delivered in editable Microsoft Word format, allowing you to make updates as your facility changes. We include version control guidance and provide PDF versions for distribution. Policies can be integrated into your existing document management system or quality management framework.
Related Healthcare Health and Safety Services
Ensure Your Health and Safety Policies Meet HIQA Requirements
Contact Phoenix STS to discuss your healthcare health and safety policy requirements and discover how our bespoke policy documents can support your regulatory compliance and protect residents and staff.
Page last updated: January 2026
