Healthcare Health & Safety Policies
Bespoke H&S Policies for Nursing Homes - HIQA-Aligned - Section 20 Compliant - PI Insured
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Talk to our healthcare safety team. We write bespoke policy documents for your nursing home or designated centre.
Bespoke Health & Safety Policies for Irish Nursing Homes
Phoenix STS writes bespoke health and safety policies for nursing homes and healthcare facilities across Ireland. Section 20 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 requires every employer to prepare a written safety statement. That statement must be based on the hazards you identify and the risks you assess under Section 19. In plain terms: if you employ staff, you must put your safety arrangements in writing. The Health and Safety Authority can act against you if you do not. HIQA expects more again. The National Standards for Residential Care Settings look for a full set of health and safety policies covering every part of the care environment. Our CMIOSH-qualified consultants write policies around your home's actual hazards, staffing and daily routines. Each policy meets the General Application Regulations 2007 and stands up to HIQA inspection.
Why Your Nursing Home Needs H&S Policies
Legal Requirement
The 2005 Act makes a written safety statement compulsory for every employer. Section 20 says the statement must record the hazards found, the risks assessed and the protective measures taken. Section 19 requires the risk assessment behind it. Put simply: without a written statement you are breaking the law, and the Health and Safety Authority can take enforcement action.
HIQA Expectations
HIQA inspectors look for health and safety policies written for your specific home. They assess this under Regulation 5, which covers governance and management. Generic template policies come up again and again as a failing in inspection reports. Inspectors want proof that policies match your home, are reviewed often and are known to every member of staff.
Resident & Staff Protection
Good policies protect vulnerable residents. They set clear steps for managing falls, medication errors, infection and manual handling injuries. They protect staff too. Safe working practices, training rules and incident reporting all sit in one place. The result is a safer home for everyone.
Documentation Management
Well-structured policies give you one system for safety records, training logs, incident reports and compliance evidence. That paper trail proves due diligence. It matters to HIQA inspectors, the HSA, your insurer and your solicitor if an incident or claim ever arises.
Insurance Compliance
Insurers now often ask for written health and safety policies before they cover a healthcare facility. Complete, current policies show you manage risk well. They can help your premium. Missing policies can lead to exclusions or a refused claim.
Operational Framework
Policies keep safety consistent across every shift and department. New staff are inducted against them. Agency staff can check them. Managers use them to monitor compliance and keep raising standards.
Healthcare H&S Policies We Provide
Safety Management Policy
An overarching policy that states your commitment to health and safety. It sets out who is responsible for safety at every level, from the board to individual staff. It also covers staff consultation, hazard identification, risk assessment and ongoing review.
Manual Handling Policy
A policy that meets Chapter 4 of the General Application Regulations 2007. In practice, that chapter obliges you to assess and reduce every lifting and moving task. Our policy covers resident transfers, repositioning, assisted bathing and mechanical aids. It also sets rules for training, equipment checks and residents whose handling needs change.
Infection Prevention & Control
A practical policy covering hand hygiene, protective equipment, sharps, clinical waste, laundry and outbreak management. It also addresses antimicrobial stewardship. Everything is aligned with HSE and HIQA guidance for residential care settings.
Lone Working Policy
A policy for night staff and anyone who works without direct supervision. It covers risk assessment of lone tasks, check-in routines, communication and emergency response. It also deals with foreseeable risks such as challenging behaviour and medical emergencies.
Workplace Hazard Policies
Targeted policies for the hazards your risk assessment finds. These include slips, trips and falls, display screen equipment, stress, electricity, and violence and aggression. They also cover chemical safety under the Chemical Agents Regulations 2001, the rules that govern how you store and use cleaning chemicals. Each policy is written for your home's own hazard profile.
Safety Management Policy
An overarching policy that states your commitment to health and safety. It sets out who is responsible for safety at every level, from the board to individual staff. It also covers staff consultation, hazard identification, risk assessment and ongoing review.
Manual Handling Policy
A policy that meets Chapter 4 of the General Application Regulations 2007. In practice, that chapter obliges you to assess and reduce every lifting and moving task. Our policy covers resident transfers, repositioning, assisted bathing and mechanical aids. It also sets rules for training, equipment checks and residents whose handling needs change.
Infection Prevention & Control
A practical policy covering hand hygiene, protective equipment, sharps, clinical waste, laundry and outbreak management. It also addresses antimicrobial stewardship. Everything is aligned with HSE and HIQA guidance for residential care settings.
Lone Working Policy
A policy for night staff and anyone who works without direct supervision. It covers risk assessment of lone tasks, check-in routines, communication and emergency response. It also deals with foreseeable risks such as challenging behaviour and medical emergencies.
Workplace Hazard Policies
Targeted policies for the hazards your risk assessment finds. These include slips, trips and falls, display screen equipment, stress, electricity, and violence and aggression. They also cover chemical safety under the Chemical Agents Regulations 2001, the rules that govern how you store and use cleaning chemicals. Each policy is written for your home's own hazard profile.
What We Deliver
Safety Management Policy
A full safety management framework for your home. It defines leadership duties, staff consultation, safety committee terms of reference, and how you monitor and improve safety performance.
Risk Assessment Policies
Policies that set your method for finding hazards, assessing risks, applying controls and reviewing the results. They cover routine assessments and dynamic assessment of new or changing hazards.
Manual Handling Policy
A healthcare-specific policy for every patient handling task in your home. It covers hoists, slide sheets, stand aids and other equipment. It includes clear steps for assessing each resident's handling needs and updating care plans.
H&S Risk Assessments
Risk assessments carried out by our CMIOSH-qualified consultants under Section 19 of the 2005 Act. These give your safety statement and policies a solid evidence base.
Safety Statements
A bespoke safety statement prepared under Section 20 of the 2005 Act. It builds in your risk assessment findings, your protective measures and your safety management arrangements.
H&S Consultancy
Ongoing access to CMIOSH-qualified consultants. We review policies, answer compliance queries, support incident investigations, and prepare you for HIQA inspections and HSA audits.
Healthcare Facilities We Serve
Nursing Homes
Bespoke policies for private and voluntary nursing homes. We cover the core care hazards: manual handling, infection control, medication management and fall prevention.
Hospitals
Policy services for public and private hospitals. We cover the demands of acute settings, including theatres, emergency departments and diagnostic facilities.
Disability Services
Tailored policies for residential and day services for people with intellectual or physical disabilities. We address hazards such as behaviour that challenges, sensory environments and individual care activities.
Mental Health
Specialist policies for approved mental health centres. We cover ligature risks, self-harm prevention and secure environments, while keeping space for therapeutic freedom.
Respite Care
Policies for respite services. We address changing resident groups, fast induction of short-stay residents and clear safety information for service users.
Day Care
Policies for day care centres. We cover activity risks, transport, kitchens and dining, and the needs of attendees who visit for part of the day.
Hospices
Sensitive policies for hospice settings. We balance rigorous safety management with a homelike, dignified environment for residents and families.
Designated Centres
HIQA-aligned policies for every category of designated centre under the Health Act 2007. In plain terms: if HIQA registers your centre, these policies help you show compliance at inspection.
Our Process
From initial consultation to final delivery.
Consultation
We start with a detailed conversation about your home. We cover size, layout, services, staffing, resident profile and existing documents. We also discuss anything HIQA raised at previous inspections or internal audits.
Site Visit
Our CMIOSH-qualified consultants walk your building. We watch work in practice, review current policies, inspect the premises, and talk to staff and managers. The policies we write then match how your home really runs.
Policy Drafting
We draft each policy from scratch using our site findings. Every document reflects your hazards, procedures and staffing arrangements. All policies align with the 2005 Act, the General Application Regulations 2007 and HIQA standards.
Review & Approval
You review the drafts with your management team. We take your feedback, make revisions and finalise each document only when you are satisfied.
Delivery & Implementation
You receive the final policies in digital and printed form. We run a handover meeting on implementation, staff communication, training, and the review cycle that keeps policies current.
Consultation
We start with a detailed conversation about your home. We cover size, layout, services, staffing, resident profile and existing documents. We also discuss anything HIQA raised at previous inspections or internal audits.
Site Visit
Our CMIOSH-qualified consultants walk your building. We watch work in practice, review current policies, inspect the premises, and talk to staff and managers. The policies we write then match how your home really runs.
Policy Drafting
We draft each policy from scratch using our site findings. Every document reflects your hazards, procedures and staffing arrangements. All policies align with the 2005 Act, the General Application Regulations 2007 and HIQA standards.
Review & Approval
You review the drafts with your management team. We take your feedback, make revisions and finalise each document only when you are satisfied.
Delivery & Implementation
You receive the final policies in digital and printed form. We run a handover meeting on implementation, staff communication, training, and the review cycle that keeps policies current.
Legislative Framework
Our policies are built on the Irish legislation that applies to your home. The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 sets the general duties. The General Application Regulations 2007 add detailed rules on specific hazards. The Health Act 2007 and HIQA's National Standards govern designated centres. In plain terms: every policy you receive can be traced back to the law that requires it.
Why Choose Phoenix STS
HIQA Specialists
Around 60-65% of our clients are in the healthcare sector. We know HIQA standards in depth, and we know exactly what inspectors look for in policy documentation.
BEng Engineers
Our team includes BEng Fire Engineering qualified professionals. The fire safety elements of your policy suite are technically sound and match current standards.
CPD Provider
We are an accredited CPD Standards Office training provider. We can pair your policies with certified staff training in health and safety, manual handling and fire safety awareness.
25+ Years
Phoenix STS has over 25 years of experience and around 290 clients across Ireland. That depth of experience covers Irish health and safety law and healthcare regulation.
Nationwide
We serve healthcare facilities in all 26 counties of Ireland from our offices in Longford, Sligo and Dublin.
PI Insured
Professional indemnity insurance covers all our work, including policy drafting. You can rely on the quality and standing of every document.
Nationwide Availability
Phoenix STS provides healthcare health and safety policy services across all 26 counties. We work with homes in Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and everywhere in between.
Not a healthcare provider? See our health and safety policies service for workplaces in every other sector.
Related Services
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about healthcare H&S policies.
It is a written document that sets out how your home manages health and safety risks. It names who is responsible for safety, lists the hazards in your home, and sets the procedures that protect residents, staff and visitors.
Yes. Under Section 20 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, every employer with three or more employees must prepare a written safety statement. The statement must be based on the Section 19 risk assessment. Smaller employers may be able to follow a code of practice instead. HIQA also expects full health and safety policies under its governance and management standards. In short: written policies are not optional for a registered centre.
HIQA's National Standards for Residential Care Settings require effective governance and management in every designated centre. That includes a full set of health and safety policies. Inspectors check that policies fit your home, are reviewed regularly, are known to staff and are followed in practice.
Most nursing homes need policies for safety management, manual handling, infection prevention and control, lone working, violence and aggression, chemical safety, medication management and fall prevention. Your Section 19 risk assessment may add others.
Review each policy at least once a year. Review sooner if the workplace changes, after an accident or dangerous occurrence, when new legislation or guidance appears, or when HIQA flags an issue at inspection.
Section 20 is the part of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 that deals with the safety statement. It says the statement must build on your Section 19 risk assessment, record your protective and preventive measures, and be brought to staff attention at least once a year. In practice: it is the document the HSA asks for first.
Bespoke, always. We do not use generic templates. We draft every policy from scratch after a site visit and consultation. The finished documents match your hazards, layout, staffing and routines. HIQA regularly criticises generic templates in inspection reports.
A full policy suite usually takes 3 to 6 weeks from the site visit. That covers the first draft, your review, revisions and final delivery. We can move faster when you are under time pressure.
Yes. Our professional indemnity insurance covers every policy document we produce. Our advice and documentation carry financial protection behind them.
Yes. We serve healthcare facilities in all 26 counties from our offices in Longford, Sligo and Dublin. That includes nursing homes, hospitals, disability services and every other category of designated centre.
Yes. We prepare your policies, risk assessments, safety statement, training records and supporting documents for inspection. We can also run a pre-inspection gap analysis to find and fix shortfalls first.
Our health and safety consultants are CMIOSH chartered members of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health. Our fire safety team includes BEng Fire Engineering qualified professionals. Both sides of your policy suite are written to a high professional standard.
Get Bespoke Health & Safety Policies for Your Nursing Home
Protect your residents, staff, and facility with HIQA-aligned health and safety policies from Phoenix STS.