Sensory Loss

Unit 4222-204

Introduction to duty of care in health, social care or children’s and young people’s settings.

Outcome 1

Understand the implications of duty of care

1 Define the term ‘duty of care’.
2 describe how the duty of care affects own work role.


Duty of Care means the extent to which a healthcare provider must reasonably ensure that no harm comes to a patient under the provider’s care.

But a Duty to Care also means that governments, their bureaucracies, service organisations and individual service providers have a duty to take positive action to ensure the provision of health care services that are of a proper standard. This means that they comply with agreed upon written professional and generic standards of practice, evidence based practice, legislative obligations and appropriate government and organisational policies.

In practice, a Duty of Care means that all clinical and non-clinical staff, collectively and individually, have a responsibility to take reasonable steps to ensure mental health consumers are:
- Safe;
- Unharmed;
- Protected from abuse;
- Receive a standard of care and treatment that is evidence based;
- Receive a quality of care and treatment that complies with profession-specific and generic standards of practice.

If subject to the Mental Health Act, a duty of care exists to ensure that the above care is delivered, and that:
- Consumers are treated with respect and dignity;
- Consumers’ rights are protected and respected;
- The standards of care and treatment are equal to that of patients in the general healthcare system;
- Clinical compliance with all the provisions outlined under the Mental Health Act.

Delivering a proper duty of care requires the provision of a transparent level of accountability. Accountability means being responsible for your actions or inactions.
While clinical and non-clinical services have a legal duty of care, equally, all governments have a duty to care.

Duty of Care affects my role as a...