Kogs drive care home safety into top gear for Bupa

Bupa Care Services' pioneering range of key operating guides (KOGs)

have proved to be a huge hit with the company's care workers and have received the support of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

Bupa's KOGs are designed to remind care workers of the key considerations when performing critical daily activities and form a part of the company's drive to further improve safety and raise quality standards in the care homes sector, both in the UK and overseas.

Inspired by the safety guides found in the pockets of aircraft seats, each KOG provides clear and simple guidance on essential activities undertaken by care home staff each day - from fitting bedside rails, bathing and moving residents, to inducting new employees into their job.

Unlike training manuals, KOGs are not filed away on shelves, but are always close at hand in the areas where each activity takes place.

They are not intended to replace the formal training and manuals available to all Bupa staff, but are there to support staff in their day-to-day activities.

For example, medication safety KOGs are attached to medication trolleys, while guides to infection control will be close to every sink.

Initially six KOGs were developed by a project team of care home managers and staff, under the leadership of Kevin Roberts, Bupa Care Services' director of quality and compliance.

These were then trialled in 12 of the company's care homes across the country, with 250 care workers surveyed for their feedback.

The results were exceptional, with employees responding that the guides were factual, easy to follow and helped to prompt careful consideration, just when they needed them.

Bupa's Kevin Roberts explained: "The safety of our residents and staff is absolutely paramount for Bupa.

With KOGs, I wanted to provide our people with easily accessible, clear and simple reminders of Bupa's safety practices that would help and protect them in their roles without adding to paperwork.

KOGs have been developed by some of our most talented front line teams to ensure they remain practical.

"It was important to me that they would be highly visual in nature, all on one page and located close at hand for each key activity - to act as an at-a-glance reminder that could be understood by everyone, regardless of the user's first language", Roberts continued.

Due to the success of the first six KOGS, Bupa Care Services will be launching a further six guides in May, covering activities such wheelchair management, meal service and dehydration.

Chris Flint, principle inspector from the HSE said, "Any initiative that helps to raise standards for employees and residents in the care homes sector is welcomed by HSE.

These guides provide important information on some key safety issues in a way that is easy to understand.".

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