Well done, you made the correct decision.
In your reflective activity, you should have covered all of these points:
- You realise that you made a mistake when you countersigned for John and did not tell anyone about it.
- Telling your senior that you signed for medication that you did not witness being administered to the resident is the right thing to do now. This is information the resident’s medical team needs to know.
- This might not be the first time John has asked colleagues to countersign when they have not seen him administer controlled drugs. He could do it again. This puts more residents at risk of harm.
- If controlled drugs have not been administered to residents and no-one knows what has happened to the missing drugs, the police may become involved.
- Your decision making shows that you need to learn more about the standards expected of you as a social service worker. These include being honest and trustworthy. You are expected to communicate with your team in an open and accurate way.
- The SSSC Code of Practice for Social Service Workers says that you are expected to understand when to inform your employer if you see colleagues doing things that may be unsafe, or that adversely affect standards of care.
- You should read the relevant National Occupational Standards for Social Service Workers in adult care settings. These standards say that you should check and confirm that someone in your care actually takes their medication.
- You have a duty to report any acts or omissions in care that could be damaging to individuals. Keeping accurate and up to date records is important. If you need more training on this area of work, speak to your supervisor about it.
- When you countersigned for John and did not tell your supervisor, you were not meeting the standards expected of a social service worker. You are now doing the right thing but you need to learn more about your role to prevent this happening again.
When John asked you to countersign for medication that you did not witness being administered, the right thing to do was to refuse to sign and immediately report the incident to the senior on shift. You can find out more about why this was the right option here.
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