Well done, you made the correct decision.
In your reflective activity, you should have covered all of these points:
- You did the right thing when you refused to countersign for John. However, by not reporting the incident immediately to a senior on shift you placed the resident at risk from harm. No-one except John knows whether she actually took her medication. You have also given John an opportunity to forge your signature without your knowledge. If a colleague behaves in a way you think is unsafe, do leave it to them to report it.
- You are being honest with your senior. It is the right thing to do, but you should have reported this sooner. It was essential to report John immediately. This might not be the first time he has asked colleagues to countersign when they have not seen him administer controlled drugs. This puts more residents at risk of harm.
- If controlled drugs have not been administered to residents and are missing, 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 taking actions 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.
- Keeping accurate and up to date records is important. You also have a duty to report any acts or omissions in care that could be damaging to individuals. If you need more training on this area of work, speak to your supervisor about it.
- When you did not tell your senior immediately about John’s behaviour, you were not meeting the standards expected of a social service worker. You need to take responsibility for this incident and 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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