I'm sorry, you've made the wrong decision.
In your reflective activity, you should have covered all of these points:
- Warning John is not the right thing to do. You are now placing residents at risk of harm by withholding information about what happened. The right thing to do now is to speak honestly to your senior.
- You did the right thing when you refused to countersign for John. However, by not immediately reporting the incident to a senior on shift no-one knows whether the resident took her medication. You also gave John an opportunity to forge your signature without your knowledge. If a colleague is behaving in a way you think is unsafe, you should not leave it to them to report it. When you saw that John had forged your signature, you should have reported it.
- This new information suggests a worrying pattern of behaviour. It now seems that this was not the first time he has asked colleagues to countersign when they have not seen him administer controlled drugs. This means more residents have been put 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 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.
- 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.
- By saying nothing, you are not meeting the standards expected of a social service worker. You need to speak honestly to a senior, take responsibility for your part in what has happened 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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