Health & Safety Policy

The purpose of this policy is to ensure compliance with the Health & Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and other relevant statutory provisions. It serves as a foundational document for implementing My Doctor Shop Ltd's safety management system (SMS) based on the HSE's HSG65 'Managing for H&S' guidelines. The policy aims to create a healthy and safe environment for all individuals working at or visiting My Doctor Shop Ltd's premises.

It is the responsibility of every individual referencing this policy to ensure that they are accessing the latest version, which will be published on My Doctor Shop Ltd's Share Point platform.

My Doctor Shop Ltd is committed to taking all reasonably practicable measures to prevent injury, illness, and pollution arising from its operations. The company strives to minimize its environmental impact and has implemented a formal Environment, Health, and Safety (EHS) Management System. This system defines all processes to ensure legal compliance and support continuous improvement.

This policy reflects My Doctor Shop Ltd's dedication to prioritizing EHS at work, recognizing its significance to the business and its contribution to overall success.

1.1 Our Site uses cookies for the following purposes:

• - Chief Executive
• - Director of Developments
• - Corporate H&S Advisor

2.1 Our Site uses cookies for the following purposes:

The Chief Executive holds ultimate responsibility for:

• - Compliance with the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and other relevant statutory provisions.
• - Ensuring the preparation and dissemination of an up-to-date health and safety policy statement to all staff.
• - Implementing and maintaining the policy effectively throughout the Company
• - Appointing an Executive Director as the designated person responsible for health and safety across the Company.

2.2 Our Site uses cookies for the following purposes:

The Director of Developments has the following responsibilities:

• The Director of Developments has the following responsibilities:
• - Ensuring that the health and safety management arrangements reflect best practices and receiving periodic reports from the Corporate H&S Advisor on H&S activities across the Company.
• - Implementing and maintaining the policy effectively throughout the Company
• - Reporting on health and safety management matters to the Chief Executive and providing briefings to the Board as necessary.

2.3 Operations Directors

Operations Directors are responsible for:

• - Ensuring effective management of health and safety risks within their areas of responsibility through their senior managers
• - Ensuring that the health and safety management arrangements reflect best practices and receiving periodic reports from the Corporate H&S Advisor on H&S activities across the Company.
• - Considering health and safety issues as an integral part of business operations and allocating adequate resources for their achievement.
• - Establishing effective communication channels concerning health and safety across all sections of their respective operations
• - Periodically reviewing the health and safety performance of their services.

2.4 Unit Managers

Unit Managers have the following responsibilities:

• - Assisting Operations Directors in fulfilling their health and safety responsibilities.
• - Implementing the health and safety policy within their units and overseeing all matters relating to health, safety, and welfare in those areas.
• - Conducting periodic workplace inspections, rectifying unsafe conditions, and ensuring the removal or adequate control of hazards.
• - Ensuring appropriate training is provided to staff and others as necessary for safe working.
• - Conducting suitable and sufficient risk assessments, implementing control measures, and maintaining them.
• - Reporting and recording accidents/incidents and near misses, especially those under RIDDOR, and conducting thorough investigations and reviews.
• - Managing areas of concern through the Risk Register and OLAP.
• - Establishing effective staff consultation mechanisms for health and safety matters within their units.
• - Creating an open environment that encourages staff to raise and discuss health and safety issues.

2.5 Corporate Health & Safety Advisor

The Corporate Health & Safety Advisor is responsible for:

• - Acting as the Company's 'competent person' as required by Regulation 7 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
• - Implementing the health and safety policy within their units and overseeing all matters relating to health, safety, and welfare in those areas.
• - Providing advice and assistance to ensure compliance with statutory health and safety obligations.
• - Advising the Director of Developments and others on improving the company's health and safety management arrangements.
• - Periodically reporting the company's health and safety performance to the Director of Developments.
• - Maintaining the Company Health and Safety Policy, Health and Safety Manual, and other relevant documents.
• - Periodically monitoring, reviewing, or auditing the company's health and safety management arrangements to ensure effectiveness and appropriateness
• - Annually reporting monitoring findings to the Director of Developments.
• - Collaborating with Health and Safety Leads in each unit to promote a consistent approach to health and safety management across the Company.
• - Providing training, advice, and increasing health and safety awareness among staff.

2.6 Corporate Health & Safety Advisor

Health and Safety Leads have the following responsibilities:

• - Providing advice to staff and service users to maintain a safe working environment.
• - Offering guidance and support to promote a risk-aware culture and identify realistic solutions to health and safety problems.
• - Facilitating regular health and safety risk assessments and safety audits within their areas of responsibility.
• - Participating in health and safety training and educational requirements.
• - Ensuring incidents and near misses are reported through the appropriate channels.

2.7 All Employees

All employees must:

• - Take reasonable care of their own health and safety and that of others affected by their actions or omissions at work.
• - Avoid intentional or reckless interference or misuse of health, safety, or welfare-related equipment or resources.
• - Cooperate with relevant individuals and comply with health and safety policies, procedures, and risk control measures.
• - Use appropriate safety equipment and devices as required
• - Report hazards unknown to their managers or health and safety leads.
• - Immediately report accidents, incidents, near misses, or dangerous occurrences to their managers or health and safety leads, regardless of injuries.

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2.8 Contractors

Will:

• • Act in accordance with Company guidance on contractors with respect to the management of their health and safety.
• - Avoid intentional or reckless interference or misuse of health, safety, or welfare-related equipment or resources.
• - Cooperate with relevant individuals and comply with health and safety policies, procedures, and risk control measures.
• - Use appropriate safety equipment and devices as required
• - Report hazards unknown to their managers or health and safety leads.
• - Immediately report accidents, incidents, near misses, or dangerous occurrences to their managers or health and safety leads, regardless of injuries.

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3.1 Our Site uses cookies for the following purposes:

Health and safety training will be provided to all staff, including bank workers, as part of their induction and periodically as mandatory training, following the company's Training Policy CH 15. Additional specialist training necessary for staff with specific health and safety responsibilities will be identified through the risk assessment process, staff appraisals, and signposted in the health and safety manual. This may include training for roles such as Fire Wardens, First Aiders, and awareness programs for Legionella and Asbestos.

Training records will be maintained on eSMART by each Unit Manager.

3.2 Risk Assessment

Risk assessment is a crucial element of effective health and safety management. Unit Managers are responsible for ensuring that all significant hazards in their workplace or work activities under their control are suitably risk assessed and that subsequent risks are adequately controlled. These assessments should be reviewed annually and whenever there are changes in legislation, working practices, environmental conditions, accidents, near-misses, or indications that the assessment is no longer valid. The company's Health & Safety Manual contains relevant risk assessment procedures and associated documentation..

3.3 Risk Assessment

Units must identify hazards and risk exposures that are not currently being effectively managed or may cease to be so. A relevant entry should be made in the Unit Risk Register for such hazards. If a risk is identified as high or potentially having a major impact or being detrimental to service users, staff, or the organization, it must be reported to the Corporate Risk Manager (CRM). The CRM will monitor and review all high risks placed on the Unit Registers regularly to ensure progress is being made to reduce or eliminate the risks. Other health and safety risks on the local risk register should also be reviewed regularly until resolved.

3.4 Accident/Incident Reporting and Investigation

All accidents, incidents, and near-misses should be recorded, reported, and investigated in accordance with the company's Incident Reporting Policy. Each employee has the responsibility to report accidents or incidents they are party to or witness and should liaise with their Line Manager in this regard. The Line Manager should ensure that the company's accident/incident reporting form is completed for each instance. Managers will review all reported incidents/accidents that occur in their workplace and further investigate certain incidents, such as those that are more serious or frequent. The main purpose of the investigation is to learn lessons and reduce the likelihood of repeat events. After conducting an initial investigation of the accident/incident, the Unit Manager should update ePRIME and any relevant databases. All RIDDOR reportable incidents should be investigated, and the outcomes should be discussed at appropriate forums, such as H&S Meetings or Heads of Department, to provide timely feedback to all involved. The Unit Manager is responsible for reporting incidents to the Chief Operating Officer if there is likely to be an insurance claim, to the Health & Safety Executive for RIDDOR incidents (see RIDDOR guidance in Incident Reporting Policy), to the Care Quality Commission, and to the Corporate Health and Safety Advisor (for RIDDOR incidents) with a copy of the incident/accident report.

3.5 First Aid at Work

My Doctor Shop Ltd will ensure that adequate provision is made, based on the risk assessment process, to provide immediate assistance to employees suffering from potential injuries or illness associated with company undertakings. Rapid summoning of an ambulance or medical assistance should also be facilitated. The level of provision provided will be appropriate to the risks identified in each workplace risk assessment. All First Aiders will be competent in either First Aid at Work (FAW) or Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW) and hold valid certificates of training. Their names and locations will be prominently displayed in each workplace. More specific details are contained in policy HS 09 First Aid at Work.

3.6 Supporting Documentation

My Doctor Shop Ltd has several supporting documents available in the Health & Safety Manual, Estates Manual, and Company Handbook. These documents provide more detailed practical arrangements regarding health and safety issues. Some examples of these documents include policies and procedures for asbestos, management of contractors, business continuity, COSHH, fire safety, first aid, food hygiene, lone working, infection control, and management and control of Legionella. It is essential for all employees to familiarize themselves with the content of these documents to ensure a good understanding of all health and safety measures

3.7 Supporting Documentation

In certain high-risk activities, units may need to develop localized procedures. However, these procedures must be consistent with the company's Health and Safety policy and the Health and Safety Manual or Estates Manual.

3.8 Supporting Documentation

In certain high-risk activities, units may need to develop localized procedures. However, these procedures must be consistent with the company's Health and Safety policy and the Health and Safety Manual or Estates Manual.

• • Health and safety law poster and local contact notices (e.g., first aiders, fire marshals)
• • The company's Health & Safety, Estates, and Infection Control Manuals
• • SharePoint
• • Team briefings that occasionally contain health and safety information
• • Consultation between management and employees through regular meetings of the heads of department and the Staff Representative Committee, where health and safety issues are brought to the attention of the Unit Manager
• • Health and safety articles featured in My Doctor Shop Ltd
• • Internal and external safety alerts (e.g., from the Department of Health) to share good practices and disseminate important safety information
• • Ad-hoc newsletters
• • Health, Safety, and Well-being road-shows

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4.1 Pro-active monitoring: Workplace health and safety inspection

A workplace safety inspection is an effective way of identifying faults, hazards, and unsafe working practices. Unit Managers are responsible for ensuring that their ward/departmental managers conduct a workplace inspection of the premises under their control using the most current Workplace Inspection template found in the company's Health and Safety Manual. The frequency of inspection should be determined based on the risk presented by individual workplaces, but as a minimum, it should be completed at least annually. If any unsafe conditions are found during the inspection, the responsible person for that area must take effective action to remove those conditions from the workplace. The Unit Manager is ultimately responsible for ensuring that all issues arising from inspections are resolved to a satisfactory standard, whenever possible.

4.2 Reactive monitoring

Reactive monitoring involves monitoring injuries, ill-health, accidents, and incidents to identify their causes, learn lessons, and promote a reduction in future incidents.

The Corporate Health and Safety Advisor will conduct audits and inspections of sites across the company to assess the level of compliance with the company's Health and Safety policy and the effectiveness of risk control measures. The audit findings will be reported to each Unit Manager.