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Resources & Tools

Resources and Tools

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The Home Care and Community Health Support Pocketbook was created to bring awareness to several health and safety issues faced in home and community care.
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In long-term care it is increasingly apparent that who is on shift is just as important as how many staff are on shift. Quality care is difficult to achieve when we do not routinely engage with one another in a positive, or civil, manner.
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Safety A-Z
Programs & Services

Programs and Services

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Leading from the Inside Out
Our Programs
Leading from the Inside Out provides a safe space for leaders in continuing care to share their challenges and learn self-care practices.
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The Provincial Violence Prevention Curriculum is recognized as best-practice in violence prevention training for health care workers.
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Guidelines & Regulations

Guidelines and Regulations

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The Province has introduced a new masking policy for all healthcare workers who provide direct care effective immediately. Staff Requirements Visitor Guidance With an increase in viral respiratory illnesses (VRI) across the province, the Ministry of Health has introduced new masking measures to help control the spread of these illnesses. It's important to remember that […]
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Staff Requirements Visitor Guidance With an increase in viral respiratory illnesses (VRI) across the province, the Ministry of Health has introduced new masking measures to help control the spread of these illnesses. It's important to remember that masking is just one part of a comprehensive infection prevention and control (IPAC) strategy. To enhance your efforts, […]
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Guidelines and Regulations
Regulatory News

Health and Safety Matters special edition | Respiratory Season Reminders

January 15, 2025

The Province has introduced a new masking policy for all healthcare workers who provide direct care effective immediately.

Staff Requirements

  • Continuous medical masking by healthcare workers, visitors, contractors, and volunteers is required in patient care areas in healthcare facilities, programs, and services.
  • A patient care area is any area within a health care facility (including a contracted facility) where patients, residents, or clients are actively receiving care. This includes any other location where care is provided, such as home and community care locations (including a client’s home), waiting rooms, and emergency health services. 
  • It does not include locations such as administrative areas or private offices, which patients, residents, or clients do not generally access. Cafeterias, lunch and break rooms, research areas, engineering spaces, lecture halls, or areas where care is not provided, such as foyers, hallways, cafeterias, chapels and family rooms, are also not included. 

Visitor Guidance

  • Visitors are encouraged, but not mandated, to mask.
  • Visitors seeing multiple residents are required to mask.

With an increase in viral respiratory illnesses (VRI) across the province, the Ministry of Health has introduced new masking measures to help control the spread of these illnesses.

It's important to remember that masking is just one part of a comprehensive infection prevention and control (IPAC) strategy. To enhance your efforts, SafeCare BC offers a range of resources to support you.

Masking should be included as part of a robust infection prevention and control plan that includes:

  • Education and training
  • Respiratory and hand hygiene
  • Environmental cleaning and disinfection
  • Vaccination
  • Surveillance and monitoring
  • Communication

Resources

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Health and Safety Matters special edition | Respiratory Season Reminders

Featured Resources

Use the point of care assessment template below to identify the risks in each of the four boxes that may have lead to the resident becomeing responsive.
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Viral respiratory illness introduces a new series of risks that change the way healthcare workers must work. We have created a new tool — a viral respiratory-specific version of the Point of Care Assessment — to help you stay on top of your workplace safety. The Point of Care Assessment serves as an informal reminder, […]
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Working in continuing care can be like crossing the street – you might not always think about it, but there are risks and hazards to consider.
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Workers in healthcare are at greater risk of exposure to infectious diseases, and preventive action is required for any infectious disease found in the workplace.
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Use this checklist to help you create an exposure control plan for infectious diseases.
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All workers in B.C. are potentially vulnerable to infectious diseases. This book describes common communicable and zoonotic diseases, how they are spread, and steps to take to protect workers.
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Reducing exposure to communicable diseases involves considering the hierarchy of controls for infection prevention to eliminate or minimize exposure in the workplace. The first step to reducing exposure is identifying and assessing tasks that may result in exposure to communicable diseases. Be sure to involve staff and your JOHS Committee or OHS representative in this […]
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Reducing exposure to communicable disease involves considering the hierarchy of controls for infection prevention to eliminate or minimize exposure in the workplace. The first step to reducing exposure in your care home is to identify and assess tasks that may result in exposure to communicable disease. Be sure to involve staff and your JOHS Committee […]
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Starting at $12
In this course, you will learn about infection prevention practices for continuing care workplaces. 
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Safety Huddle
Handwashing
Learn to follow proper hand washing procedures.
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Learn why visitors may experience different emotions as restrictions are lifted and be able to respond appropriately if confronted.
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Safety Topic
Vaccination
When caring for vulnerable populations, we have an extra responsibility to prevent the spread of communicable diseases. Employers and employees have a shared responsibility to prevent the spread of diseases in the workplace and avoid causing harm to residents and clients.
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In other news

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We strive to empower those working in the continuing care sector to create safer, healthier workplaces by fostering a culture of safety through evidence-based education, leadership, and collaboration.
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