Compliance

Red-tape, jumping through hoops, meeting legislative requirements - call it what you will, but you can't ignore it.

There are a range of regulatory requirements with which veterinary practices must comply, and the reality is there will likely be more rather than less in time to come. 

You may (or may not) like to ask yourself these questions:

• Am I meeting my obligations with regards to Workplace Health & Safety?  How do I know if I am?
• How do I feel if an officer from one of the authorities visits the clinic tomorrow unannounced?
• Am I meeting my obligations in relation to employment-related legislation?  How exposed am I in this regard if one of my staff resigns, or if I feel that I need to make them redundant?
• Do I have an Occupational Health & Safety manual that details specific risks and policies e.g. managing sharps, dangerous drugs, radiation?
• What is the clinic's exposure If a customer slips over in the clinic and injures themselves?
• What is the clinic's exposure If one of my nurses gets a needle-stick injury or zoonosis?  Do I have appropriate risk management and incident reporting mechanisms?
• Are new staff being properly inducted with regard to Occupational Health & Safety and Industrial Relations requirements?

So how can we make life a little easier for owners and managers in this regard?  We believe there are some fundamental steps that can be taken by owners and managers that will go a long way towards meeting the clinic's compliance obligations:

• Ensure that you have on hand the necessary policies, procedures and technical information required by the relevant legislative bodies
• Ensure that staff have demonstrable access to this information
• Implement some means of maintaining an audit trail of actions taken on a regular basis that meet and implement the legislative requirements (so that even in the event of an incident you are able to show that all reasonable measures have been taken to mitigate risk)

Through its integrated document management and task management framework, Standard Practice provides a comprehensive means of meeting and managing these otherwise daunting compliance requirements.  Furthermore, taking a proactive and practical approach to putting compliance requirements into place on a day-to-day basis may even provide real operational benefits to the clinic - as well as ensuring that you are meeting compliance requirements.

 

Imagine... 

• Compliance becoming "standard practice" as part of your day-to-day processes
• Reduced risk and commercial exposure
• Being comfortable with a visit from any regulatory body
• Being confident in your position as an employer
• “Sleep at night” factor knowing that compliance issues are being addressed
• A more valuable and saleable business

Interested in finding out more? Give us a call, have us call you, or let us show you how we can help you reduce the pain associated with compliance.

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