HEALTH CARE SUPPORT SERVICES LTD DRAYTON ROAD SHAWBURY SHROPSHIRE SY4 4NZ Tel: 01939 251342 Email: office@healthcaresupportservices.co.uk www.healthcaresupportservices.co.uk Courage Commitment Communication Caring Competence Compassion COMMUNICATION

Welcome to Health Care Support Services

May I take this opportunity to thank you for Choosing our company.

The company was established in 2002 by me to assist people in remaining at home with support.

I was a Registered General Nurse for twenty years; I also was a Registered Manager for a Nursing Home.

We are a family orientated company whose objective is to provide a Quality service to our clients.

We encourage your feedback to assist us in maintaining a good relationship during your time with us.

Kind regards

Pearl

Pearl Williams

Registered Provider Manager

This document is required for compliance to regulation 5 of part 1 of the domiciliary care agency Regulations 2001

CONTENTS

Welcome

How to contact us

Introduction

Aims and Objectives

Hours of Operation

Night Services

Geographical Area

Standards you can Expect From us

Quality of service

Compliment, Comments and Complaints

External Inspections

Overview of the Planning Process

Short Notice Service

The service we Provide

Services we are Not able to Provide

Confidentiality

Our Principles:

.End of Life Care

Preferred Priorities of Care

Your Protection

.Money and Shopping

Bequests and Wills

Gifts and Hospitality

Assistance with Medication

Safe Keeping of Keys

Securing your Home

Main Terms and Conditions

WELCOME

This Service Users Guide has been compiled in order to provide you with information

To enable you in making an informed decision on whether you feel we are able to meet your specific care needs at home.

This guide gives you information about what you can expect and what to do if you are unhappy with the service you are receiving.

We are regulated by The Care Quality Commission (CQC).

How to contact us: -

Health Care Support Services Ltd Telephone: - 01939 251342

Drayton road

Shawbury

Shropshire Mobile: - 0748335510 (‘out of hours’)

SY4 4NZ

We operate within 12 Mile Radius of Shawbury

Please Note: If you are generally feeling unwell or have had an accident you should either contact your own GP or call 999 in an emergency.

Please also note that ‘out of hours’ services is intended to deal with urgent matters relating to the delivery of care and is not available to take advanced bookings or cancellations. The reason for this is to ensure that telephone lines are kept as free as possible for emergency situations with Service users.

3. Introduction: -

HEALTH CARE SUPPORT SERVICES is a Domiciliary Care Agency which has been established since 2002 to respond to the needs of our service users on a 24-hour basis.

Our service users are those who, because of increasing age or disability, find it difficult to cope with domestic responsibilities and their own personal care needs.

We provide care services to both the private and public sectors, and your needs for care & support are identified through an assessment; this may involve the Care Manager from the Local Authority.

We are an independent care agency providing care to our service users in their own home environment on a one-to-one basis.

Our services are designed to help people to remain as independent as possible and designed for adults over 18, whether it is an occasional visit for companionship or daily assistance with practical tasks like washing, dressing and help with mealtimes or medication and are undertaken by our team of trained and experienced staff.

Our Statement of Purpose outlines the care we provide and should be used in conjunction with this Service Users Guide. Both documents are available to all new prospective Service Users, family members and other relevant ‘interested parties’ with an interest in using our care service.

OUR AIMS & OBJECTIVES (STATEMENT OF PURPOSE):

We aim to provide our service users with a comprehensive care service of the highest quality within their own home environment. We strive to offer a flexible, efficient, and professional service which is tailored to meet each person’s individual needs.

We will treat each service user with respect and remain sensitive to his / her individual needs and abilities and aim to promote the service user’s independence and personal dignity.

We will assist our clients in a holistic approach to service delivery, this will ensure that the individuality of each person’s plan of care is developed to put the person at the centre of care within their preferred life style, enabling them to live safely and as independently as possible.

The ultimate aim is to continually provide a superior, flexible, and personalised home care service to work in partnership in meeting your individual needs.

STANDARDS YOU CAN EXPECT

We will keep you (or someone acting on your behalf) fully involved in discussions about your care and support package.

We will ensure that all the tasks listed within your support plan are carried out.

Support workers will arrive at your home as near as possible to the time stated within your care plan. If, however, they are delayed by an emergency or road conditions, every effort will be made to contact you or the person acting on your behalf.

The Team will always be polite and courteous .

Our Support workers will wear a Navy blue with white piping tunic and carry a photo identification card.

Staff are expected to show the utmost respect for your home, belongings, and personal preferences.

We will respect your rights and dignity and promote your independence to your ability requirements.

All our Staff will have the knowledge, skills and competence to carry out all tasks specified within your care plan.

To provide and maintain a service which complies with and wherever possible exceeds current legislation.

We will provide continuity of service to our Service Users.

We will keep all your personal and financial matters strictly confidential.

All data collected will follow GDPR regulatory requirements.

6.YOUR CHARTER OF RIGHTS:

We respect the right of each service user to lead as independent and fulfilling life as possible. We have set out a Service User’s Charter of Rights which we believe should be the minimum entitlement for each service user. Our Care Staff are sensitive to, and will observe, the following standards which we have identified:

It is the right of each service user to make informed choices and to take risks; there is a certain amount of risk associated with each aspect of our lives.

Each service user is an individual with individual needs, wants and desires. This individuality will be recognised and respected to ensure promotion and maintenance of the service user’s dignity and self-worth.

Each service user, as an individual, has the right to fulfil his / her potential for personal choice of lifestyle and opportunities.

Each service user has the right to a Care Service that does not discriminate on the basis of race or ethnic origin, creed, colour, religion, political affiliation, disability or impairments, marital status, parenthood, sexual gender or sexual orientation.

Each service user has the right of access to their personal Care Records, and to annotate them accordingly. He / she has the right to be consulted with respect to the Care Services provided and to be involved in on-going reviews of the same. Where, for reasons of mental frailty, the service user is unable to make his / her wishes known directly, an appointed advocate may fulfil this purpose.

Each service user has the right to details of the Contract with respect to the Care Services offered, including the costs involved.

Each service user has the right to be assured that no personal or confidential information concerning their affairs will be disclosed to a third party without their express permission.

Each service user has the right to complain about any element of the Care Service, and to do so without fear of any intimidation, recrimination or reprisals.

Each service user has the right to be informed in advance of any changes in hours of duty by the Care Worker, or even a change in the Care Worker, as a result of emergencies. Reference clause above the service user retains the right not to accept substitute Care Workers into their home, though they will be informed of the implications of this with respect to the Organisation being unable to provide continuity of care.

7.OUR QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM:

We have embodied quality in our way of life and in everything we do.

We define “quality” as delivering a service of care appropriate to each individual service user’s needs. We have a comprehensive Self-Assessment System which requires all of our Policies and work practices to be audited at least annually to ensure that we maintain the standards we have set ourselves. Any “non-conforming” areas are corrected and reviewed for any other action that we may need to take to ensure that the problem is not repeated in the future.

8. HOW WE MAINTAIN OUR STANDARDS:

POLICIES:

Every aspect of running and managing our business is set out in a comprehensive set of specific Policy documents. These Policies ensure that we meet the statutory requirements for running a Domiciliary Care Service, and cover all aspects of staffing, managing, caring for our service users, and the preservation of health and safety standards where appropriate. All of our Policies are regularly reviewed to ensure that they are kept up-to-date and in line with latest legislation and regulations.

Our master Policy Manual is held at our offices but may be consulted at any time upon request or you may request copies of any specific policies which your carer can bring to you.

9. EXTERNAL INSPECTIONS:

In addition to our own Self-Assessments we also receive regular inspections from the Registration Authority to ensure that we are operating as we should. Copies of the latest inspection reports may be consulted upon request.

. Quality Assurance process:

We will use a number of methods to monitor our performance and gather feedback on the service we provide which includes the following.

Questionnaires will be given to families and Service Users where appropriate for them to provide feedback on their experiences of working with our; Annual Customer feedback survey in order to form a detailed picture of how our service is performing and what challenges and opportunities we face as a business.

The survey will also look at what areas we can focus on to improve the service we provide. In addition to these methods, Health Care Support Services will keep stakeholders informed of the care package we are providing, so they can freely communicate their views with us and gain feedback about the service they are receiving and how this can be reviewed. Every member of our Staff Team is expected to demonstrate a total commitment to quality and quality improvement in every aspect of their working day.

Our dedicated Management Team will also undertake a quality control check on all our Care Team. This will also involve them visiting and assessing our Care Team on duty to monitor the support we deliver. If this visit is planned to take place in your home, we will contact you to discuss this and seek your consent.

10 STATEMENT OF PURPOSE:

Part of the Policy documentation that we are obliged to have in place is a “Statement of Purpose”.

This is a summary of our Organisation, the services that we offer, fees charged and the staff that perform care duties.

Should you wish to consult this document, please ask a member of staff.

11 CONFIDENTIALITY:

Our Care Staff are all bound by a Code of Conduct which includes preserving the confidentiality of any information that you divulge to us. We will not actively seek confidential information from you unless we feel that it is in your best interests, i.e. to enable us to prepare a better Care Plan for you. Where we do have such information, we undertake not to disclose any of it to an unauthorised third party without your express permission, except in an emergency or crisis situation. When this happens, we will always keep you informed of any discussions that have taken place and this will be recorded in your care records to which you may have access at any time.

12.ABOUT OUR STAFF:

OUR STAFF TEAM:

We have an excellent team of highly skilled professional care staff to look after you. Each carer undergoes continuous training that ensures that we deliver the highest quality services to you. This training includes appropriate Health & Safety issues such as Food Hygiene, Lifting & Handling and Handling Hazardous Substances.

YOUR CARERS:

We recognise that your carer is somebody with whom you can form a special friendship, and for this reason we take great care in selecting a staff member with whom you feel completely comfortable. This is only done with your full consent, and you are free to ask for a change in carer at any time if you so desire it.

13. THE SERVICES WE PROVIDE:

WHAT WE OFFER:

We provide quality individual care to each of our service users in their own home environment. According to need we are able to provide a tailored package of care for you which can include some or all of the following:

Helping with personal tasks.

Helping you to prepare meals and to eat them.

Helping you to clean your home, and to do the laundry.

Helping with arranging your shopping needs, and if necessary, do the shopping.

Helping you with arranging social events in your life.

Making sure you are aware of the need to take any medicines that may have been prescribed for you.

Helping you to look after your pets.

There are, however, some things we are not allowed to do for you, and these will be explained to you in your Contract for Care.

14. HOW WE DELIVER THE CARE SERVICE:

The process of developing a Plan of Care to look after you begins when we are approached to see if we can provide the care you need. Trained staff will visit you at your home to assess you and determine what your needs may be. At the same time, we perform a simple assessment of your home environment to identify any areas of undue risk to you. From this we develop your personal Care Plan. As we explained, this Care Plan is continuously reviewed and changed to make sure that it continues to meet your needs. Your personal carer is then assigned with your full consent.

PERSONAL CARE:

Your carer will be able to undertake personal care services such as helping you to get up

in the morning, washing, dressing, toileting, bed-making, helping you to go to bed at night,

The carer can also help you to take any medicines that have been prescribed for you by

your doctor, subject to certain limitations which will be explained to you.

PREPARATION OF MEALS & SNACKS:

Your carer will prepare your breakfast, your mid-day meal, evening meal or supper, and any other snacks and drinks that you may need during the day.

The carer will be able to sit with you if you require (if during the time allocated for you to have your meals) for conversation or companionship purposes.

PERSONAL SERVICES:

Your carer can help you with personal tasks such as preparing shopping lists and doing the shopping for you, help you to manage personal affairs such as birthdays and other anniversaries, and with your permission can collect your pension for you. Your exact needs will have been identified when your Care Plan is developed.

DOMESTIC & HOME HELP SERVICES:

Your carer will be willing to undertake light domestic tasks such as vacuuming, dusting and general cleaning, washing up, and personal laundry. The carer can also help with managing your fuel supplies, subject to certain restrictions which will be discussed with you when your Care Plan is drawn up.

CARE PLANS & RECORDS:

A Care Plan, or Service User Plan, is the key document for your care. We will have assessed areas of risk and identified your needs, and this is recorded on your Care Plan. We then decide how our staff can properly meet these needs, and this forms your plan of care. Care planning is continuously reviewed because people’s needs change, sometimes on a daily basis, and we have to respond to these changes to make sure that we’re delivering the right care. We will always seek your opinions and input when developing the Care Plan, and making changes or amendments to it, to ensure that you are fully satisfied with your care.

We also recognise the value in involving your family members, relatives and friends in your Care Plan, and we will always (with your permission) invite your family and friends to participate in the care planning process.

As we start to work for you, we will be generating records of visits and

tasks performed on a daily basis. You have the right to have access to these Care Plans and records at any time. Please understand that your carer will need to notify our office of any changes in your condition, or any accidents that you may have had, to ensure that we maintain the best care options for you.

15. VISITING YOU AT YOUR HOME:

When our staff attend your home, they will always be wearing a uniform……

Navy Blue Tunic with white piping together with an appropriate Identification Badge with

Photograph so that he / she is easily identifiable to you.

They will knock and not try to gain entry without your permission.

Wherever we are entrusted with the keys to your home, staff will always

knock when using the key so that you know who is calling.

Carers attending you at your home will not at any time be accompanied by partners, children, friends, or pets. If at any time your carer is unable to attend, we will always telephone you with the name of the replacement carer.

TIME SHEETS:

When your carer visits you in your home, they need to record the amount of time

spent with you and the tasks they have undertaken for you in accordance with your

agreed plan of care, using Electronic Real Time Monitoring systems:

At the start of each visit the carer will call a special number on the telephone to “log in”. The carer will do this again at the end of the visit to “log out” so that we have an accurate picture of the exact time spent with you. The carer will normally be able to make these telephone calls using their own mobile, but occasionally they may need to use a “land-line” telephone to make this call and it would be appreciated if your own telephone could be used. Please be assured that you are not charged for any calls - the system is set up so that telephone billing comes directly to us.

Your co-operation in this respect will be appreciated.

16. PETS:

Subject to A Risk assessment, your carer will be able to feed your pet, and exercise it if needed.

17.CARE AT NIGHT:

We can offer you a flexible service in respect of caring for you at night:

Night duty - awake - this service is for service users who

require frequent attention during the night.

18.CONTRACTS: Main Terms and Conditions of the service

Our Terms and Conditions for the care and support service are embodied in our Care and Support Services contract which forms the basis of your agreement with us. You will have free access to copies of any such documents and any other records concerning your care and support at any time.

If the Local Authority is responsible for payment of your care, your Support Worker is booked for a specific length of time and in this instance will be unable to spend any longer with you unless this is agreed beforehand by the Local Authority or if it is an emergency and has been agreed by the office.

If you are paying privately for your care and request your Support Worker to stay for longer than is booked (and we are able to accommodate your request,) this will be recorded on the time sheet and you will be charged for the additional time accordingly.

Charges for services purchased by the Local Authority If your care package has been arranged by a Social Worker and the Local Authority is the purchaser then there are no fees liable from you to Health Care Support Services.. There may well be an arrangement in place whereby you will be expected to make a contribution to the Local Authority towards the cost of your care following an assessment of your needs. If this is the case, it will be arranged by your Social Worker who will provide all the necessary details for you.

Charges for Private Service Users

You will be charged for all work undertaken by any Support Worker. All charges are subject to regular review and variations will be notified to you in writing from time to time. All charges must be paid to Health Care Support Services Ltd. Payments must not be made under any circumstances to a Support Worker. Private paid work Any requests for additional support on a private basis outside of your care package should be made through the office. If we are providing your care on behalf of the Local Authority, then you should speak with them in the first instance.

Any Support Worker is forbidden from taking on a private task without authorisation from the Company. All our Support Workers are made aware of the potential danger to themselves and the Service User of providing additional voluntary support. The Company may take disciplinary action against any Support Worker who has an inappropriate relationship with any Service User either within or outside of their employment contract.

Bank Holidays and Public Holidays

Public and Bank Holidays will be charged at Time plus half, Christmas day and New Year’s Day will be charged at double the normal rate. In addition to Bank Holidays and Public Holidays, these rates will also apply to the Friday and Sunday of Easter weekend, the 24th of December after 16:00 hours and 31st December after 16:00 hours. Where Christmas and New Year holidays fall on or immediately prior to or after a weekend, Health Care Support Services LTD will advise you of the rates applicable. Payment You or your authorised representative will be issued with an itemised Health Care Support Services LTD invoice which will be issued on a monthly basis. This will highlight each visit and individual charge.

Fees are due for payment immediately upon receipt of our invoice.

Health Care Support Services LTD Payments should be made by cheque until a Bacs method of payment is arranged.

Health Care Support Services LTD reserves the right to review its charges at any point. Two weeks written notice will be supplied to all Service Users.

Penalty for late payment

If no payment has been received within five days after the date of invoice, unless Health Care Support Services LTD has agreed different terms, a 15% surcharge will be levied on the amount of the invoice.

19.INSURANCE;

Our Agency is fully insured for Public Liability and Professional Indemnity. This means that our staff are insured when they come and visit you. However, this only applies when we visit you and we do recommend that you maintain your own insurances on your home and possessions in the normal way.

20. OUR SCHEDULE OF FEES:

Our fee schedule is as follows:

Each visit is charged for the visit duration e.g. 1/2hr, 1hr etc.

Items not included in the fees, and which will attract additional charges will include:

Mileage for social interaction and travel time

Our fees are payable Monthly, and the preferred method is via bank credit (BACs) However, cheques are accepted

.

21. HOW TO CONTACT US:

Tel: 01939 251342 Office hours; 9am – 4pm Monday - Friday

07483355110 Evenings & weekends: “Out of hours duty team” ……

who are available for Emergencies

any other non-urgent issues will be dealt with during office hours Monday - Friday

E-mail: office@healthcaresupportservices.co.uk

Website: http://www.healthcaresupportservices.co.uk/

22. GIFTS & GRATUITIES:

Our job is to ensure that you are looked after to the best possible standards and that you receive the best possible care. We are rewarded enough when we receive compliments from our service users. There is no need to offer any gifts, tips or gratuities; indeed, we are unable to accept them. Your understanding in this matter is appreciated.

23. INVOLVING YOUR FAMILY & FRIENDS:

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC

When seeking your views about our Service we always like to include the views and opinions of your family and friends. What is their perception of us? To enable us to do this we have simple questionnaires which we ask them to complete from time to time.

24. YOUR OPINIONS ON THE SERVICES WE PROVIDE:

YOUR VIEWS & COMMENTS:

We value your views and opinions on the Care Services that we provide. We firmly believe that only by asking the users of our services, i.e. you - our service users, can we obtain the information that we need to enable us to continually improve our services. Part of our on-going commitment to quality is to ask you to complete a simple questionnaire about

your views of the Service, and our staff can tell you more about this. However, we do welcome comments from you at any time.

25. COMPLIMENTS & COMPLAINTS:

Unfortunately, with the best will in the world we don’t get things right all the time, and we need you to tell us when we fall short of expected standards. If you have a complaint, please speak to your carer. If the problem cannot be solved to your satisfaction, please telephone our office 01939 251342 and ask to speak to the Quality Manager.

If your complaint is of a more serious nature about the way you have been treated or with any aspect of our service we have provided, or if you are unhappy with the conduct of a particular member of our Team, please put your complaint in writing to the (Registered Manager)

26. HOW TO CONTACT THE REGULATORY AUTHORITIES:

○	Social Services & Health Care Authorities:

Shropshire Council

customer.service@shropshire.gov.uk

0345 678 9000

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA Shirehall, Abbey Foregate

Shrewsbury

Shropshire

SY2 6ND

United Kingdom

Registration Authority:

Telephone: 03000 616161 Fax: 03000 616171

Or write to us at:

CQC National Customer Service Centre
Citygate
Gallowgate
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 4PA

PRIVACY NOTICE General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

(Relates to the collection and management of your personal data at (HEALTH CARE SUPPORT SERVICES LTD)

Data held in the office is password protected and alongside filing cabinets are locked in key coded offices.

Persons Collecting your Data;

Administrator, Deputy Care Manager, Care Team

Persons Storing your Data;

Administrator, Deputy Care Manager

If you have any Queries regarding your personal data, please contact the Data Protection Officer (DPO);

Peter Griffiths (Quality Manager)

Health Care Support Services

TEL: 01939 251342

EMAIL: peter@healthcaresupportservices.co.uk

For Choosing Health Care Support Services