Local Policies and Guidelines

4 Orchard Close

N1 3AS

Last updated: August 2012

By Maureen Power and Patricia Lanciaux

CONTENTS

Introduction Pg 4

Emergency other than Fire. Pg 5

Emergency - Fire. Pg 6

Procedures for contacting supervisory staff in an emergency. Pg 7

What to do if someone phones in sick for a shift. Pg 8

Health and Safety. Pg 10

Repairs. P_g 11

Supervision Format.

Induction.

Training.

Team Meetings.

Handovers and Shift Plan.

Sleeping in Duty.

Waking Night Duty.

Booking Annual Leave.

Time off in Lieu.

Rota Requests.

Shift Changes.

Use of Agency Staff.

Budgets.

Petty Cash.

RESIDENTS RELATED ISSUES

1. Serious Illness / Accident.

2. Death + Dying.

3. Missing Persons.

4. Medication.

5. Records of visits to G.P / Dentist / Hospital Appointments.

6. Escorting Residents.

7. Residents Contributions.

8. Residents Holidays.

9. Residents Finances.

KEYWORK

1. Monitoring Personal Care.

2. Not an Exclusive Relationship.

3. Operating within Council Policies.

Principles of Normalisation. 29

5. Facilitating Realistic Choices. 29

6. 3 Way Meetings. 30

7. Health Issues. 30

8. Clothing Budget. 30

9. Annual Holiday. 30

10. Transport Escorts. 31

11. Communication (Team / Supervisor). 31

12. Recording / Residents files. 31

13. Residents Person Centred Plan Review 32

14. Other Meetings. 32

15. Organising / Monitoring Daytime Activities. 33

16. Finances / Benefits. ,

17. Cultural and Religious Needs. 34

18. Person Centred Plans. 35

19. Liaison with Outside Bodies. 36

20. Liaison with Family / Carers. 36

21. Community Links. 36

updated may 2008

4 ORCHARD CLOSE

WORK PRACTICE GUIDELINES

INTRODUCTION

These guidelines are designed to be used primarily by staff at 4 Orchard Close.

They aim to be:-

A written record of procedures.

A tool to be used in the Induction of new staff.

A way of standardising and measuring the care provided.

Guidance for staff in case of specific incidents.

A much more detailed account of expectations and roles than is offered in staff members job descriptions.

The Management Team at Orchard Close will ensure that these guidelines are

: Monitored and Evaluated.

Updated as Necessary.

Distributed to Line Manager.

Distributed to Parents/ Carers for their information.

EMERGENCY (Other than Fire i.e. Serious Injury, Illness, Death)

In the event of an emergency staff should contact the following for advice / Support.

1, Call emergency services (Police, Ambulance, Fire Brigade) if necessary.

2. Inform Manager or Assistant Managers of 4 Orchard Close if on duty.

3. If above is unavailable and emergency occurs during office hours contact the Care Services Manager at Highbury House. If not available contact Duty Team at ILDP.

4. Out of office hours contact the on-call manager XXXXXXXXXXX.

5. Ensure all steps taken persons contacted are recorded and that the event is recorded in the appropriate place, i.e. Incident Book, ACR5, Resident logs and files, Handover report..

EMERGENCY (Fire)

In case of Fire - Follow Procedures in Fire Log.

Call 999 stating clearly the address 4 Orchard Close Morton Road, Islington N.!

Telephone No: 02073549436

Say that we are a Residential Unit for 7 Adults with Learning and Physical Disabilities.

A full evacuation of the building is required, should the alarm sound except at night when any residents who are in bed and unable to walk will be evacuated by the Fire Brigade themselves. Staff must ensure that all fire are closed.

All Fire Drills and Alarm checks and evacuations from building because of fire are fully recorded in the Fire Log.

All staff are fully instructed in Fire Procedures as part of their induction.

PROCEDURE FOR CONTACTING SUPERVISORY STAFF IN AN

EMERGENCY.

1. During office hours contact the Care Services Manager (Maggie Paris) based at Highbury House 020 75278916

2. Out of hours contact the On-call manager Tel: XXXXXXXXX

3. Always record what you have done in the appropriate place.

WHAT TO DO IF SOMEONE PHONES IN SICK FOR A SHIFT

Anyone who phones in sick should always ask to speak to a supervisory member of staff, if there is one on duty, so cover arrangements can be sorted out. If there is not a supervisory member of staff on duty, do the following.

1. Record in message book that staff member has phoned in sick giving date and time of call.

2. If member of staff can give a rough idea of how long they are likely to be unwell this is helpful.

3. Record off sick on Rota"

Then:

Look at rota and make an assessment as to whether it is necessary to replace the member of staff who is off sick:

You can do this in discussion with other team members on shift with you.

Take into account the following:

a. The number of staff rota'd to work that shift.

b. The number of residents in the building or expected back.

c. The activities the residents will be participating in that day.

d. Any Appointments made.

e. Any special needs the residents may have.

f. Do not put any residents or staff at risk by under-staffing.

g. Bear in mind the absolute minimum of two staff for Fire Regulations.

Then make your decision.

If you decide you need to replace the member of staff off sick, can you do the following.

a. Contact a member of staff who is due to work that day and ask them to come in earlier. This may be possible if there are more staff for example on the afternoon shift.

b. If this is not possible or not O.K for staff member contacted - try to contact any part-time / job share staff members that we have, they may be available (only do this if it is known that they are interested in doing extra hours).

c. Contact known agency staff directly., or contact Prime Time, Reliance or Plan Personnel.(telephone numbers in telephone book)

HEALTH AND SAFETY

All appropriate guidelines and procedures are adhered to including:-

(i) Lifting and Handling loads at work.

(ii) Food Hygiene procedures.

(iii) Control of Hazardous Substances including Infection Control.

(iv) Infection Control

(v) Handling and Administering Medication

Repairs

All repairs and unsafe equipment must be reported immediately to the manager on duty. Repairs should be recorded and reported differently depending upon the nature of the repair (for example):-

1) Small repairs to furniture - Record in Handy person’s book.

2) Washing Machine - Report direct to Electrolux quoting order number.

3) Leaks, Plumbing problems, Electrical, Structure of building – Report to Repairs team– details in Red Repairs and Maintenance book.

4) Residents wheelchairs - Ring Wheelchair repairs direct quoting appropriate wheelchair serial number.

Accidents

If an accident occurs to either residents or staff members an accident form must be completed online. For staff use Iris reporting system, ACR5 for service users.

* All appropriate medical attention must be given, calling Paramedics or taking resident to casualty as necessary.

* Informing Next of Kin re resident

* Informing appropriate people as listed on ACR5.

* Recording all action taken in the appropriate places.

* Hand over of relevant information to next shift.

SECURITY OF THE BUILDING

a) During the Day:-

*Ensure that the building is secure, that windows and doors are not left open unnecessarily.

*Ensure all windows and doors are locked and electrical appliances are turned off, if the building is left empty.

*Ensure that all visitors to the building have a legitimate reason for being here. (check the activity sheet). Ask for I.D.

* All visitors should sign in and out in visitors section of signing in book in hallway.

* All staff must sign in and out at the start and end of their shift and if they leave the building.

During the Night

* The Sleeping-In person is responsible for locking up and securing the building (see separate guidelines).

* The Waking Night Duty person is responsible for the security of the building between the hours of 11 :OOpm - 8:00am.

SUPERVISION FORMAT

Islington has a Supervision Policy. Staff members will be given a copy.

Supervisors/supervisees will both sign the Supervision Contract and agree on the format set out below.

Frequency of Supervision

(once every 4-6 weeks)

Duration hour (min) - 1 and a half hours (max).

Venue In an agreed venue

(i.e. the Activity Room or sleep-in room).

Ground Rules

a) Supervision should not be interrupted unless there is an emergency.

b) Supervision should not be cancelled / postponed without good reason. If this happens a new date should be fixed immediately.

c) Confidentiality, if particular issues need to be taken further, it is the responsibility of the supervisor to do so. Supervisees will be informed if this is necessary and they will also be informed of whom the issue is being raised with.

Agenda

Supervision sessions will follow an agreed format which includes:-

Training and Development

Keywork

Safeguarding, resident issues

Staff Members own Issues

Supervisors Issues

Teamwork and Dignity for all Issues

Links will also be made with Work Practice and approaches to client care.

Recording

The main points of each session will be recorded and a copy given to supervisee. The date for the next supervision session will be made at the end of the session and recorded in the Diary.

INDUCTION

New members of staff have a 2 (two) week Induction period. On their first morning at Orchard Close, they will be met by one of the Managers.

Also on the first morning the new staff member will be asked to read the Council’s Dignity for All, Code of Conduct for staff.

They will also be shown how the Fire Alarm system works and our Fire Procedures.

The Induction period involves the new staff member becoming familiar with the Residents, Orchard Close itself, the Work Practices and Procedures of Orchard Close and the polices of Islington Council.

A member of the Orchard Close management team will be responsible for devising the induction programme. A staff member is assigned to the new staff member each day of the Induction period as a link person.

During this time, keyworkers will meet with new staff to handover all relevant information regarding each Resident the new staff member has the opportunity to ask any relevant questions re: Resident , a check list is provided for this.

At the end of both the first and second week of Induction the new staff member will meet with their designated supervisor / manager to review / discuss their progress.

TRAINING

Each member of staff at orchard Close has access to training opportunities from various sources:

- Training for those working with Learning Disabilities and General courses as appropriate.

HASS Training and Development section. - Training for those working with Learning Disabilities and General courses as appropriate.

Special one - off Training Courses.

Health and Safety Section i.e. First Aid courses.

ILDP: training from learning disability health professionsls such as SALT, OT etc.

Information on courses available will be presented to staff team, and individual team members will make their interest known. Supervisors will then decide which staff members will apply. Some courses may be restricted for particular members of staff e.g. Cook, Managers, Union Reps, Health and Safety Rep. etc.

Team members training needs and interests will be monitored and reviewed in individual supervision sessions. Team members will feed back to team on courses they have attended. Supervisors will ensure that each team member's individual training profile (on MyHR) is kept up to date.

Occasionally In-House Training may be arranged for the whole team.

TEAM MEETINGS

These are held weekly - on a Wednesday between 1,30 - 3:00pm. Every member of the team participates in these meetings, the only exceptions being those on AIL, Sleep days, Waking Night Duties or Training.

Team Meetings have a set agenda and are held for the following reasons:-

Pass on information.

Discuss current Issues.

Looking at our Work Practice.

look at current Training available.

To feedback to team from any Training attended by staff member.

There is a slot for any Dignity for All issues. There is also space available for Team Training, either by staff or by outside agencies I professionals.

A section of the agenda is also set aside for any issues surrounding the Residents.

Each meeting is minuted and it is everyone's responsibility to read the minutes of any meetings they have missed.

A rota is drawn up in advance notifying the staff those who are chairing and minuting each meeting.

HANDOVERS AND SHIFT PLAN

At 2:00pm there is a handover held in the office. Staff that are both coming on and going off duty will attend. The incoming shift leader must read and sign the Handover Record prepared by the shift leader who left at 12.The person holding the keys will hand these over to the oncoming Sleeping-In person who then checks that both the Petty Cash and Residents monies are correct.

The Sleeping-In person is now responsible and accountable for said monies until s/he hands this responsibility over to a nominated person at 12 pm the following day.

The sleep-in person checks the monies and signs that it is correct.

The sleep-in person must check the medication administration records of all 7 residents to ensure that all medication is up to date.

Staff are responsible for completing the log for any resident they have supported on the shift.

In coming staff will ask these questions of the morning shift:-

(i) Is there anything we need to know about each of the residents?

(ii) Is there anything we need to know about the building?

(iii) Anything we need to know about the shift?

(iv). Is there anything you need us follow up on?

Shift planning.

The sleep-in staff must allocate the personal care for the next morning before going to bed. Personal care must be allocated fairly and take into account any special considerations.

The shift plan must be printed off by the sleep-in or waking night staff – include any tasks/appointments from the Diary, weekly task list, resident activities plan.

When staff start work on an early shift they should look at the shift plan and see which clients have been allocated to them for personal care.

After personal care has been done (by 9.30 latest) all staff must meet to plan the activities for the shift. Each resident must have an indoor 1:1 activity, and a group activity. All residents should go out to an activity unless they choose not to. Staff can work with different residents, but must remember to complete the log for the relevant time.

Residents to be involved in as much of the activity of the house as possible – putting away laundry, tidying bedrooms, shopping, collecting prescriptions etc.

For ideas on activities please check the individual Activity Plans, or the Activities folder. Try different activities, and be aware of what happened previously. We do not want a resident to do the same thing every day.

You must record what activities the resident did in the log. Give lots of detail about how the resident reacted and whether any changes/improvements are needed.

The sleep-in staff member must complete the written handover before leaving at 12pm and ensure that a colleague is briefed to do the handover to the next shift.

Managers will monitor the shift plans to ensure that all aspects of the work are being carried out by all staff.

We will review this system at the end of the month. You may have suggestions about changes to the shift plan, log or handover record.

SLEEPING-IN DUTY

1. You will come on duty at 2:00pm.

2. You must read and sign the Handover Record. You will be given a verbal handover by the Duty Manager or a member of the early shift.

2. You will count the residents money and check their records. If correct, then sign to this effect in each resident’s record.

3. You will count the petty cash. If correct then sign the petty cash book.

4. Until the end of your shift, the next day at 12pm you are responsible for the keys. (safe, medication cabinet, cleaning cupboard etc). Where you keep them is your choice but they are your responsibility.

5. You will ensure that the Daily Logs are completed.

6. You will complete the Hand-Over record and Shift Plans.

7. You may be called upon to assist the Waking Night person in the event of an emergency.

8. Before going to bed you must secure the building with the waking night staff.

9. It is your responsibility to ensure the staffing levels are adequate in the absence of a Manager.

10. It is the Sleeping-In persons duty to ensure all medication is administered on the shift, logged and signed, this must always be done by two members of staff.

11. The Sleep-In person in the absence of the manager has responsibility for the safe evacuation of the building in the event of fire.

12. The Sleep-In person is responsible for the co-ordination of the shift ensuring that residents needs are met, appointments are kept and staffing levels are adequate.

13. You are responsible for leaving the Sleeping-In room as you found it and ensuring the bedding is washed ready for the next person.