SERVICE USER GUIDE
As a Nurses Agency
providing experienced Nursing Staff to both private & public sector
clients, Eleanor Nursing and Social Care Ltd seeks to deliver extraordinary
levels of client and staff satisfaction constantly. The Agency recognises that
this will be achieved by offering a level of service that far exceeds those
expectations of the CSCI, clients and service users.
The Agency will
Set
standards and benchmarks of quality, efficiency and administrative excellence,
particularly in the area of staff training that will manifest itself at the
point of care. To achieve and continually improve the levels of such
self-imposed standards, the Agency’s philosophy towards the recruitment and
engagement of its management and staff, will assist it in achieving market
competitiveness and the clients first choice provider.
Will operate a
recruitment procedure that exceeds the ‘minimum standards’ prescribed by the
National Minimum Standards and incorporated into the new registration criteria
for Nurses Agencies, registered and inspected by the Commission for Social Care
Inspection.
Demonstrate integrity
and professionalism in all of its business affairs, and trade within the codes
of conduct expected of the Inspection and Registration Bodies (CSCI) and its
clients.
Concentrate on continual
improvement in all aspects of its service delivery through:-
Ongoing consultation and
responsiveness to the clients changing needs and demands.
The management of daily
operations within the framework of a recognised quality system.
The recruitment,
selection, training/development and retention of its workforce within a client
centred culture.
Sustain a competitively
priced service to its clients through “best business” practice by implementing
controlled expenditure through pro active credit controls, retaining
flexibility in order to adapt and respond to changing market trends. Continuing
growth within the ability to supply at a quality level whilst containing
expansion within the availability of retained profits and sound market
research.
Through its recruitment
and selection criteria the agency will fulfil its obligations as stated within
its aims and objectives, in its provision of skilled and experienced Nurses
committed to seeking continued professional development opportunities, who can
demonstrate a high level of competency and a desire to assist the service user
in achieving their goals, in the community.
The agency will operate
a 24hr service accessible to both client and Nurse. In the event that a worker
cannot fulfil a booked assignment the agency will endeavour to provide an
alternative nurse or alert the client in adequate time to make alternative
arrangements. In the event that a Nurse is unable to continue with a long term
assignment through sickness or personal reasons, the agency will through
consultation with the client/service user seek to replace that Nurse with
another equally suitable worker.
The Agency will charge
for its services according to client expectation or contractual negotiation,
and will only alter or enhance its charges as market trends, legislative
requirement dictate. Invoices submitted to the client will be produced
following the receipt of a completed, verified time sheet supplied by the
worker on completion of and assignment, a copy of which will be attached to the
invoice.
Name and address of registered provider and
registered manager
|
Registered Provider |
Eleanor Nursing &
Social Care Ltd 157 Uxbridge Road Hanwell London W7 3SR |
The Nurse supplied by the agency may hold any one
or combination of the following qualifications.
Registered General Nurse
Registered Mental Nurse
Registered Nurse in
Mental Handicap
NVQ level 1-3
They are placed in
clinical environments and in roles appropriate to their qualifications and
experience. This may include the following:
Hospitals
Nursing Homes
Residential Homes
Private clinics.
Eleanor Nursing and
Social Care Ltd wishes to improve and
develop its services and welcomes feedback, verbally or in writing, at all
times. We are particularly grateful for
observations and criticisms by those who consider that our services could be
improved, and any suggestions on how improvements might be made at any stage,
whether these are positive, constructive, or whether you wish to complain, are
welcome.
If you wish to make a
complaint about our services, we have set out the framework for this. If you have any queries about this process,
please do not hesitate to let us
know.
For all comments, we ask any individual to contact
out office directly or in writing and let us know what you wish to say.
Where there is a complaint, the following process
is in place.
If a client representative or any other member of
the public is unhappy with our service, they should contact the manager,(this
can be by telephone, in writing or by e-mail to info@eleanornursing.co.uk) This
can be done in person, via a representative by telephone, e-mail or in writing
.It is important that we complaints as soon as possible after an incident so
that we can investigate in a timely and appropriate manner.
In order to ensure effective investigation, it is
important that the following information is included.
What the complaint refers to
What happened?
Where and when it occurred
Who was involved?
As far as possible, local resolution will allow for
the complaint to be dealt with as quickly as possible, normally straight away
when in contact with the office.
Where the complaint is of a serious nature and
cannot be dealt with directly, the following process applies.
If not already done, we will ask for the complaint
to be confirmed in writing
We will issue an acknowledgement of the complaint
within 24 hours if receipt. (72 hours if over a weekend).
We will ask you to attend the office, where
possible, to discuss the issue. We will keep you up to date with the progress
of our investigation. This will occur within two weeks of receipt of the
complaint.
We endeavour to ensure that you are satisfied with
the outcome of our investigation and will confirm our findings to you in
writing. We aim to complete the process within one calendar month.
We will demonstrate that where our processes have
been found to be at fault, we will take steps to change them to prevent a
recurrence.
Where investigation into the complaint suggests a
recurring pattern of incidents, or where a similar incident/complaint is noted
on several occasions, the agency can commission an inquiry into processes and
practices related t o the issue. This may be undertaken by management
representatives or by an external individual/body. The agency commits to taking
action to address any issues identified by any such inquiry.
If you are not satisfied with the outcome, the issue
will be referred to the managing director. if you are still not satisfied, you
can appeal to the directors of the company. Additionally any complaints has
redress available to them via the Trading standards office and the Commission
for Social Care Inspection.
Complaints against a member’s behaviour or
professional conduct -
Where a complaint is made against a member of the
agency, we follow processes as defined by employment law, details of which are
available from the office.
Any staff member is entitled to support
/representation from a trade union or professional body and has the right to
appeal.
Where there is finding of serious misconduct
against a member of the agency, it is likely to result in the removal of the
member’s name from the register and also notification, where appropriate, of
the relevant professional body i.e. Nursing and Midwifery Council
Any member of the agency who has immediate concerns
about practice, procedure or safety within an environment within which they are
placed, are directed to the policies and protocols of their placement. The
management of the agency will assist with the use of these processed if
requested.
Complaints can also be
registered with the Commission for Social Care Inspection.
The local office for
Ealing can be contacted on:
CSCI
West London Area Office
58 Uxbridge Rd
Ealing
London
W5 2ST
Tel; 020 8280 0347
Eleanor Nursing and Social Care ltd may cease to
provide services to a client or service user if
There is excessive violence
or aggression towards our staff or an environment which potentially is harmful
to their safety and welfare.
There is consistently
late payment of fees
Eleanor Nursing and
Social Care Ltd is unable to continue to meet the client or service user needs.
If the client or service
user continuously displays a poor attitude towards staff members. In addition
where highlighted concerns raised are consistently ignored.
The client operates
below the required standards within the National Minimum Standards, regulated
by the Commission for Social Care Inspectorate.
Pre booked shifts must
be cancelled at least 24hrs prior to commencement of shift; otherwise the
client will incur charges of 35% of the full cost of the shift. In extenuating
circumstances Eleanor Nursing and Social Care Ltd reserve the right to waiver
this level of charge. Eleanor Nursing and Social Care Ltd will abide by the
contractual agreements between themselves and clients.
Cancellation can be made
via telephone, fax and email. N.B Out f Hours contact must be via telephone.
Eleanor Nursing and Social Care Ltd charges and
methods of payment
The rates chargeable
will be issued to the client/service user prior to the commencement of
services. The cost includes pay. NI, WTR, VAT and Commission charged by the
Agency.
In the event that a
staff member cannot attend for work through sickness or genuine emergency,
Eleanor Nursing and Social Care Ltd will endeavour to provide replacement cover
and inform the client/service user of the alternative arrangements prior to the
start of the shift.
If a staff member fails
to attend for a pre booked shift, it is expected that the client /service user
will inform Eleanor Nursing and Social Care Ltd immediately, in order to
establish events and to provide if practical to do so an alternative supply.
All time sheets are
submitted weekly. The client/service user is requested to sign as factual all
entries made on the timesheet appropriate to them. Time sheet entries should be
only be relevant to each individual client/service user and not multi used.
Before signing the timesheet ensure that the staff member has correctly entered
their name, grade and client/service user details onto the sheet. Time sheets
should only be signed upon completion of all assigned shifts for the time
period requested.
Our employees are
covered by Employees Liability insurance but on some sites/ venues of work they
are covered by the insurance of the client/service user. Further details can be
supplied upon request.
Eleanor Nursing and
Social Care Ltd operate 24hrs daily, 7 days per week. There is always a senior
member of staff available to answer any queries or requests. Our support
workers can access this service for professional assistance also.
Hours of opening are
0900 – 1700 Monday – Friday
At all other times the
phone is diverted to a dedicated out of hours contact number. This number can
be accessed through dialling 020 8579 3233.
All staff is expected to
undertake regular training in all mandatory requirements and are only assigned
once induction has been undertaken.
All staff undergoes
disclosure at Enhanced level following written declaration of the
Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, detailing any convictions of criminal
offences.
Eleanor Nursing and
Social Care Ltd views the client/service user and employee’s interest as our
principal concern and staff has a responsibility to report any matters:
They deem to be
detrimental to the interests of the clients/service user or colleagues.
Seek to actively prevent
malpractice
Correct any statutory
omissions
Make proposal for the
improvement of the service provided
Breeches of law
All staff will protect
the confidentiality of the client/service user by adherence to the Data
Protection Policy and confidentiality statement signed.
Clients/service users
will be introduced to the support worker prior to the start of the shift. All
staff are expected to wear uniform and ID Badge.
Procedures to safeguard the property of service
users who are patients -
Remember that you are a
guest in the service user’s home. Never take with you a relative or friend.
Remember to knock/ring the bell and announce yourself before entering the
property. Remember always to secure doors and windows on leaving the property.
Remember to work under
the guidance of Eleanor Nursing and Social Care Ltd’s policy on Key Holding,
paying particular attention to the particular requirements of the individual
service users to whom you are assigned e.g. key holding outside of the
property. Remember to inform your line manager, relatives of the service user
in the event of lost keys.
When a service user has
special needs i.e. visual impairment, hearing difficulties, and the method by
which the agreed identification process determined at assessment should be
strictly adhered too. E.G a service user with visual impairment may wish to use
a unique key word for identifying the support workers.
In the event of not
being able to gain access to the property the following action should be taken
– look through the letter box to check for falls, noise etc, speak to the
neighbour- checking when the service user was last seen. Try round the back (if
appropriate). Inform the Agency, and family members of the service user who may
have keys. Lastly if all attempts to gain access have failed call the police
for assistance.
Respect the rules of
confidentiality and abide by them at all times, particularly in respect of
entry codes, key holding etc.
Be courteous, respectful
and helpful at all times. Always wear the correct attire and ID badge clearly
displayed.
Never ask, receive,
accept, loan or borrow gifts or money.
Never witness or put
your signature to any will or other financial investment documents.
All members are reminded
that they are subject at all times to NMC guidelines on the administration of
medication and also the policies and procedures of the environment within which
they are working. It is the responsibility of all registered nurses to ensure
that they are fully aware of any local policies before the administration of
any medication.
Eleanor’s policy states
that unqualified members may assist or prompt patients in the taking of
medication, or pass to a patient medication dispensed by a registered nurse and
under the supervision of that nurse.
Unqualified members must
not dispense medication or charge or administer I.V. medication.
Members are reminded to
record all actions in the patient’s personal clinical record and ensure that a
qualified nurse countersigns any entries.
Qualified members are
authorised to dispense properly prescribed medication, in line with NMC
guidelines and local policy. Additionally, suitably qualified members are
authorised to prescribe medicines as defined by the national and local policies
for nurse prescribing. Qualified members are reminded that as registered
practitioners, they are accountable for their own actions or omissions and must
always exercise their own professional judgement in any given situation.
Eleanor’s policy gives
the following guidance for qualified nurses:
Nurses must only
dispense and administrate medicines in line with there own
qualifications/competencies.
Medicines must only be
given where there is clear, informed consent given by the patient, or where a
record of a second opinion, in the case of an individual detained under a
treatment order of the Mental Health Act 1983, is attached to any prescription
card. Exception to this is in the event of an emergency, where treatment is
necessary to preserve life and consent from the patient is not obtainable.
Nurses should be aware
of the usage, normal dosage, common side effects, precautions, interactions and
contra-indications of any medicines they administrate.
All members must be
certain of the identity of the patient to whom they are giving the medication.
Immediately notify the
prescriber, or another responsible prescriber, in the event of any
contra-indications, preventing administration of medicines, or any reactions to
them.
Clearly record all
administration, in line with local policy.
In the event of any
errors or misadministration in relation to medicines, members must immediately
inform their line manager. An immediate record off the incident must be made,
in line with local procedure and also for the agency. Misadministration
incidents must be investigated thoroughly, and members may be removed from the
working register during this period. The outcome of any investigation may lead
to the need for additional training for the member, or reporting to the NMC and
permanent removal from the agency.
All members are reminded
that they can obtain free and confidential professional advice from the NMC.
Either follow this link or see contact details at the end of this document.
Additional issues in
relation to consent generally can be found by following this link or see
contact information at the end of this document.
The Health and Safety at
Work Act (1974) comprises a large number of regulations which provide
employers, employees and self employed with detailed guidance about their
responsibilities towards providing and maintaining a safe and healthy working
environment.
Eleanor Nursing and Social
Care gives notice to its members that it, as an agent of its self employed
members, does not have any legal responsibility for their health and safety
whilst they undertake any assignments through them.
The Law specifically
targets and gives responsibility to employers, as they are most able to
influence the condition of the workplace and are liable for accidents or
incidents therein. However the law applies equally to self employed individuals
who retain the general duty ensure that their own activities in the work place
do not endanger themselves or others. This general duty applies irrespective of
the placement and includes home care arrangement. As part of this general duty,
it is imperative that members familiarize themselves with the policies and
procedures extant in the establishment within which they are working,
particularly those relating to fire and general emergency procedures.
The company will work with
its customers to ensure that adequate health and safety induction programmes
are in place for all new members undertaking assignments with them.
If the company is assigning
staff to placements where they are working alone or in a patient’s home,
consideration will be given to providing appropriate safety equipment.
Additionally solo
practitioners will work in line with the following guidelines.
Maintain telephone contact
with the office
Ensure the office knows
where they are at all times
Work within agreed
parameters, and local policies.
To provide Eleanor
Nursing and Social Care ltd managers, staff and contractors with information
concerning the correct methods of reporting and recording accidents at work. To
promote safe working practices with open and honest reporting mechanisms.
That managers, staff and
contractors will:
Understand the meaning of accident,
Recognise the
relationship between major and minor accidents,
Understand the employer
and employee responsibilities for reporting accidents
Be familiar with the
health and safety policy
Know how to report an
accident
Understand the benefits
of reporting accidents
An accident can be
defined as an unplanned, unforeseen and undesired event. It may result in a
person being injured, something being damaged, or a combination of these.
Accidents also include events that do not necessarily cause injury or damage,
but that easily could have. Such events are classed as “near – miss” event e.g.
a brick falling narrowly missing a passer by.
Major and Minor
accidents – most people only take accidents seriously when something major
occurs. For example, people do not consider tripping over to be an accident,
unless the person is injured. However this should be reported equally as those
incidences, which result in injury.
Common types of
accident, which could happen to staff, contractors, service users and their
visitors in the workplace, include:
Back injury whilst
handling a service user
Falling over
Knocking into furniture
or open doors
Cutting oneself in a
kitchen area
Burns
Slips, trips and falls
Needle stick injury
Why do we report
accidents?
It is a legal requirement
Certain types of
accidents are reported to the enforcing authority The Health & Safety
Executive under RIDDOR
To establish statistical
information about accidents at work
To monitor standards of
health and safety at work
To find out what is
going wrong, and where, so suitable measures to prevent reoccurrence.
To demonstrate to the
workforce that the employer cares about their health and safety.
Who should report
accidents?
Everyone is responsible
for reporting incidents at work, however minor. Unless accidents or near miss
incidents are reported, managers of the Agency will be unable to do anything to
put the problems right.
Reporting accidents
helps to:
Identify where problems
are occurring
Meet legal obligations
for accident reporting
Improve workplace
conditions
Improve welfare and
morale
Enable the agency to
take action to prevent the accident happening again.
The consequences of
failing to report an accident could be:
Leaving the Agency
vulnerable to prosecution
Not knowing the causes
of accidents
Having no evidence that
an accident occurred at work (affecting personal injury claims)
More people suffering
the same, or a similar, injury
Allegations of physical
or other types of abuse.
Law requires that all injuries, minor occurrences,
diseases and dangerous occurrences that take place at work be recorded. In some
cases such incidents must also be reported to the Health and Safety Executive
All accidents, however
trivial must be recorded whilst at work, whether they affect, staff, service
users or visitors. Wherever possible statements should be made and signed by
witnesses to the accident, and recorded immediately after the accident. The
agency must also be notified.
Even if the incident
does not cause injury or damage it must still be reported. Incident reports are
sometimes used in legal proceedings therefore it is important that the report
is correct and detailed.
Reporting of Insurance,
Diseases and Dangerous occurrence regulations 1995 -
This
states that the employer must report certain work related accidents, diseases
and dangerous occurrences.
Death or major injury on
the premises
Any accident that causes
the employee to have more than three days off work
Specified diseases- lung
diseases, hepatitis and certain poisonings
Any dangerous occurrence
that could have resulted in a reportable injury
Records of reportable
injury, disease or dangerous occurrences must be kept for 3 years and must
include:
Date and method of
reporting
Date, time and place of event
Personal details of
those involved and a brief description of the event or disease
Eleanor Nursing and Social Care ltd places a strong
emphasis on providing the highest quality service possible for all its service
users. The organisation believes that, no matter how good its present services,
there is always room for improvement. The organisation fully adheres to
standard 27 within the National Minimum Standards for Domiciliary Care
Agencies.
This policy is intended to set out the values,
principles and policies underpinning this organisations approach to quality and
high standard.
The organisation believes that having the highest
quality care is the absolute right of all our service users. The continuing aim
of the organisation is to provide a professional and efficient service to meet
all of the requirements of its service users and the long term goal of the
organisation is to obtain the highest possible level of satisfaction from
service users and relatives.
All service users of this organisation should:
expect the highest quality of care possible
be given a say in the running of the organisation
through routine evaluation of each care episode and a larger survey of service
user opinion carried out on an annual basis; the survey will be confidential
but the results will be published and distributed to all service users and
purchasers; comment and feedback will be encouraged not only from service users
but from relatives, carers, friends and advocates.
Be free to complain about any aspect of the running
of the organisation and to have their complaints welcomed and acted upon
promptly – all complaints will be responded to within 2 working days.
Be told about planned CSCI Inspections and should
be given unrestricted amend private access to inspectors upon request.
Every member of staff at the organisation, from top
to bottom, should demonstrate a total commitment to quality and quality
improvement in every aspect of their working day.
In particular:
the proprietor and the management team bear the responsibility for establishing,
maintaining and implementing a quality management system in the organisation ;
this system will be based upon a Total Quality Management system whereby
standards will be set, changes made to meet those standards and the process
reviewed regularly
every employee is responsible for the quality of
their work and will be trained to perform their duties to our specified quality
standards
contractors employed for specific functions will be
required to meet our specified standards
The organisation will have an annual development
plan and based upon feedback from service users, staff and relatives; the plan
will be costed, will focus upon specific measurable standards and will include
named staff as responsible for each objective.
Mr.Stanislaus is responsible for quality in the
organisation. Judy Zamiskova is responsible for preparing and distributing the
annual questionnaires and collating the results.
The organisation will ensure that at least one
quality audit on an annual basis. All data collected at audit will be treated
as confidential.
Mr. Stanislaus is responsible for audit within the
organisation.
The proprietor and management team of the organisation
believe that, in order to provide a quality service, the organisation requires
high quality staff that are suitably trained, supervised and supported. In
particular the organisation believes that:
(a) All new staff should be encouraged to read the
policy on quality as part of their induction process
(b) Each member of staff should have a personal
development plan in which their training needs are identified and a plan made
as to how such needs will be met
The proprietor and management team undertake to
ensure through instruction, practical example and training that quality is the
aim of all members of staff and that each employee has a proper understanding
of the importance of the quality system and its direct relevance to the success
of the company.
Arrangements for qualified staff support of nurses
working out of hours –
A qualified Nurse is available for support for
nurses working out of hours. This support can be accessed through the agencies
on call system.
Tel: 020 8579 3233