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Staff Complement and Deployment in Care at Home (Scotland) Policy

Policy Statement

This care at home service aims to achieve the person-centred national health and social care standards set out in My Support, My Life by ensuring that the people who use our service are given the support they need through our staffing provision. The service always carefully monitors and reviews its staffing complement and turnover and terms and conditions of service to ensure that it employs staff who are of the required calibre to provide high-quality care and to enhance the practice of these members of staff.

In these ways the service will ensure that it will meet the following standards.

“3. I have confidence in the people who support and care for me

Responsive Care and Support

3.17 I am confident that people respond promptly, including when I ask for help.

3.18 I am supported and cared for sensitively by people who anticipate issues and are aware of and plan for any known vulnerability or frailty.

3.19 My care and support is consistent and stable because people work together well.

4. I have confidence in the organisation providing my care and support

Responsive Care and Support

4.13 I have enough time and support to plan any move to a new service.

4.14 My care and support is provided in a planned and safe way, including if there is an emergency or unexpected event.

4.15 I experience stability in my care and support from people who know my needs, choices and wishes, even if there are changes in the service or organisation.

4.16 I am supported and cared for by people I know so that I experience consistency and continuity.”

This policy on staff complement and deployment should be read and used in relation to the service’s other staffing policies, including those that address terms and conditions of service and working practices, training and continuing professional development.

In developing these policies the service is committed to:

• achieving staffing levels in terms of numbers and skills that are appropriate for the number of people being cared for and appropriate to meet their assessed needs
• assessing with partner professionals and organisations each individual’s care needs to work out the level of support needed
• providing good continuity of care by making sure that its staff work as teams and that they have good teamwork
• developing effective communication between team members
• always supervising new staff to ensure they are competent to work on their own
• ensuring that staff are always well briefed to meet people’s daily needs and to respond appropriately to the different care situations that arise
• working closely with other carers, professionals and agencies involved in the service provision, and providing multidisciplinary integrated care.

Principles of the Staffing Policy

1. All staff have clearly defined job descriptions.
2. All staff are expected to shadow other members of staff during their induction period to better understand their own and others’ roles and responsibilities.
3. All staff job descriptions are linked to achieving people’s individual goals as set out in their care plan.
4. All support staff are registered with the Scottish Social Service Council and know how to follow the Code of Practice for Social Service Workers and requirements for continuous professional learning.
5. Staff are also made familiar with and are expected to comply with the service’s safeguarding policies.
6. All nursing staff and allied health professionals employed by the service (where applicable) comply with the standards of conduct and practice established by their own regulatory bodies.
7. Staff are only expected to go beyond their job descriptions in exceptional circumstances to make sure people’s needs are being met.

As part of their work roles, all staff are expected to:

• get to know and develop a relationship with the people they support
• meet individual needs with attention to gender, age, cultural background, personal interests, language and communication needs
• be aware of their own knowledge and skill limitations and know when it is appropriate to involve someone else with more specific expertise.

Commitment to Teamwork and Integrated Care

The service is committed to having an effective staff team, with sufficient numbers and complementary skills to support people’s assessed needs at all times. The service is also committed to multidisciplinary working and integrated care models, and will adjust its staffing provision in line with these requirements.

The rota and total numbers of staff planned to be on duty at any one time will therefore be set according to the:

• needs of the people to be cared for
• nature and level of dependency of the people to be cared for, their assessed risks and the plans made to support their wellbeing
• ages of the people to be cared for
• locations of people’s homes
• skills and experience of the staff
• availability of staff (part time/full time/sickness/leave, etc)
• multidisciplinary nature of the total support being provided.

In terms of staff experience, it is the service’s policy that:

• there is always an appropriate mix of staff with relevant experience, qualifications and skills available to people during every visit
• staff in charge of the service are all suitably qualified and experienced to be in a position of responsibility
• staff who are initially appointed as trainees (including all staff under 18) are as a matter of course registered on a nationally certified training programme
• any staff members from overseas who do not use English as their first language receive support to overcome any immediate communication difficulties they might be having
• extra staff will be called in at periods of high demand and emergencies, if necessary
• where service staff are used, every effort is made to ensure that they come from a reputable service and the staff provided are of high quality and are suitably qualified and experienced, and that preference is given to using service staff who know the work of this service and the people who use it already.

Training

Staff are inducted into their roles in line with Scottish Social Services Council frameworks and learning resources. They are made aware of other staff roles and responsibilities, and the service’s commitment to teamwork and interdisciplinary working as part of the training process. Staff with previous experience of care work but who are new to this work setting have an induction programme related to their roles and responsibilities. Further training is provided as and when new roles are introduced.

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