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Personal Care and Support (England) Policy

This care service works to the definition of personal care, which is provided in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and which is followed in the current 2014 regulations in terms of:

1. physical help offered to a person over eating or drinking, toileting (including in relation to the process of menstruation), washing or bathing, dressing, mouth care or the daily care of skin, hair and nails; or
2. the prompting, together with supervision, of a person, in relation to the activities described above where that person is unable to take a decision for themselves (about carrying out these activities).

Policy Statement

Every person receiving our service has the right to receive high-quality personal care and support from our staff that is flexible, consistent, reliable and above all responsive to their changing needs.

This care service applies this basic principle in the following ways (the following list needs to be adapted to individual services in line with their provision).

1. Staff provide sensitive and flexible personal support and (where required or applicable) nursing care to maintain people’s privacy, dignity, independence and control over their own lives.
2. Wherever practical, staff continuity is maintained in order to provide reliable, consistent care based on the relationship between people using services and their carers.
3. Staff make every effort to find out the preferences of people who have difficulty in communicating their needs.
4. End-of-life care is provided to the highest standards possible and in line with national guidelines.
5. Staff will always comply, wherever practical, with people’s preferences about their personal care needs, for example, times of waking and going to bed, choosing their own clothes, hairstyle and makeup so that their appearance reflects their personality.
6. Staff will always comply wherever practical with people’s preferences about how they are guided, moved, supported and transferred.
7. Any reasons for being unable to comply with users’ preferences will be explained and recorded in the person’s notes.
8. Where needed, guidance and support regarding personal hygiene (eg washing, bathing, shaving) is provided as a personal care service.
9. Personal support is provided in private wherever possible and with a person’s need to retain their dignity in mind.
10. Intimate care is provided by a person of the same gender wherever possible, and in line with the person’s preferences and wishes.
11. People receive the services associated with their personal care needs at times to suit them wherever this proves practical
12. All agreements about services needed and how they are to be addressed are made clear on individual plans, which are regularly reviewed and updated.
13. The service will always respect the preferences and wishes of people arising from their ethnic, religious or cultural backgrounds and will make every effort to find the resources that enable it to meet individuals’ requirements.
14. Transgender (trans) and non-binary people may have specific needs and requirements which care staff should respect and be sensitive to.
15. Staff always work in partnership with advocates, family, friends and other professionals, including community nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and speech therapists, who might also be involved in addressing an individual’s personal care and support needs.
16. The person’s consent is obtained on all aspects of their care and support.
17. People who are unable to give or communicate their consent are given help to do so as far as possible, before any “best interests” decision is taken.
18. The service makes sure that all equipment/aids for which it is responsible are regularly serviced and maintained in line with the manufacturer’s instructions and health and safety regulations.
19. The service makes sure that staff are always trained and competent to operate any equipment and aids used to provide personal care and support.

Training

New care staff receive training in all aspects of personal care and support as described in this policy as part of their induction training in line with the Care Certificate Standards Framework, particularly:

• 3. Duty of Care
• 4. Equality and Diversity
• 5. Work in a Person Centred Way
• 6. Communication
• 7. Privacy and Dignity
• 8. Fluids and Nutrition
• 10. Safeguarding Adults

No staff new to care work will provide personal care on their own or without direct supervision unless they have been assessed as competent to do so in line with Care Certificate standards.

All staff are provided with further training in any aspect of personal care and support as determined by their identified training needs, roles and responsibilities.

Managers are also enabled to address personal care issues arising with people who use services through their own training, which includes the effective use of supervision to reinforce basic principles.

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Responsible Person: {{org_field_registered_manager_first_name}} {{org_field_registered_manager_last_name}}

Reviewed on: {{last_update_date}}

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