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CH198-Access to Garden and Outdoor Areas Policy

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Access to Garden and Outdoor Areas Policy

1. Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to ensure that individuals receiving care and support from {{org_field_name}} are enabled and supported to access garden or outdoor areas safely and meaningfully, where such access is part of their care plan. This policy reflects our commitment to promoting well-being, independence, physical activity, and social inclusion, in line with Regulation 9 (Person-Centred Care), Regulation 10 (Dignity and Respect), and the wellbeing principles of the Care Act 2014.

2. Scope

The purpose of this policy is to ensure that residents of {{org_field_name}} are enabled and supported to access garden and outdoor areas safely, lawfully, equitably and in a person-centred way. The service recognises that access to fresh air, natural light, exercise, social contact and meaningful outdoor activity can contribute significantly to physical health, emotional wellbeing, independence, dignity and quality of life.

This policy is intended to support compliance with the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, including Regulation 9 (Person-Centred Care), Regulation 10 (Dignity and Respect), Regulation 11 (Need for Consent), Regulation 12 (Safe Care and Treatment), Regulation 13 (Safeguarding Service Users from Abuse and Improper Treatment), Regulation 17 (Good Governance), Regulation 18 (Staffing) and Regulation 20 (Duty of Candour), together with relevant Care Quality Commission registration requirements and current CQC guidance.
No resident will be prevented from accessing outdoor areas through blanket restrictions, convenience, staffing custom or assumptions about age, disability, dementia or frailty. Any support arrangements or restrictions must be based on an individual assessment, be the least restrictive option, be clearly documented, and be kept under review.

3. Related Policies

4. Policy Statement

{{org_field_name}} recognises access to outdoor space as an important aspect of good quality care. Residents should be supported to spend time outdoors where this reflects their wishes, preferences, cultural needs, lifestyle, interests, assessed needs and care outcomes.
The service will promote safe and meaningful access to outdoor areas through care planning, risk assessment, appropriate staffing, environmental checks and responsive supervision arrangements. Residents will be supported to make choices about when, how and with whom they access outdoor spaces.

Any limitation on a resident’s access to the garden or outdoor area must never be imposed as a blanket rule. Restrictions must be based on an individual assessment, be lawful, proportionate, necessary, clearly recorded, and reviewed regularly. Where a resident may lack capacity to decide about outdoor access, the service will act in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act 2005, relevant best-interest processes and, where applicable, any lawful deprivation of liberty arrangements.

5. Key Principles and Implementation

Person-Centred Planning, Consent and Mental Capacity

Access to garden and outdoor areas must be based on the resident’s wishes, preferences, assessed needs and agreed care outcomes. Care plans must state whether the resident wishes to go outdoors, how often, at what times, for what purpose, what support they need, and any known risks, triggers or protective factors.

Staff must seek and record consent before supporting outdoor access wherever this is required as part of care delivery. Consent must be obtained in a way the resident can understand, using appropriate communication methods, aids, reassurance, time and support.

Where there is doubt about a resident’s capacity to make a specific decision about outdoor access, a decision-specific mental capacity assessment must be considered and recorded. If the resident lacks capacity, any decision must be made in their best interests, with consultation with those lawfully involved in the decision-making process, and with regard to the least restrictive option. Where relevant, the service must consider whether there are wider restrictions amounting to a deprivation of liberty and act in accordance with current legal requirements.

Residents must not be denied access to outdoor space merely because they make decisions others consider unwise, unless there is a lawful and evidenced reason requiring intervention.

Risk Assessment and Environmental Safety Checks

An individual risk assessment must be completed and kept under review for each resident whose care includes access to garden or outdoor areas. Risk assessments must consider, where relevant: mobility, falls history, frailty, cognition, orientation, sensory impairment, communication needs, behaviour that may challenge, epilepsy, fatigue, continence needs, smoking risks, allergies, hydration, medicines that may affect mobility or thermoregulation, and any history of leaving the service unsafely.

The assessment must also consider environmental risks including uneven surfaces, steps, ramps, thresholds, slippery or icy ground, lighting, weather conditions, unsecured gates, water features, garden tools, toxic plants, moving equipment, outdoor furniture safety, infection risks and accessibility of emergency assistance.

Risk management measures must be specific and proportionate and may include observation levels, staff escort, mobility aids, adapted seating, call bells, safe footwear, time-limited outdoor access, hydration support, sun protection, and checks on gates or boundaries.

Environmental checks of outdoor areas must be carried out at a frequency determined by the provider’s governance system and always before planned organised use where conditions may have changed. Any identified hazard must be addressed promptly, escalated without delay, and recorded in line with the service’s reporting procedures.

Support, Supervision and Observation

Residents may access outdoor areas independently, with general observation, with intermittent checks, or with direct staff support, according to their assessed needs and care plan. The level of support must be based on individual assessment and not on routine practice or staffing convenience.

Where a resident requires assistance outdoors, staff must provide support in a way that promotes dignity, independence and control, for example by assisting with mobility, positioning, communication, reassurance, meaningful activity, hydration, and return indoors when requested or clinically indicated.

If staffing levels or competing demands temporarily affect the service’s ability to support a resident safely outdoors, this must be escalated to the person in charge and managed through immediate risk-based decision making. It must not become a standing or blanket restriction. Repeated inability to support access must be reviewed as a staffing and governance issue.

Meaningful Use of Outdoor Space, Inclusion and Choice

Outdoor access should support meaningful occupation, social contact, sensory stimulation, exercise, spiritual wellbeing and personal identity. Residents should be supported, where they wish, to take part in activities such as walking, sitting in fresh air, gardening, reading, socialising, celebrating cultural or religious events, or spending quiet time alone where safe and appropriate.
The service must make reasonable adjustments to enable equitable access for residents with disability, sensory loss, communication needs, cognitive impairment or other protected characteristics. Staff must not make assumptions that any resident is unable, unwilling or unsuitable to access outdoor areas without individual assessment and discussion.

Weather, Seasonal Conditions and Clinical Escalation

Residents must be supported to access outdoor areas safely throughout the year wherever appropriate. Staff must take account of heat, cold, wind, rain, ice, pollen levels, UV exposure and the resident’s individual health condition. Residents must be assisted with appropriate clothing, footwear, shade, blankets, sunscreen, hats, drinks and rest periods as required.

Staff must monitor for signs of heat exhaustion, dehydration, hypothermia, respiratory distress, fatigue, dizziness or other deterioration. Where concerns arise, staff must take immediate action in accordance with the resident’s care plan, seek clinical advice where necessary, and record and report concerns appropriately.

Environmental Safety, Cleanliness and Maintenance

{{org_field_name}} is responsible for ensuring that garden and outdoor areas within the care home premises are maintained in a safe condition for their intended use. Outdoor areas must be kept reasonably clean, accessible and free from avoidable hazards so far as practicable.
Hazards such as damaged paving, unstable furniture, trailing hoses, unsafe boundaries, blocked routes, standing water, animal fouling, unsafe storage of tools or poor lighting must be reported immediately and addressed within appropriate timescales. Where a hazard presents immediate risk, access to the affected area must be restricted pending remedial action, and the action taken must be recorded and escalated through the service’s maintenance and governance systems.

Infection Prevention, Allergens and Safe Outdoor Equipment Use

Staff must follow current infection prevention and control procedures when supporting residents outdoors, including hand hygiene, use of personal protective equipment where required, safe disposal of waste, and cleaning of mobility aids, seating or shared equipment if contaminated.
Known allergies and sensitivities, including pollen, insect stings, plants, topical products and environmental triggers, must be recorded in the resident’s care plan and risk assessment. Staff must know how to recognise and respond to allergic reactions and other acute health concerns while a resident is outdoors.

Any outdoor equipment used by residents, including wheelchairs, walking aids and seating, must be checked for safe use.

Safeguarding, Privacy, Security and Prevention of Unlawful Restriction

Residents must be protected from abuse, neglect, avoidable harm, humiliating treatment and unlawful restriction while accessing outdoor areas. Staff must remain alert to safeguarding risks including bullying or intimidation by others, inappropriate supervision, rough handling, discriminatory restrictions, wandering into unsafe areas, exploitation by visitors, and failure to respond when a resident asks to return indoors or requests assistance.

Residents’ privacy and dignity must be maintained at all times, including when staff provide personal support, repositioning, continence support, or sensitive conversations outdoors.
Any safeguarding concern, allegation, unexplained restriction, missing-person episode, serious incident or pattern of unsafe practice must be reported immediately in line with safeguarding, incident reporting and statutory notification procedures.

Care Records and Documentation

Care records must show the resident’s wishes and support needs in relation to outdoor access, any relevant consent or mental capacity considerations, the current risk assessment, agreed supervision arrangements, and any restrictions or control measures in place.

Where outdoor access forms a meaningful part of the resident’s routine or care outcomes, staff should record relevant support provided, participation, any change in mood or wellbeing, any refusal or withdrawal of consent, incidents, near misses, deterioration, hazards identified, and actions taken.

Where staff depart from the agreed plan, impose a temporary restriction, or identify a new risk, the reason must be recorded clearly and the matter escalated for review. Records must be accurate, contemporaneous, complete and suitable for oversight, audit and learning.

Incident Reporting, Statutory Notifications and Duty of Candour

Any accident, serious injury, safeguarding allegation, missing resident episode, unauthorised exit, environmental failure, or other significant incident connected with outdoor access must be reported immediately in accordance with the service’s incident reporting procedure. The registered manager or nominated person must consider without delay whether the incident meets the threshold for external reporting or notification, including safeguarding referral, local authority reporting, health and safety escalation, or statutory notification to the Care Quality Commission.
Where a notifiable safety incident or other serious concern occurs, the service will act in an open and transparent way with the resident and/or relevant person, provide an apology where appropriate, explain what is known, keep records of the communication, and take action to learn and reduce the risk of recurrence.

Lessons learned from outdoor-access incidents, complaints, concerns, audits and feedback must be reviewed through the service’s governance processes and used to improve care planning, staffing, environment and training.

Equality, Accessibility and Communication

The service will take reasonable steps to make outdoor areas and the support provided within them as accessible as possible. This includes considering mobility access, wheelchair routes, seating, handrails, visual contrast, lighting, hearing or visual impairment, cognitive support, communication aids and culturally appropriate use of space.

Information about outdoor access, choices, risks and support arrangements must be communicated in a way each resident can understand. Staff must make reasonable adjustments and use appropriate communication methods so that residents are able to express preferences and take part in decisions about outdoor access as far as possible.

6. Training and Responsibilities

All staff must receive induction and refresher training relevant to their role in supporting residents to access outdoor areas safely and lawfully. This should include, as appropriate, person-centred care, dignity and respect, consent, the Mental Capacity Act 2005, safeguarding, falls prevention, mobility assistance, infection prevention and control, incident reporting, duty of candour, equality and human rights, and recognition of deterioration.

Managers are responsible for ensuring that care plans and risk assessments are up to date, staff are competent, the outdoor environment is subject to appropriate checks, incidents are reviewed, and learning is embedded into practice.

Staff are responsible for following care plans and risk assessments, seeking consent, escalating concerns, maintaining accurate records, reporting incidents promptly, and supporting residents in a way that promotes autonomy, dignity and safety.

7. Governance, Audit and Review of Practice

The provider will monitor the implementation of this policy through audits of care plans, risk assessments, incident records, complaints, safeguarding concerns, environmental checks and feedback from residents, relatives and staff.

Any themes identified in relation to restricted access, falls, near misses, complaints, deterioration, staffing barriers or environmental hazards will be reviewed by management and acted upon.

This policy must be read alongside the service’s governance, safeguarding, consent, incident reporting and equality procedures and must be reviewed whenever legislation, regulation, CQC guidance or service learning indicates that amendment is required.

8. Policy Review

This policy will be reviewed at least annually and sooner if there is any relevant change in legislation, CQC regulation or guidance, case law, safeguarding practice, incident learning, complaints trends, audit findings or service delivery model. The review will consider whether the policy remains effective, lawful, implemented in practice and appropriate to the needs of residents using the service.

Responsible Person: {{org_field_registered_manager_first_name}} {{org_field_registered_manager_last_name}}
Reviewed on: {{last_update_date}}
Next Review Date: {{next_review_date}}
Copyright © {{current_year}} – {{org_field_name}}. All rights reserved.

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