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Planned Preventive Maintenance in Care Homes (England) Policy

Policy Statement

Residents and staff of {{org_field_name}} have a right to live and work in premises that are always kept in a safe, well-maintained and comfortable condition. The quality of the physical environment is a key factor in its provision of a high-quality, safe and effective service.

Regulation 15: Premises and Equipment of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 includes a requirement for all premises to be suitable and properly maintained.

A care home’s maintenance policy must also comply with all aspects of the relevant legislation and guidance, including:

• Health and Safety at Work, etc Act 1974
• Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015
• Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012
• Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992
• Fire Safety Reform Order 2005
• relevant building regulations
• HSG220 Health and Safety in Care Homes, published by the Health and Safety Executive.

Definitions

The home understands “buildings maintenance” to refer to the keeping of all care home buildings, fabrics, fittings and equipment in good, safe condition, in efficient working order and in good repair.

The home understands “planned preventive maintenance” to refer to any buildings maintenance system that includes regular inspection of the premises and the development of a strategic maintenance plan designed to address buildings issues before they become urgent or emergencies. Planned preventive maintenance is an active forward-looking process quite distinct from “reactive” maintenance, where problems are addressed as they occur.

In addition to the fabric of the building, services such as water, lighting, heating and air-conditioning systems will be maintained appropriately to ensure that the building is comfortable and safe to use and that energy is not wasted.

Procedures

1. In {{org_field_name}}, the overall responsibility for buildings maintenance systems lies with {{org_field_name}} manager, who will ensure that a programme of routine planned preventive maintenance and renewal of the fabric and decoration of the premises is in place and that records are kept of all maintenance activity.
2. The maintenance system will cover all aspects of the premises including:
   a. all buildings — both external and internal parts of buildings and including all outbuildings’ fittings
   b. equipment and devices
   c. services such as water, gas and electricity
   d. grounds — including fences, gates, paths, car parks, lighting and walls.
3. All material parts of the home, including fixtures and fittings, will be well maintained and a maintenance schedule will be in place in accordance with the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992.
4. In {{org_field_name}}, the following procedures will be followed in relation to the maintenance of the premises.
   a. A system of planned preventive maintenance will be utilised involving the inspection and assessment of equipment, plant and buildings on a regular basis.
   b. A fault reporting and tracking system will be operated, whereby staff will be encouraged to report faults or potential problem areas, such as torn or frayed carpets, damaged flooring, broken windows, electrical faults and broken paving.
   c. Faults or repairs will be logged by {{org_field_name}} manager, who will conduct a risk assessment on each one to determine whether or not the repair is urgent, ie whether there is a potential danger to the safety of residents, staff or the public.
   d. Repairs will be allocated or commissioned from appropriate staff or contractors as required and followed up to check that any necessary work has been completed satisfactorily.
   e. All maintenance work, including minor tasks, will be subject to a prior risk assessment, and adequate risk management and safety arrangements will be put in place before the work is carried out.
   f. All maintenance contractors or staff will be expected to comply with care home health and safety policies and safeguards.
   g. Urgent repairs will be prioritised and completed as soon as is practicable. Where there is a delay in any essential maintenance work being done, {{org_field_name}} manager will take whatever action is necessary to ensure safety and control any risk.
   h. Access to any relevant risk assessments, drawings, instructions, handbooks and records will be provided to maintenance staff and contractors.
5. {{org_field_name}} manager will keep and update a maintenance plan and guide for the building. The guide will specify intervals between:
   a. routine, general and detailed inspections
   b. the inspection and maintenance of each engineering service and items of special equipment
   c. the maintenance of items that require regular attention to preserve good performance (in line with the manufacturers’ instructions)
   d. any other periodic work that experience in use may later show to be necessary.
6. The maintenance guide will also include essential data taken from the building’s records that is likely to be needed during inspections.
7. The maintenance plan or schedule will include checklists completed during regular inspection which will specify the condition of the fabric of the building, its fittings and equipment, and will identify any repairs, remedial work or action to be taken. The plan will be regularly reviewed and will include routine maintenance and redecorating as well as larger-scale refurbishment.

Emergency Repairs

A repair will usually be considered to be an emergency if there is a danger to the health or risk to the safety of residents or staff or a danger of serious damage to the building. Examples include:

1. property insecure or failure of security systems (broken windows, etc)
2. flood/fire
3. blocked and overflowing drains
4. water supply failure
5. serious structural damage
6. complete heating system failure in winter
7. complete hot water system failure.

Emergency repairs must be dealt with immediately and appropriate action taken to ensure the safety of the occupants of the building.

Implementation

All staff are responsible for the implementation of this policy. Overall responsibility for ensuring that the policy is implemented, monitored and reviewed rests with {{org_field_name}} manager. Information on the policy will be:

1. circulated to all staff
2. provided to all new employees
3. included in the buildings and refurbishment policy.

Records

Records will be kept of all maintenance jobs and repairs, including when the fault or repair requirement was reported, when the repair was arranged, who completed the repair and who checked that it was complete. Incomplete or unsatisfactory repairs will be followed up. Maintenance records will be regularly inspected and reviewed to identify trends or patterns of work required and the performance of contractors.

Training

All new staff are made aware of this policy as part of their induction. Those with specific duties and responsibilities under the policy will be offered additional training.

All maintenance staff will be offered training to ensure that they are able to work safely and effectively. All new staff will receive induction training which will include a thorough tour of the premises and thorough guidance on fire systems and escape routes and procedures.

Records

Records will be kept of all maintenance jobs and repairs, including when the fault or repair requirement was reported, when the repair was arranged, who completed the repair and who checked that it was complete. Incomplete or unsatisfactory repairs will be followed up. Maintenance records will be regularly inspected and reviewed to identify trends or patterns of work required and the performance of contractors.

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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}}

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