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Assisting with Personal Care Policy

1. Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to ensure that all personal care provided to the people we support is safe, dignified, person-centred, and in line with their preferences, needs, and rights. It aims to promote independence, respect, and dignity while meeting all regulatory requirements, including the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.

Our care home is committed to ensuring that:

• Personal care is provided with sensitivity, compassion, and respect.
• Individuals receive support tailored to their specific needs, choices, and cultural preferences.
• Staff adhere to high standards of hygiene, infection control, and safeguarding.
• Personal care is delivered in a way that maintains dignity and independence.
• All personal care procedures comply with CQC regulations and the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

2. Scope

This policy applies to:

• All staff responsible for providing personal care.
• Registered Managers, Nominated Individuals, and Key Workers.
• The people we support in our care home setting.
• Advocates, family members, and other professionals involved in personal care planning.

Personal care includes:

• Assistance with washing, bathing, and showering.
• Toileting and continence care.
• Oral hygiene.
• Dressing and undressing.
• Skin care and pressure area management.
• Support with menstruation and intimate hygiene.
• Assistance with mobility during personal care routines.

3. Legal and Regulatory Framework

This policy supports compliance with the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 (as amended), including (where applicable to assisting with personal care):

• 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 16 (Receiving and acting on complaints)
• Regulation 17 (Good governance: accurate records, audit and oversight)
• Regulation 18 (Staffing: sufficient numbers, skills, competence, training and supervision)
• Regulation 20 (Duty of candour)

This policy also reflects relevant legislation and national guidance, including the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (capacity, best interests and least restrictive practice) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) where restrictions may amount to a deprivation of liberty.

We will follow statutory requirements and guidance on infection prevention and control and required staff training (including training on learning disability and autism that is appropriate to role).

4. Principles of Personal Care Delivery

4.1 Dignity and Respect

• Personal care must be delivered in a private and dignified manner.
• Staff must knock before entering rooms and obtain verbal or non-verbal consent before assisting.
• People we support should be encouraged to perform tasks independently where possible.
• Use gender-sensitive care practices to match staff with individuals’ preferences when possible.

4.2 Individualised Personal Care Plans

• Every person we support will have a detailed Personal Care Plan that includes:
  • Preferences for personal hygiene routines.
  • Cultural and religious considerations.
  • Mobility needs and equipment requirements.
  • Skin care, pressure area prevention, and continence support.
• Plans will be reviewed regularly to reflect any changes in needs or preferences.

4.3 Informed Consent and Mental Capacity

Staff must obtain and record valid consent before providing personal care (in line with Regulation 11 – Need for consent). Consent may be verbal, written, or non-verbal depending on the person’s communication needs and the nature of the care task.

Where there is reason to doubt a person’s capacity for a specific decision at the time it needs to be made, staff must complete and record a decision-specific capacity assessment. If the person lacks capacity, staff must follow the Mental Capacity Act 2005, including best-interests decision making and the least restrictive option, involving relevant representatives (e.g., family, advocate, Attorney/Deputy) as appropriate.

If restrictions used to deliver personal care may amount to a deprivation of liberty, the Registered Manager must ensure the appropriate legal framework is followed (currently DoLS in England) and authorisation is sought/maintained, and care is delivered within the scope of any authorisation and conditions.

If a person refuses personal care, staff must: document the refusal, explore reasons, offer alternatives, consider pain/distress/trauma triggers, and escalate to the senior on duty/Registered Manager where refusal may create a significant risk to health, skin integrity, continence, infection control, or dignity.

4.4 Safe and Hygienic Care Practices

• Hand hygiene must be performed before and after each care task.
• PPE (gloves, aprons, and masks if required) must be worn appropriately.
• Bathing and toileting areas must be kept clean and disinfected.
• Regular skin checks should be conducted to identify any issues such as sores or infections.

4.5 Supporting Mobility and Preventing Falls

• Use hoists and mobility aids safely to assist with transfers.
• Staff must be trained in manual handling techniques to avoid injuries.
• Floors should be dry and free from hazards to prevent slips.

4.6 Privacy and Confidentiality

• Personal care discussions must be conducted discreetly.
• Confidential information regarding care preferences must be stored securely.
• Personal hygiene needs should never be discussed inappropriately with third parties.

4.7 Cultural and Religious Sensitivities

• Ensure that cultural preferences for bathing, modesty, and gender of caregiver are respected.
• Provide appropriate hygiene products according to religious requirements.

5. Staff Training and Competency

All staff providing personal care must:

• Complete personal care and dignity training upon induction.
• Receive ongoing safeguarding and infection control training.
• Be trained in manual handling and mobility assistance.
• Understand the Mental Capacity Act and how to obtain consent.
• Demonstrate compassion, respect, and professionalism at all times.

Staff must also report concerns about any changes in the personal care needs of individuals to the Registered Manager.

Staff must not deliver intimate/personal care unsupervised until they have been assessed as competent (including communication, dignity, infection prevention and control, moving and handling, skin integrity/pressure area care, continence support and escalation). Competency must be evidenced through observation and signed-off assessment, and refreshed at intervals set by the Registered Manager (and at least annually, or sooner where concerns arise).

Training must include role-appropriate learning on learning disability and autism and reasonable adjustments to ensure people can access safe, dignified personal care.

6. Safeguarding and Reporting Concerns

• Any concerns about neglect, abuse, or improper treatment must be reported immediately to the Safeguarding Lead ({{org_field_safeguarding_lead_name}}).
• If a person regularly refuses personal care, this should be logged and escalated if it poses a risk to their health or dignity.
• Any accidents, injuries, or suspected harm occurring during or connected to personal care must be documented immediately, escalated to the senior on duty/Registered Manager, and investigated in line with our incident management procedures. Where required, the Registered Manager will make CQC statutory notifications without delay and will follow Regulation 20 (Duty of Candour) by informing the person (and/or their representative) when a notifiable safety incident has occurred, offering an apology, providing an explanation of known facts, and keeping an auditable record of all Duty of Candour actions taken.

7. Monitoring and Compliance

To ensure high standards of personal care, we will:

• Conduct monthly personal care audits to monitor quality.
• Gather feedback from people we support and their families on dignity and care experiences.
• Ensure CQC compliance checks are conducted during internal audits.
• Use supervision and competency assessments to improve staff practices.
• Maintain evidence that demonstrates safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led personal care in line with CQC’s Single Assessment Framework, including care records, observed practice, competency assessments, audit outcomes, complaints/compliments, incident trends, and improvement actions.
• Ensure learning from incidents, safeguarding concerns and complaints is captured, shared, and embedded into practice, with actions tracked to completion.

8. Related Policies

This policy should be read alongside:

• CH07 – Person-Centred Care Policy
• CH08 – Dignity and Respect Policy
• CH11 – Safe Care and Treatment Policy
• CH13 – Safeguarding Adults from Abuse and Improper Treatment Policy
• CH17 – Infection Prevention and Control Policy
• CH18 – Risk Management and Assessment Policy

9. Policy Review

This policy will be reviewed annually or sooner if legislative, regulatory, or operational changes occur. The Registered Manager is responsible for ensuring that all staff adhere to the latest guidelines and maintain best practices.

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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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