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{{org_field_name}}

Registration Number: {{org_field_registration_no}}

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Public Holidays Policy

1. Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to ensure that {{org_field_name}} effectively plans, manages, and supports residents and staff during public holidays. Public holidays play a significant role in the wellbeing, social engagement, and cultural expression of residents and staff. This policy ensures that services remain fully operational, residents receive high-quality care, and staff are treated fairly and equitably in terms of scheduling, pay, and time off.

This policy aligns with The Regulation and Inspection of Social Care (Wales) Act 2016, the Working Time Regulations 1998, and CIW guidance on service continuity and workforce management​. It also ensures that public holiday celebrations are inclusive and person-centred, supporting the rights, preferences, and cultural beliefs of all residents​.

2. Scope

This policy applies to all individuals within {{org_field_name}}, including:

• Residents, ensuring they have opportunities to celebrate public holidays according to their preferences.
• All staff members, including full-time, part-time, and agency workers, ensuring fair work schedules and entitlements.
• Visitors and families, ensuring they can celebrate public holidays with their loved ones in a safe and welcoming environment.
• External service providers, ensuring continuity of external care, supplies, and emergency services during public holidays.

3. Managing Public Holidays Efficiently

3.1 Continuity of Care During Public Holidays

Public holidays should not affect the quality and consistency of care at {{org_field_name}}. The Registered Manager must ensure that:

• Adequate staffing levels are maintained to meet the care and support needs of all residents.
• All essential services, including medication administration, personal care, and meal provision, continue as usual.
• Contingency plans are in place for any service disruptions (e.g., GP availability, pharmacy closures, emergency response).
• Care plans are reviewed to ensure additional support is available for residents who may struggle with changes to routine during public holidays.

A public holiday action plan is prepared at least one month in advance to ensure seamless service delivery, including staff scheduling, resident activities, and visitor arrangements.

3.2 Resident Wellbeing and Holiday Celebrations

Public holidays should be a time of joy, connection, and inclusion for residents. Person-centred planning ensures that celebrations reflect residents’ cultural, religious, and personal preferences. The following practices are followed:

• Residents are consulted about how they would like to celebrate public holidays, including participation in religious services, special meals, and decorations.
• Special activities, entertainment, and communal events are arranged in collaboration with the activities coordinator.
• Residents who prefer not to celebrate are respected, and alternative quiet spaces are made available.
• Dietary requirements are considered when planning festive meals, ensuring all residents can enjoy food in line with their needs and preferences.
• Relatives and friends are encouraged to visit during public holidays, and visiting hours may be extended to accommodate family celebrations.

For residents who may feel lonely or distressed during public holidays, staff provide emotional support, companionship, and reassurance. Any concerns about increased social isolation are recorded and addressed through personalised care plans.

3.3 Staffing Arrangements and Fair Rotations

Public holidays must not result in staffing arrangements that compromise the safety, well-being, care or support of residents. {{org_field_name}} will ensure that, at all times, a sufficient number of suitably qualified, trained, skilled, competent and experienced staff are deployed, having regard to the Statement of Purpose, the assessed care and support needs of residents, residents’ personal outcomes and the requirements of the Regulated Services (Service Providers and Responsible Individuals) (Wales) Regulations 2017, as amended.

The Registered Manager will ensure that:

• staffing requirements for each public holiday are determined using the service’s established staffing assessment arrangements, taking account of residents’ assessed needs and dependency levels, required skills and competencies, the physical environment, planned activities and any foreseeable additional demands;
• the basis on which staffing numbers and skill mix have been determined can be demonstrated and recorded;
• staffing levels and skill mix are reviewed and adjusted where residents’ needs or circumstances change;
• appropriate arrangements are in place to cover sickness, unexpected absence and other staffing shortages so that residents continue to receive safe and consistent care and support;
• where the service provides nursing care, the required number of suitably qualified, competent and experienced registered nurses is maintained in accordance with the assessed nursing needs of residents and the regulatory requirements applicable to the service;
• where agency or temporary staff are used, the service is satisfied that the required recruitment, fitness and vetting checks have been completed and that those workers have sufficient information about the residents, the service and relevant procedures to provide safe and consistent care;
• the use of temporary or agency workers does not prevent residents from receiving reasonable continuity of care;
• public holiday rotas are prepared sufficiently in advance to support safe staffing and service continuity;
• staff preferences and requests for annual leave are considered fairly and consistently, subject to the service maintaining safe staffing levels and meeting residents’ assessed needs; and
• working arrangements comply with applicable working-time requirements, including limits on working time and requirements concerning rest breaks, daily rest and weekly rest, subject to any lawful exceptions and compensatory-rest requirements that apply to continuity of care services.

Staff who work on a public holiday will be paid in accordance with their contract of employment and the organisation’s applicable terms and conditions. There is no automatic statutory entitlement to enhanced pay or time off in lieu solely because work is undertaken on a bank or public holiday. Any enhanced payment, additional leave or time off in lieu will therefore be provided only where this is required by the employee’s contract, a collective agreement or another applicable contractual arrangement.

Statutory annual leave entitlement will be provided in accordance with the Working Time Regulations 1998, as amended. Bank or public holidays may be included within statutory annual leave entitlement where this is provided for under the employee’s contractual arrangements.

Staff who are unable to attend work because of sickness on a public holiday must follow the organisation’s sickness absence reporting procedure. Appropriate cover must be arranged so that residents’ care and support are not compromised.

3.4 Staff Wellbeing, Recognition and Religion or Belief

{{org_field_name}} recognises that working during public holidays may place additional demands on staff. Appropriate arrangements will therefore be made to support staff wellbeing while ensuring that residents continue to receive safe, effective and person-centred care and support.

Where appropriate:

• managers will monitor staff wellbeing during public holiday periods and respond to identified concerns;
• staff may request shift swaps or other rota adjustments, provided that any change has been authorised and does not compromise staffing levels, skill mix, continuity of care or residents’ safety;
• refreshments or other forms of staff recognition may be provided in accordance with organisational arrangements; and
• staff will be encouraged to raise concerns where public holiday working patterns may affect their health, safety or ability to carry out their duties safely.

Requests for annual leave, changes to working arrangements or time away from work connected with religion or belief will be considered fairly, consistently and without unlawful discrimination in accordance with the Equality Act 2010.

There is no automatic statutory entitlement to time off for a religious festival or observance. However, managers must give proper consideration to such requests and must not treat an employee less favourably because of their religion, belief or lack of religion or belief.

When considering a request, the manager will take account of:

• the employee’s request and circumstances;
• the need to maintain sufficient numbers of suitably qualified, trained, skilled, competent and experienced staff;
• the assessed care and support needs and safety of residents;
• requests made by other employees;
• the ability to reorganise work or agree an authorised shift swap; and
• the need to apply arrangements consistently and without unlawful direct or indirect discrimination.

Where a request cannot be accommodated because of legitimate operational or resident-safety requirements, the reason for the decision will be explained to the employee and alternative arrangements will be considered where practicable.

3.5 Visitor Arrangements and Family Involvement

Public holidays are often significant times for families, and {{org_field_name}} aims to create a welcoming environment that allows residents to connect with loved ones. Key measures include:

• Extended visiting hours, where possible, to accommodate family gatherings.
• Private spaces being made available for family celebrations and religious observances.
• Communication with families about holiday meal arrangements and activity schedules, encouraging participation.
• Support for virtual visits via video calls for residents whose families are unable to visit in person.

Families are also invited to provide feedback on how they would like public holidays to be managed, ensuring that celebrations are meaningful and inclusive.

3.6 Emergency Planning and Management Arrangements for Public Holidays

Public holidays may result in reduced availability of external health, pharmacy, maintenance, transport and other services. {{org_field_name}} will therefore maintain appropriate contingency arrangements to ensure that residents continue to receive safe and effective care and support throughout public holiday periods.

The Registered Manager will ensure that, where applicable:

• arrangements for GP, out-of-hours medical, pharmacy and other essential healthcare services are identified in advance and relevant contact details are readily accessible to staff;
• residents have sufficient supplies of prescribed medicines and arrangements are made for ordering and re-ordering medicines in sufficient time to take account of pharmacy and GP closures;
• sufficient quantities of care supplies, continence products, specialist dietary items, food, personal protective equipment and other essential items are available to meet residents’ assessed care and support needs;
• staffing contingency arrangements are available to respond to sickness, unexpected absence or other staffing shortages;
• emergency and business continuity arrangements remain operational throughout the public holiday period;
• staff on duty know how to obtain management advice and escalation support;
• staff have access to relevant emergency, safeguarding and out-of-hours contact information; and
• foreseeable risks associated with reduced availability of external services are identified and appropriate mitigating action is taken.

Where the Registered Manager is not present at the service, there must be an effective and competent deputising arrangement to ensure that the service continues to be managed safely and effectively. The person undertaking delegated management responsibility must have the appropriate authority, knowledge, skills and competence to provide day-to-day leadership, respond to emergencies and escalate matters where necessary.

These management arrangements must:

• support residents to continue to achieve their personal outcomes;
• maintain the safety, quality and effectiveness of the service;
• minimise disruption to residents;
• ensure compliance with applicable regulatory requirements; and
• provide staff with clear access to management support.

An on-call arrangement may form part of these arrangements but must not be relied upon as a substitute for effective management and competent leadership within the service.

Where the absence of the Registered Manager reaches a period that requires notification to the service provider or Care Inspectorate Wales under the applicable Regulations, the Responsible Individual must ensure that the required notification and information about interim management arrangements are provided within the prescribed timescale.

3.7 Annual Leave and Holiday Pay Records

{{org_field_name}} will maintain adequate records to demonstrate compliance with statutory annual leave and holiday pay requirements.

In accordance with the Working Time Regulations 1998, as amended, records will be maintained relating to:

• statutory annual leave entitlement;
• annual leave taken;
• annual leave carried forward where applicable;
• holiday pay paid;
• the relevant elements included when calculating holiday pay, where required; and
• any payment made in lieu of accrued but untaken statutory annual leave where such payment is lawfully permitted, including on termination of employment.

These records will be retained for at least six years from the date on which they are made.

Records may be maintained through payroll, rota, human resources or other appropriate systems, provided that they are adequate to demonstrate compliance with statutory annual leave and holiday pay requirements.

Managers responsible for public holiday rotas must ensure that the treatment of bank or public holidays is consistent with each worker’s contractual terms and statutory annual leave entitlement.

4. Responsibilities

4.1 Management Responsibilities

• Ensuring staffing levels are adequate during public holidays.
• Overseeing holiday activity planning to support resident wellbeing.
• Communicating with families and visitors regarding public holiday arrangements.
• Ensuring staff schedules and entitlements are managed fairly and in compliance with regulations.
• Conducting risk assessments to prepare for public holiday service continuity.

4.2 Staff Responsibilities

• Providing high-quality care during public holidays, maintaining routine services.
• Supporting residents in celebrating or observing holidays in a way that reflects their preferences.
• Ensuring infection control and safety during social gatherings and communal activities.
• Reporting any issues related to staff absences, supply shortages, or resident wellbeing concerns.

4.3 Resident and Family Responsibilities

• Communicating preferences regarding holiday celebrations and activities.
• Respecting the care home’s visitor policies during busy holiday periods.
• Providing feedback to help improve future public holiday experiences at {{org_field_name}}.

5. Related Policies

This policy should be read in conjunction with:

• Staff Rota and Working Hours Policy​
• Visiting and Accompanying in Care Homes Policy​
• Dignity and Respect Policy​
• Emergency and Business Continuity Plan​

6. Policy Review

This policy will be reviewed annually or sooner if there are significant changes in public holiday arrangements, legislation, or staff feedback. The Registered Manager is responsible for ensuring ongoing compliance with CIW regulations and employment standards.

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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}}
Copyright © {{current_year}} – {{org_field_name}}. All rights reserved.