DC121-Supporting Service Users with Pets: Risk Assessment and Safety Policy

Registration Number: {{org_field_registration_no}}

Supporting Service Users with Pets: Risk Assessment and Safety Policy

1. Introduction

At {{org_field_name}}, we recognise the positive impact that pets can have on the well-being, emotional health, and companionship of service users. Pets can reduce loneliness, provide emotional support, and encourage physical activity. However, it is equally important to ensure that the presence of pets does not compromise the safety, health, and well-being of service users, staff, and visitors.

This policy outlines the framework for identifying, assessing, managing and reviewing risks associated with service users who own or keep pets. It supports safe, person-centred and proportionate care in line with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, the Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009, CQC fundamental standards and CQC’s current assessment framework. In particular, this policy supports compliance with 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, Regulation 18 Staffing and Regulation 20 Duty of candour.

2. Purpose and Scope

The purpose of this policy is to:

Promote safe and effective care for service users who live with pets.
Ensure that pets do not pose a risk to staff, other service users, or the wider environment.
Provide guidance on conducting risk assessments related to pets in the home.
Establish clear procedures for addressing pet-related concerns while respecting the rights and preferences of service users.

This policy applies to all staff, including carers, administrative personnel, volunteers, and contractors, as well as service users and their families. It covers all domiciliary care settings where service users reside with pets, including private homes and supported living arrangements.

3. Legal and Regulatory Framework

This policy must be read alongside the organisation’s policies on risk assessment, health and safety, lone working, infection prevention and control, safeguarding adults, mental capacity and consent, incident reporting, complaints, duty of candour, care planning and staff training.

The organisation will manage pet-related risks in accordance with the following legal and regulatory requirements, as applicable:

Health and Social Care Act 2008;
Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014;
Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009;
Care Act 2014, including adult safeguarding duties;
Mental Capacity Act 2005, where a person may lack capacity to make a relevant decision;
Equality Act 2010, including reasonable adjustments and non-discriminatory practice;
Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974;
Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999;
Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013, where applicable;
Dangerous Dogs Act 1991;
Animal Welfare Act 2006;
Microchipping of Cats and Dogs (England) Regulations 2023;
UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018 when recording or sharing information.

The presence of a pet must not automatically prevent a person from receiving care. Decisions must be individualised, proportionate, evidence-based and clearly recorded. Where risks are identified, the organisation will seek to reduce risks while respecting the service user’s rights, preferences, dignity, independence and emotional well-being.

4. Principles of the Policy

Our approach to supporting service users with pets is guided by the following principles:

Respect for Service User Choice: We respect the rights of service users to live with their pets, recognising that pets are often considered part of the family.
Safety for All: The safety and well-being of service users, staff, and visitors take precedence. Risk assessments will be conducted to identify and mitigate any potential hazards.
Promoting Well-being: We acknowledge the therapeutic benefits of pet ownership and seek to support service users in caring for their pets safely.
Inclusivity and Fairness: No service user will be discriminated against based on pet ownership. Reasonable adjustments will be made to ensure equitable access to care.
Transparency and Accountability: All risks and concerns will be communicated openly, with documented assessments and clear action plans.

Positive Risk-Taking: Pet ownership may be important to a service user’s identity, emotional well-being, independence and quality of life. Risks will be managed in a balanced way and will not be used to impose unnecessary restrictions.
Least Restrictive Practice: Any control measure, including asking for a pet to be placed in another room, must be proportionate to the identified risk and reviewed regularly.
Staff Safety and Lone Working: Staff have the right to work in an environment where foreseeable risks, including animal-related risks, are assessed and managed. Staff must not enter or remain in a home where they reasonably believe there is an immediate risk to their safety.
Professional Boundaries: Staff must not feed, walk, clean, restrain, administer medication to, transport or otherwise care for a pet unless this has been specifically agreed, risk assessed, included in the care plan and authorised by the Registered Manager.

5. Risk Assessment Process

A thorough risk assessment will be conducted for every service user who owns a pet. This assessment will be completed during the initial care planning process and reviewed regularly. The following steps outline the risk assessment process:

5.1 Initial Assessment

During the initial assessment and before the first care visit wherever practicable, the assessor will record whether any pets or animals are present in the home.
The assessment will record the type, species, breed where relevant, size, age, sex, number of animals, usual location of the animal during visits, and whether the animal is normally secured, loose, caged or allowed to move freely.
The assessment will record the pet’s known behaviour, temperament, triggers, previous incidents, signs of distress or aggression, and how the service user or family normally manages the pet.
For dogs and cats, the assessment will ask whether the animal is microchipped in line with current legal requirements, and whether contact details are kept up to date. Evidence does not normally need to be copied unless there is a specific risk or contractual requirement.
The assessment will ask whether the pet is vaccinated, treated for fleas/worms or parasites as appropriate, and whether there are any known zoonotic infection risks.
The assessment will identify allergies, phobias, trauma history, cultural or religious considerations, pregnancy, immunosuppression or other health factors affecting staff or service users.
The assessment will identify environmental risks, including trip hazards from bowls, litter trays, leads, toys, bedding, cages, animal waste, odours, poor ventilation, infestation or restricted access/exit routes.
The assessment will confirm whether staff are expected to carry out any pet-related task. Such tasks must not be undertaken unless they are expressly included in the care plan, risk assessed, agreed with the service user or their representative, and approved by the Registered Manager.
The assessment will record emergency arrangements for the pet if the service user is admitted to hospital, becomes unable to care for the pet, dies, or there is a safeguarding, environmental health or animal welfare concern.
The assessment will record the agreed control measures for each visit, including whether the pet must be secured before staff enter, where the pet will be kept during personal care, and what staff must do if the agreed arrangements are not in place.

5.2 Risk Identification

Key risks associated with pets include:

Physical Injury: Risk of bites, scratches, or falls caused by pets.
Hygiene and Infection: Risk of zoonotic diseases, fleas, or poor hygiene in the home environment.
Environmental Hazards: Risk of tripping over pet toys, food bowls, or bedding.
Behavioural Concerns: Risk of aggressive or unpredictable behaviour from the pet.
Allergies and Sensitivities: Risk of allergic reactions among staff or visitors.
Lone Working Risk: risk that a staff member working alone cannot safely leave, summon help or complete care because of an animal’s behaviour or positioning.
Access and Egress Risk: risk that staff cannot safely enter or exit the property because a pet is loose, blocking access, behaving aggressively or likely to escape.
Safeguarding Risk: risk that the service user is unable to care for the pet, is neglecting their own needs due to pet-related pressures, is being coerced by others in relation to the pet, or is living in conditions that may indicate self-neglect, neglect or abuse.
Animal Welfare Risk: risk that the pet is being harmed, neglected or left without adequate food, water, veterinary care or a safe environment.
Medication and Clinical Risk: risk of contamination of medicines, dressings, equipment, food preparation areas or personal care areas by pets, pet waste or pet hair.
Restricted or Prohibited Animal Risk: risk arising from a banned, dangerous, exotic or otherwise unsuitable animal, or from a dog that may be dangerously out of control.
Care Delivery Risk: risk that personal care, moving and handling, medication support or infection prevention procedures cannot be completed safely because of the presence or behaviour of a pet.

5.3 Risk Mitigation and Control Measures

To address identified risks, the following control measures will be considered and implemented where proportionate:

Agreeing that the pet is secured in another room, crate, cage, garden or other safe area before staff enter the property and throughout care delivery where required.
Agreeing that dogs are placed on a lead, behind a stair gate, in a crate or in another room where there is any risk of jumping, biting, scratching, blocking access or interfering with care tasks.
Ensuring staff do not enter the property until the agreed pet-control arrangements are in place, unless there is an immediate life-threatening emergency and it is safe to do so.
Ensuring pet bowls, toys, bedding, litter trays, leads and cages are kept away from walking routes, moving and handling areas, food preparation areas and areas used for personal care.
Encouraging the service user or their representative to maintain vaccination, flea, worming, parasite control and veterinary care appropriate to the pet.
Encouraging the service user or their representative to comply with legal requirements for microchipping dogs and cats and to keep microchip contact details up to date.
Allocating staff appropriately where there are known allergies, phobias, pregnancy-related risks, immunosuppression, trauma history or cultural/religious considerations.
Providing PPE where required by the risk assessment, including gloves and aprons, and ensuring staff follow infection prevention and control procedures.
Agreeing safe arrangements for waste disposal, cleaning of pet-related contamination and management of infestations.
Ensuring staff have a means of contacting the office or emergency services where they are working alone and feel unsafe.
Suspending or rearranging a visit where the pet-related risk is immediate, serious and cannot be controlled, while taking all reasonable steps to protect the service user from avoidable harm.
Reviewing the care plan, staff allocation, visit timing or visit arrangements where pet-related risks cannot be safely managed within the usual care arrangements.

Staff must not handle, restrain, feed, walk, clean, transport, administer medication to or otherwise care for a pet unless the task is documented in the care plan, risk assessed, agreed with the service user or their representative, and authorised by the Registered Manager. Staff must not place themselves at risk in order to control an animal.

5.4 Documentation and Review

All risk assessments will be documented in the service user’s care plan, including identified risks, mitigation measures, and monitoring arrangements.
Pet-related risk assessments will be reviewed at least annually, as part of the care plan review, and sooner where there is any change in the service user’s needs, the home environment, staff concerns, the introduction or loss of a pet, a change in pet behaviour or health, a pet-related incident, a safeguarding concern, a complaint, a hospital admission, or any change affecting the safe delivery of care.
Where a risk is assessed as medium or high, or where control measures are required before each visit, the review frequency must be set individually and recorded in the care plan. High-risk arrangements must be reviewed by the Registered Manager or delegated senior staff member.

5.5 Visit Procedure for Staff Where Pets Are Present

Before attending a visit, staff must check the care plan and risk assessment for any pet-related instructions. Staff must follow the agreed control measures at every visit.

On arrival, staff must not enter if a pet is loose, aggressive, blocking access, behaving unpredictably, or if agreed control measures are not in place. Staff should contact the service user by phone or from a safe location where possible and ask for the agreed arrangements to be put in place.

If staff feel unsafe at any point during a visit, they must withdraw to a safe place as soon as it is safe to do so, contact the office or on-call manager, and follow the lone-working procedure.

If urgent care is required but the pet-related risk prevents safe access, the staff member must immediately escalate to the office or on-call manager so that alternative arrangements can be considered. This may include contacting family, the nominated representative, emergency services, the local authority, the commissioner or other relevant professionals.

Staff must record and report any occasion where care could not be delivered as planned because of pet-related risk. The Registered Manager or delegated senior staff member must review the risk assessment before further visits continue where there is a significant or repeated risk.

6. Responsibilities

Maintaining a safe environment for service users, staff, and pets requires collaboration and clearly defined responsibilities:

6.1 Registered Manager:

Oversees the implementation of this policy and ensures that risk assessments are completed and reviewed regularly.
Provides staff training on safe practices when working in homes with pets.
Addresses any concerns raised by staff or service users regarding pet-related risks.
Ensures that pet-related risks are considered as part of care planning, staff deployment, lone-working arrangements, safeguarding, infection prevention and control, complaints, incident review and governance systems.
Ensures that staff are not allocated to visits involving pets where known allergies, phobias, pregnancy-related risks, trauma history or other relevant needs would make the allocation unsafe or inappropriate, unless suitable controls are in place.
Ensures that serious or repeated pet-related incidents are reviewed promptly and that any required notifications, safeguarding referrals, commissioner updates, RIDDOR reports or CQC notifications are made.
Ensures lessons learned from pet-related incidents, complaints, missed visits or near misses are shared with staff and used to improve care planning and risk management.

6.2 Care Staff:

Adhere to the risk assessment guidelines and follow safety procedures when working in homes with pets.
Report any concerns about pet behaviour, hygiene, or safety to their line manager immediately.
Respect the service user’s rights while prioritising personal safety and well-being.
Check the care plan and pet-related risk assessment before visiting a service user with pets.
Follow agreed pet-control measures and do not improvise unsafe arrangements.
Do not enter or remain in a home where they reasonably believe a pet presents an immediate risk to their safety.
Do not undertake pet-care tasks unless these are documented in the care plan, risk assessed and authorised.
Report all pet-related incidents, near misses, missed or refused visits, environmental concerns, infection-control concerns, safeguarding concerns and animal welfare concerns without delay.
Maintain professional boundaries and must not accept responsibility for a pet outside the agreed care plan.

6.3 Service Users, Representatives and Families

Service users, representatives and families are expected, where able and appropriate, to:

Inform the organisation about all pets or animals in the home before care starts and whenever circumstances change.
Inform the organisation of any change in the pet’s behaviour, health, ownership, usual location, vaccination status, parasite treatment or legal status.
Ensure pets are controlled or secured in line with the agreed care plan before staff enter and during care delivery.
Keep pet areas clean and free from avoidable hazards, including waste, odours, contaminated bedding, scattered toys, bowls, leads and litter trays.
Maintain appropriate veterinary care, vaccination, parasite treatment and legally required microchipping for dogs and cats.
Ensure staff are not asked or expected to handle, restrain, walk, feed, clean, transport, medicate or care for pets unless this has been agreed in advance, included in the care plan and risk assessed.
Cooperate with reasonable risk management measures designed to protect the service user, staff, visitors and the pet.

7. Managing Pet-Related Incidents, Near Misses and Notifications

Pet-related incidents and near misses must be managed promptly, openly and proportionately. Examples include bites, scratches, falls, allergic reactions, infection-control concerns, aggressive or threatening animal behaviour, staff being unable to enter or leave safely, missed or incomplete care due to pet-related risk, animal waste contamination, infestation, or concerns about neglect, abuse, self-neglect or animal welfare.

7.1 Immediate Response

If a staff member, service user or visitor is injured by a pet, staff must seek medical assistance where required and report the incident to the office or on-call manager immediately.

If a pet displays aggressive, threatening or unpredictable behaviour, staff must withdraw to a safe place where safe to do so and contact the office or on-call manager. Staff must not attempt to restrain, chase, move or control the animal.

If the incident creates an immediate risk to life, serious injury, urgent medical need or inability to access essential care, staff must contact emergency services as appropriate and notify the office or on-call manager as soon as it is safe to do so.

7.2 Recording and Internal Reporting

All pet-related incidents, near misses, missed visits, incomplete visits and concerns must be recorded on the organisation’s incident reporting system. The record must include the date, time, location, people involved, animal involved, what happened, injury or harm caused, care affected, immediate action taken, who was informed, whether medical advice was sought, and any follow-up action required.

The care plan and pet risk assessment must be reviewed following any significant incident, repeated concern, staff concern, safeguarding concern, complaint, or change in pet behaviour or home circumstances.

7.3 External Reporting, Safeguarding and CQC Notifications

The Registered Manager, or delegated senior staff member, will decide whether the incident requires external reporting. This may include reporting to the local authority safeguarding team, commissioner, environmental health, police, RSPCA or other animal welfare body, HSE under RIDDOR, or CQC under the Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009.

CQC must be notified where a pet-related incident falls within a notifiable category, including incidents that affect the health, safety or welfare of a person using the service. The rationale for notifying or not notifying must be recorded.

Where a pet-related incident meets the threshold for a notifiable safety incident under the duty of candour, the organisation will act in an open and transparent way, provide a truthful account, apologise, explain what further enquiries will be made, keep the person or relevant person informed, and keep a written record.

8. Infection Control and Hygiene Standards

To prevent the spread of infection, the following hygiene standards will be upheld:

Service users will be encouraged to clean pet areas regularly, including litter trays, cages, and bedding.
Pets will be required to have up-to-date vaccinations, flea treatments, and deworming.
Staff will wash hands thoroughly before and after interacting with pets or touching pet-related items.
PPE, such as gloves and aprons, will be provided when handling pets or cleaning pet areas.
Pet food and water bowls must be kept separate from areas used for food preparation or personal care.
Staff must avoid unnecessary contact with animals, animal waste, litter trays, cages, bedding, toys, food bowls and pet-contaminated surfaces.
Staff must cover cuts or broken skin before providing care and must report any bite, scratch, broken skin exposure or contamination incident.
Staff must not clean litter trays, cages, animal waste, pet bedding or heavily contaminated areas unless this is an agreed care task, risk assessed and included in the care plan.
Where there is evidence of infestation, animal faeces, urine contamination, strong odour, hoarding, unsafe waste, or other environmental health concern, staff must report this immediately so that the risk assessment and safeguarding considerations can be reviewed.
Any infection prevention and control concerns linked to pets must be considered alongside the organisation’s Infection Prevention and Control Policy and any relevant public health advice.

If a service user is unable to maintain hygiene standards due to physical limitations, staff will discuss appropriate support options while maintaining professional boundaries.

9. Consent, Mental Capacity and Best Interests

Service users will be involved in decisions about pet-related risk assessments and control measures wherever possible. Staff must seek the service user’s consent before discussing pet-related arrangements with relatives, representatives or external agencies, unless there is a lawful basis to share information without consent, such as safeguarding, serious risk, emergency or legal requirement.

Where there is reason to believe that a service user may lack capacity to understand, weigh up or make a specific decision about pet-related risks or arrangements, the Mental Capacity Act 2005 must be followed. Capacity must be decision-specific and time-specific.

If the service user lacks capacity for the relevant decision, any decision must be made in their best interests, involve relevant people where appropriate, consider the importance of the pet to the person’s emotional well-being and quality of life, and use the least restrictive option that safely manages the risk.

A service user with capacity has the right to make an unwise decision. However, the organisation also has duties to protect staff and others from foreseeable harm. Where a capacitated refusal creates serious unmanaged risk, this must be escalated to the Registered Manager for review, and the decision-making process must be clearly recorded.

10. Training and Awareness

All staff will receive training on supporting service users with pets, including:

Understanding the risks associated with pet ownership.
Conducting and reviewing pet-related risk assessments.
Safe practices for interacting with pets in the home.
Infection control and hygiene standards.
Recognising signs of aggressive or distressed pet behaviour.
Lone-working procedures where pets are present.
When not to enter or when to withdraw from a property.
Professional boundaries and limits on pet-care tasks.
Safeguarding and self-neglect indicators linked to pets or environmental conditions.
When a pet-related incident may require escalation, external reporting, CQC notification or duty of candour.
Equality, consent, mental capacity and least restrictive practice when managing pet-related risks.

Training will be provided during staff induction and refreshed annually. Additional training will be offered if new risks or challenges emerge.

11. Communication and Collaboration

Effective communication between service users, staff, and management is essential for managing pet-related risks. Our approach includes:

Clear Documentation: All pet-related risks, safety measures, and care arrangements will be documented in the service user’s care plan.
Service User Engagement: Service users will be involved in all risk assessments and decision-making processes regarding their pets.
Regular Reviews: Risk assessments will be reviewed quarterly, with adjustments made if the service user’s health, pet behaviour, or home environment changes.
Staff Briefings: Staff will be briefed about specific pet-related risks before attending a service user’s home.
Commissioners and Professionals: Where pet-related risks affect the safe delivery of commissioned care, the organisation will inform the commissioner, social worker, care coordinator or other relevant professional, subject to consent and information-sharing requirements.
Emergency Contacts: The care plan should identify who can be contacted to manage or collect the pet in an emergency, including hospital admission, missed visits due to pet-related risk, safeguarding concerns or sudden deterioration in the service user’s health.
Information Sharing: Information about pets and pet-related risks will be shared with staff on a need-to-know basis to support safe care delivery. Information will be recorded and shared in line with confidentiality, UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018 requirements.

12. Complaints and Concerns

Service users, relatives, representatives, staff and other stakeholders may raise concerns or complaints about the way pet-related risks are assessed, managed or communicated. Complaints may include concerns that restrictions are unnecessary, that staff feel unsafe, that care has been missed or delayed, that the service user’s preferences have not been respected, or that hygiene, safeguarding or animal welfare concerns have not been addressed.

All complaints and concerns will be handled in line with the organisation’s Complaints Policy. The organisation will ensure complaints are acknowledged, investigated, responded to and used to improve the service. Where a complaint identifies a safety, safeguarding, infection-control, staffing, equality or governance issue, the relevant policy and risk assessment will also be reviewed.

Staff must know how to raise concerns internally if they believe pet-related risks are not being managed safely.

13. Managing Refusals, Disputes and Unmanaged Risk

If a service user with capacity refuses a pet-related risk assessment or refuses to follow agreed safety measures, staff must remain respectful and must not use restrictive or punitive language. The organisation will seek to understand the reasons for refusal and will explain the specific risks, the possible impact on care delivery, and the steps required to keep the service user, staff, visitors and the pet safe.

The following approach will be followed:

Discussion and Explanation: Staff or a senior member of staff will explain the concern, the legal and regulatory responsibilities of the organisation, and the possible consequences if risks cannot be managed.
Reasonable Adjustments: The organisation will consider reasonable adjustments, alternative visit times, staff allocation, communication needs, cultural or religious considerations, disability-related needs and the importance of the pet to the service user’s well-being.
Recorded Decision: If the service user continues to refuse, the refusal, risks, advice given, options considered and agreed actions must be recorded in the care plan and risk assessment.
Escalation: Where refusal creates a significant risk to the service user, staff or others, the matter must be escalated to the Registered Manager or delegated senior staff member.
Safeguarding and External Advice: Where there is a concern about self-neglect, neglect, coercion, abuse, animal welfare, environmental health, inability to receive essential care, or serious risk to life, health or well-being, the organisation will consider safeguarding referral and/or contact with relevant external agencies.
Care Delivery Review: If care cannot be delivered safely, the organisation will review whether care can continue under revised arrangements. Commissioners and relevant professionals will be informed where commissioned care is affected.

The organisation will aim to support the service user to keep their pet wherever this can be achieved safely and lawfully. However, staff are not required to enter or remain in an environment where there is an immediate and unmanaged risk of harm.

14. Safeguarding, Self-Neglect and Animal Welfare

Pet-related concerns may indicate wider safeguarding or welfare issues. Staff must report concerns promptly where they observe or suspect:

the service user is unable to meet their own care needs because of responsibilities for a pet;
the home environment is unsafe due to animal waste, infestation, odour, hoarding or contamination;
the service user is refusing essential care because of the pet;
the pet is being used by another person to control, threaten or coerce the service user;
the pet presents a serious risk to the service user, staff or others;
there are concerns about neglect, self-neglect, domestic abuse, financial abuse, discriminatory abuse or organisational abuse linked to pet ownership;
the animal appears neglected, injured, distressed or without adequate food, water, shelter or veterinary care.

Safeguarding concerns must be managed in line with the organisation’s Safeguarding Adults Policy and local safeguarding procedures. Animal welfare concerns may require advice or referral to the appropriate animal welfare organisation, local authority or police, depending on the nature and seriousness of the concern.

Staff must not remove an animal from a property or arrange rehoming unless this has been authorised through appropriate legal, safeguarding or emergency arrangements.

15. Related Policies and Procedures

This policy should be read alongside the following policies and procedures:

Care Planning Policy;
Risk Assessment Policy;
Health and Safety Policy;
Lone Working Policy;
Infection Prevention and Control Policy;
Safeguarding Adults Policy;
Mental Capacity and Consent Policy;
Equality, Diversity and Human Rights Policy;
Incident Reporting and Accident Policy;
Duty of Candour Policy;
Complaints Policy;
Data Protection and Confidentiality Policy;
Staff Training and Supervision Policy;
Business Continuity and Emergency Planning Policy.

16. Monitoring and Continuous Improvement

To maintain high standards of safety and care, we will implement ongoing monitoring and continuous improvement initiatives:

Regular Audits: The Registered Manager will conduct quarterly audits of risk assessments and incident reports to identify trends and areas for improvement.
Feedback Mechanism: Staff and service users will be encouraged to provide feedback regarding pet-related experiences and concerns.
Policy Review: This policy will be reviewed annually or sooner if significant changes occur, such as updated regulations or emerging best practices.

Monitoring of this policy will include review of:

pet-related risk assessments and whether control measures are current and followed;
incidents, near misses, missed visits and incomplete visits involving pets;
safeguarding concerns linked to pets, self-neglect, environmental conditions or animal welfare;
complaints and compliments relating to pets;
staff feedback, including concerns about lone working, allergies, phobias or unsafe visits;
whether CQC notifications, safeguarding referrals, commissioner updates, RIDDOR reports or duty of candour actions were considered and completed where required;
themes, trends, learning and actions taken to reduce recurrence.

Findings from audits, incidents, complaints and safeguarding reviews will be reported through the organisation’s governance arrangements and used to update care plans, risk assessments, staff training and this policy.

Lessons learned from incidents and audits will inform future training and policy updates, ensuring continuous improvement in our approach to pet-related care.

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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