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DC181-Quality Assurance Policy-Adults and Children

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{{org_field_name}}

Registration Number: {{org_field_registration_no}}

Quality Assurance Policy

1. Introduction

Purpose of the Policy

At {{org_field_name}}, we are committed to delivering exceptional, high-quality domiciliary care for people of all ages (including children and young people) that puts our service users at the heart of everything we do. This Quality Assurance Policy sets out our approach to ensuring that our services are safe, effective, compassionate, and continuously improving.

Our objective is to provide care that meets and exceeds the expectations of those we support while fully complying with all legal and regulatory requirements, including the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and Care Quality Commission (CQC) Regulations. We aim to ensure our care is suitable for CQC inspection and reflects best practices for both adult and children’s care.

This policy reflects our commitment to:

By implementing this policy, we ensure that everyone within our organisation understands their role in maintaining and improving the quality of care we provide.

Scope

This policy applies to all staff, services, and stakeholders within {{org_field_name}}. It covers:

This policy ensures that our entire organisation remains focused, aligned, and accountable in delivering the highest standard of care possible to every service user, regardless of age or setting.

2. Mission and Values

Mission Statement

At {{org_field_name}}, our mission is to provide exceptional domiciliary care that enables individuals of all ages to live safely, comfortably, and as independently as possible in their own homes. We are dedicated to delivering person-centred, compassionate, and high-quality care that enhances the well-being and quality of life of our service users.

We strive to:

Our mission is not just about providing care but about empowering people to live fulfilling lives with the support they need, whether they are older adults or children with care needs.

Core Values

Our organisation is built on a foundation of strong values that guide our approach to care. These values shape our day-to-day practices, decision-making, and relationships with service users, families, and staff:

These values are at the heart of everything we do, guiding us to provide care that is not only effective and professional but also warm, compassionate, and truly person-centred.

3. Regulatory Compliance

Legal and Regulatory Framework

At {{org_field_name}}, we are fully committed to complying with all legal and regulatory requirements governing domiciliary care services. Our operations are structured to meet and exceed the standards set out by the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, ensuring that we provide safe, effective, and high-quality care to all service users, including children and young people.

We strictly adhere to the Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulations, which govern the provision of domiciliary care. Compliance with these regulations ensures that we maintain high standards in:

In addition to CQC regulations, we comply with all other relevant legislation and guidance, including:

By embedding these regulations and laws into our policies and daily practices, we ensure that our care services meet the highest legal and ethical standards. Compliance is continually monitored and updated to reflect any changes in law, ensuring we remain up-to-date with regulations affecting both adult and children’s care.

Standards Alignment

We are dedicated to aligning our services with the fundamental standards for domiciliary care as outlined by the CQC and other relevant bodies. This means:

Our commitment to legal and regulatory compliance ensures that {{org_field_name}} operates to the highest standards of quality and safety, providing service users and their families with confidence and peace of mind. We prepare diligently for CQC inspections and internal reviews, understanding that these processes apply to all age groups we support.

4. Governance and Leadership

Organisational Structure

At {{org_field_name}}, we have a clear and robust governance structure in place to ensure that all aspects of our domiciliary care services are effectively managed and continuously improved. Our leadership team is responsible for maintaining the highest standards of quality, safety, and compliance while fostering a culture of excellence and accountability.

The key roles within our organisational structure include:

This structured approach to governance allows us to effectively manage resources, uphold quality standards, and ensure accountability at all levels of service delivery.

Leadership Commitment

Our leadership team is fully committed to fostering a culture of continuous improvement, open communication, and transparency across all levels of our organisation. This commitment is demonstrated through:

By embedding strong governance and leadership principles, {{org_field_name}} ensures that high-quality, person-centred care is consistently delivered, regulatory standards are met, and service users receive the best possible support tailored to their needs.

5. Person-Centred Care

Individualised Care Planning

At {{org_field_name}}, we recognise that every service user is unique, with individual needs, preferences, and aspirations. Our approach to care planning is built on personalisation, ensuring that each person – whether an adult or a child – receives the right level of support that reflects their lifestyle, choices, and well-being goals.

To achieve this, we implement a comprehensive care planning process, which includes:

By providing individualised care plans, we empower our service users to live with greater independence, dignity, and confidence, knowing that their needs are at the centre of the support we provide. This approach applies equally to an older adult maintaining their autonomy at home and to a child or young person growing and developing with the right care in place.

Service User Involvement

We believe that service users should be active participants in their own care, rather than passive recipients. Our approach ensures that individuals and their families are fully involved in all aspects of care planning, decision-making, and ongoing care delivery. For our younger service users, we adopt a family-centred approach: we seek the child’s input in ways appropriate to their age and understanding, and we involve their parents or legal guardians in every decision to ensure the child’s best interests are represented.

Our commitment to service user involvement includes:

By involving service users (and families, for minors) in these ways, we ensure that care is truly person-centred and that everyone’s voice is heard. Children and young people are given a chance to be heard in matters affecting them, in accordance with their level of understanding, and parents are valued as partners in the care process.

6. Quality Assurance Framework

Quality Objectives

At {{org_field_name}}, we are committed to maintaining the highest standards of care through a structured Quality Assurance Framework. Our quality objectives are designed using the SMART criteria (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) to ensure a continuous focus on improving service delivery, safety, and overall user satisfaction.

Our key quality objectives include:

By setting clear and measurable objectives, we create an environment of accountability, continuous improvement, and high-quality care delivery across the organisation.

Performance Indicators

To evaluate the effectiveness of our care services, we monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) that help us assess quality, efficiency, and compliance. These indicators include:

These performance indicators allow us to proactively identify strengths and areas needing improvement, ensuring we provide safe, effective, and person-centred care to every service user.

Audit and Monitoring

A robust audit and monitoring system is in place to ensure compliance with regulatory standards and internal policies. We conduct:

Through these auditing and monitoring activities, we continuously verify that quality standards are met and identify opportunities to enhance our care. Importantly, our quality assurance framework encompasses services for adults and for children, ensuring a high standard is maintained universally.

7. Risk Management

Risk Assessment

{{org_field_name}} is committed to ensuring the safety, well-being, and protection of both our service users and staff. A proactive approach to risk management is embedded in our daily operations, ensuring that risks are identified, assessed, and mitigated effectively.

Our risk assessment process includes:

By systematically assessing and managing risks, we ensure a safe, effective, and person-centred approach to care delivery. Our risk management strategies are reviewed frequently and after any incident, adjusting our care approaches to minimize future risks for all service users, whether they are adults or children.

Incident Reporting

A transparent and structured incident reporting system is essential to learning from mistakes, improving safety measures, and preventing recurrence. We have a clear, step-by-step process for reporting, investigating, and acting on incidents.

Our incident reporting procedure includes:

Our incident reporting culture is one of openness and learning, not blame. Staff are encouraged to report concerns and near-misses so that we can continually improve safety for both children and adults under our care. Parents and families are also urged to inform us of any incidents or concerns they observe, and we promise to address these with seriousness and transparency.

8. Staff Recruitment, Training, and Development

Recruitment Policies

We recognise that the quality of care we provide is directly linked to the skills, experience, and dedication of our staff. To ensure we hire competent, compassionate, and professional care workers, we have a rigorous recruitment process that aligns with Regulation 19: Fit and Proper Persons Employed of the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Our recruitment policies include:

By maintaining robust recruitment policies, we ensure that only highly skilled, caring, and ethical individuals join our team to deliver exceptional care. This approach helps protect all service users – adults and children – by staffing our service with trustworthy and competent people.

Training Programs

We are committed to continuous professional development (CPD) and ensuring all staff are fully equipped with the knowledge and skills required to provide safe, high-quality care. Our training programs comply with CQC training requirements and national standards for domiciliary care, and they are adapted to include the skills needed to care for children and young people where relevant.

Our training framework includes:

By investing in comprehensive and ongoing training, we ensure that our team remains highly skilled, knowledgeable, and capable of delivering the best possible care. Our training programme gives staff the confidence to support both adults and children safely. It also emphasizes our company’s expectations for high-quality care, professional conduct (especially important in working within family homes), and adherence to our policies.

Supervision and Appraisal

Regular staff supervision and performance appraisals are essential to maintaining high standards of care, supporting professional growth, and ensuring staff well-being. Our approach to staff development and oversight includes:

Through structured supervision and appraisal processes, we ensure that our staff are supported, valued, and continuously developing. In turn, this enhances the quality of care provided to service users. Families and service users benefit from a stable, confident care team that is well-supervised and happy in their roles.

9. Feedback and Complaints Management

Feedback Mechanisms

Feedback is an essential tool for continuous improvement and service excellence. We actively encourage service users, families, and staff to share their experiences, concerns, and suggestions to enhance the quality of care we provide. We recognise that children and young people may communicate feedback differently from adults, so we adapt our approaches accordingly. For instance, we might use simple smiley-face surveys or informal chats during play to gauge a child’s happiness with our care, and we rely on parents or guardians to share observations and speak up on behalf of younger children.

To facilitate open and effective communication, we have implemented multiple feedback channels, including:

All feedback is reviewed by senior management, and necessary action plans are implemented to address concerns and improve service quality. When feedback highlights something positive, we reinforce that practice across the service; when it identifies an area to improve, we develop a clear plan (with responsibilities and timelines) to make changes. For example, if feedback indicates that communication could be better, we might implement weekly update calls for families or daily care logs for a child’s parents to read. Importantly, we close the feedback loop by informing the person who gave the feedback what actions we’ve taken as a result, so they know their voice has been heard and valued.

We also train our staff to be attentive to non-verbal cues from service users, especially children or individuals who may not articulate their feelings readily. If a child in our care consistently appears unhappy or shows signs of discomfort at certain times, our staff will report this as feedback so we can investigate and adjust our approach. In this way, even when formal feedback isn’t given, we remain sensitive to the service user’s experience and continuously seek to improve it.

Complaints Procedure

We are committed to handling complaints fairly, transparently, and efficiently, ensuring that all concerns raised are thoroughly investigated and resolved in a timely manner. Our complaints procedure aligns with Regulation 16: Receiving and Acting on Complaints of the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Any person – whether a service user, a family member, or an advocate – should feel able to make a complaint if they are dissatisfied. We treat complaints from the parents or guardians of children in our care with the same seriousness as complaints from adult service users themselves. Children or young people who are able to voice a complaint are supported and taken seriously, and we involve their parent or an appropriate advocate to help them through the process.

The complaints process follows these key steps:

Throughout the complaints process, we treat the complainant with respect and keep the matter as confidential as possible (only those who need to know for the investigation will be involved). Importantly, we assure all service users – including children and families – that making a complaint will not result in any withdrawal or reduction of service or any form of recrimination. We want everyone to feel safe to raise issues; a child or parent should never fear that complaining will negatively affect the care received.

Learning and Improvement

All complaints are logged and reviewed to identify trends and areas for improvement. We periodically analyze our complaint records to see if there are recurring themes – for example, if several complaints relate to late visits or communication issues, this signals a systemic issue we need to address. Similarly, if any complaints specifically involve children’s services, we look at those collectively to see if our approach to paediatric care needs any adjustments.

Staff training and policy updates are implemented where necessary to prevent recurrence of issues. For instance, if a complaint revealed that a staff member was unfamiliar with a particular procedure, we would reinforce training in that area for the whole team. If a policy was unclear or not adequately followed, we might revise the policy and ensure all staff understand the changes. In one scenario, suppose a complaint arose because a parent felt not adequately involved in their child’s care planning – we would use that feedback to improve our protocols for parental involvement, perhaps updating the policy to require more frequent check-ins with parents or clearer documentation of consent.

Regular reports on complaints and resolutions are presented to senior management to drive service enhancements. The management team and the board (or owner) of {{org_field_name}} review complaints at quality meetings, ensuring that lessons learned translate into concrete actions. We also share (anonymized) complaint trends and resolutions with our care staff in team meetings, so everyone learns from the situation and understands any changes in practice that result.

Ultimately, our approach to complaints is to see them as valuable feedback. While we strive to deliver care that gives no cause for complaint, we know that listening to concerns and addressing them properly makes our service better for everyone.

10. Continuous Improvement

Quality Improvement Plan

At {{org_field_name}}, we are committed to continuous improvement to ensure that our care services remain effective, responsive, and aligned with the evolving needs of service users. Our Quality Improvement Plan (QIP) serves as a structured framework for identifying areas of improvement, setting clear objectives, and implementing changes that enhance service delivery.

The key components of our Quality Improvement Plan include:

By proactively identifying opportunities for growth and development, we ensure that our services continuously evolve to provide the best possible care and support. This continuous improvement ethos covers our entire service spectrum – for example, as we expand or adapt services to younger clients, we continuously seek better ways to engage children and ensure their safety, just as we do for improving adult care outcomes. Our culture is one where feedback and new ideas are welcomed, so that we never become complacent in the quality of care we deliver.

Stakeholder Engagement

We believe that meaningful engagement with service users, staff, families, and external partners is essential for effective continuous improvement. Involving stakeholders in our quality assurance processes ensures that our services reflect real needs and expectations, and it helps us generate ideas for how to improve.

Key approaches to stakeholder engagement include:

Through active participation, open communication, and shared responsibility, we create a culture of continuous learning and enhancement. This culture means that at {{org_field_name}}, every person – whether a manager, a care worker, a service user, or a family member – feels they can contribute to improving our service. In the end, this collective effort helps ensure that {{org_field_name}} remains at the forefront of high-quality domiciliary care, offering excellent support to both adults and to children and young people in the community.

11. Documentation and Record-Keeping

Accurate Records

Comprehensive and accurate record-keeping is essential for delivering high-quality care, ensuring regulatory compliance, and maintaining accountability. Our documentation practices align with CQC requirements, the Health and Social Care Act 2008, and best practice guidelines to ensure that all records are clear, detailed, and securely maintained.

Our approach to accurate record-keeping includes:

All records are maintained accurately, securely, and in a structured format, ensuring they are accessible when needed while preserving confidentiality and integrity. We use appropriate systems (electronic care management software and locked filing cabinets for paper files) to store records. Access to sensitive information is restricted to authorised personnel only. For example, a care worker in the field will have access to the care notes for the service users they support, but not to unrelated files. Our record-keeping policy dictates retention periods in line with regulations (for instance, children’s care records are kept for a certain number of years after the service ends, as required by law). We regularly audit our records for completeness and accuracy – e.g., checking that daily notes are being filled in properly, or that training records are up to date.

Clear and thorough documentation supports safe and effective care. It means any staff member stepping in to support a service user has the information they need, and it provides accountability (showing what care was delivered and when). In an inspection or review scenario, our records demonstrate our compliance and the quality of our service.

Data Protection

We are fully committed to ensuring that all personal and sensitive information is handled securely and in compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. Protecting service users’ and staff members’ information is a fundamental part of our governance framework. We recognize that we often handle very private information – from health details to family background – and this is especially critical when dealing with minors’ information, which must be treated with utmost care and respect.

Our data protection measures include:

By implementing these measures, we uphold the privacy rights of the individuals we care for. Whether we are handling an adult’s medical notes or a child’s personal details, every piece of information is treated with respect and kept secure. Our commitment to data protection not only complies with the law but also builds trust with our service users and their families – they know that their personal information is in safe hands with {{org_field_name}}.

12. Related Policies

(Note: “DCXX” for Safeguarding Children and Young People Policy is a placeholder for the specific policy number in our system. Please refer to the actual Safeguarding Children and Young People Policy for detailed procedures on child protection.)

Other internal policies and procedures may also be relevant to quality assurance (such as our Medication Management Policy, Mental Capacity and Consent Policy, etc.), and staff are expected to be familiar with and follow all policies in conjunction with this Quality Assurance Policy.

13. Sources

(These sources underpin the legislation, standards, and best practices referred to in this policy. All staff should ensure they work in accordance with these laws and guidelines. Further details can be found in the respective Acts and guidance documents.)

14. Review Date

This policy will be reviewed at least annually, or more frequently if required by changes in legislation, regulations, or the needs of the service. The next review is scheduled on or before the date above, and will involve assessing the effectiveness of the policy in practice, including its applicability to both adult and children’s services, and making any necessary revisions. All updates to the policy will be communicated to staff, and training or briefing will be provided to ensure continued compliance and understanding.

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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