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HCS56-Policy on Adherence to the Health and Social Care Standards and Care at Home Regulatory Requirements

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Registration Number: {{org_field_registration_no}}

Policy on Adherence to the Health and Social Care Standards and Care at Home Regulatory Requirements

1. Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to ensure that {{org_field_name}} delivers care at home services in accordance with the Health and Social Care Standards: My Support, My Life, the Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (Requirements for Care Services) Regulations 2011, the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010, the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001, the SSSC Codes of Practice for Social Service Workers and Employers 2024, and the current Care Inspectorate Quality Framework for Support Services (Care at Home, including Supported Living Models of Support).

This policy also takes account of the older National Care Standards for Care at Home as sector-specific guidance where still relevant, but the Health and Social Care Standards are the primary current standards used to describe what people should experience when receiving health, social care or social work services in Scotland.

This policy ensures that:

2. Scope

This policy applies to:

All staff and others working on behalf of {{org_field_name}} must follow this policy and must work in a way that protects people’s rights, promotes positive outcomes and complies with current Scottish legislation, regulation, standards and guidance.

3. Legal and Regulatory Framework

This policy aligns with:

4. Key Principles of the Health and Social Care Standards and Care at Home Practice

The National Care Standards for Care at Home are based on key principles:

4.1 Human Rights and Person-Led Support

4.2 Dignity and Respect

4.3 Privacy

4.4 Choice, Control and Involvement

4.5 Safety and Protection

4.6 Realising Potential

5. How {{org_field_name}} Ensures Compliance

5.1 Staff Recruitment, Registration, Training and Development

To ensure safe, lawful and high-quality care at home, {{org_field_name}} will ensure that:

5.2 Personal Planning

Each person receiving care and support from {{org_field_name}} must have a written personal plan. The personal plan must be developed with the person and, where appropriate and lawful, their family, unpaid carer, advocate, attorney, guardian, welfare proxy or representative.

A personal plan must be prepared within 28 days of the person starting to use the service. People receiving care and their families or representatives cannot opt out of having a personal plan. Each personal plan must be reviewed with the person and relevant others at least every six months, or sooner where the person’s needs, wishes, outcomes, risks, health, circumstances or support arrangements change.

The personal plan must include, where relevant:

Staff must ensure that personal plans are dynamic, meaningful, accessible and used in daily practice. They must not be treated as static paperwork. The person must have access to their personal plan in a format they can understand, unless there is a lawful and clearly recorded reason for managing sensitive information differently.

5.3 Written Agreement and Information Before the Service Starts

Before or at the start of the service, {{org_field_name}} will provide clear, accurate and accessible information to the person and, where appropriate, their representative. This will include:

Where the person receives a written agreement, it must clearly set out the service to be provided, when and how it will be provided, any charges, arrangements for changing or ending the agreement, and must be signed and dated by relevant parties where applicable.

5.4 Quality Assurance, Self-Evaluation and Improvement

{{org_field_name}} will maintain a structured quality assurance and self-evaluation system to evidence compliance with legislation, the Health and Social Care Standards, the SSSC Codes of Practice and the Care Inspectorate Quality Framework.

This will include:

5.5 Privacy, Confidentiality, Records and Data Protection

{{org_field_name}} will protect people’s privacy, confidentiality and personal information by ensuring that:

5.6 Promoting Dignity and Respect in Practice

5.7 Safe and Effective Staffing

{{org_field_name}} will ensure that staffing arrangements are safe, effective and sufficient to meet people’s assessed needs, wishes, choices and outcomes.

This will include:

5.8 Complaints, Concerns, Feedback and Duty of Candour

{{org_field_name}} will encourage people receiving support, families, carers, representatives, advocates, staff and professionals to raise comments, concerns, complaints and compliments.

The service will ensure that:

5.9 Care Inspectorate Notifications and Required Records

{{org_field_name}} will keep the records required of adult care services and will notify the Care Inspectorate of notifiable events within required timescales using the Care Inspectorate eForms system or digital portal.

Notifications may include, but are not limited to:

All staff must report notifiable events promptly to the manager or designated senior person. The manager is responsible for ensuring that notifications are submitted accurately and within required timescales and that appropriate records are maintained.

5.10 Medication and Healthcare Support

Where {{org_field_name}} provides support with medication or healthcare-related tasks, the service will ensure that:

5.11 Communication and Accessible Information

{{org_field_name}} will support each person to communicate in the way that is right for them. Communication needs must be assessed, recorded in the personal plan and reviewed when needs change.

This may include:

Staff must allow people time to communicate, must avoid jargon and must not make assumptions about a person’s views, wishes or capacity based on their communication needs.

6. Roles and Responsibilities

6.1 Responsibilities of All Staff

All staff must:

6.2 Responsibilities of Managers and Supervisors

Managers and supervisors must:

6.3 Responsibilities of the Organisation

{{org_field_name}} is responsible for:

7. Related Policies

This policy should be read alongside:

8. Policy Review

This policy will be reviewed at least annually, or sooner where there are changes to legislation, regulation, Care Inspectorate guidance, SSSC Codes of Practice, Health and Social Care Standards, organisational practice, inspection findings, complaints, incidents or identified improvement actions.

The responsible person will ensure that any changes are communicated to staff and, where relevant, people receiving support, families, carers, representatives and external partners. Staff will be required to read and understand the updated policy and additional training or supervision will be provided where required.

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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