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Healthcare (Scotland) Policy

Aim

This policy sets out the values, principles and procedures underpinning this care service’s approach to meeting the healthcare needs of people who use its services in line with the national health and social care standards set out in My Support, My Life, particularly Standard 1: “I experience high-quality care and support that is right for me”, which includes:

• 1.28: I am supported to make informed lifestyle choices affecting my health and wellbeing, and I am helped to use relevant screening and healthcare services.

The policy of this care service is thus to:

• make sure that people are confident that care workers will be aware of their healthcare needs and will make contact with the healthcare services when necessary
• keep on record the details of any medical and specialist practitioners who they could contact if necessary on behalf of a person who uses services or enable the person to make the contact
• make sure that every one of its care workers is sufficiently skilled and knowledgeable to carry out all personal care and nursing tasks agreed with the agency
• prepare, train, instruct and supervise its care staff to observe and report, eg to the primary care team, any significant changes in a person’s health and to seek emergency help if needed
• prepare, train and supervise any of its staff who are responsible for meeting a defined healthcare need to carry out the agreed activities competently, monitor the person’s health and work in partnership with other healthcare professionals involved.

Policy Statement

This service believes in providing high-quality healthcare based upon individuals needs as recorded in their personal plan. Each plan is determined by a full needs assessment and is drawn up in full partnership between the organisation, the person who uses services and other medical and healthcare professionals involved.

The organisation expects its care staff to be able to identify the person’s developing healthcare problems as early as possible so that the appropriate medical treatment can be obtained promptly.

1. Where required, care staff will help with the administration of a person’s medication as identified by their personal plan and in line with the medication policy.
2. Where required by the individuals personal plan, care staff will maintain the personal and oral hygiene of the people who use services by giving required help and support or by supporting the person’s own capacity for self-care.
3. Bed bound or very sedentary people who use services are assessed by a competent person for pressure sores and risks of developing pressure sores so that care staff can help to prevent or treat pressure sores as indicated in the personal plan.
4. Care staff are expected to record the incidence of pressure sores, their treatment and outcome in a personal plan, which is then reviewed on a regular basis.
5. Where required, the organisation seeks or enables the person to seek professional advice over any continence issues experienced by the individual and to help follow through any agreed continence management plan.
6. Care staff are expected to monitor peoples psychological health, particularly anyone with a known mental health difficulty and any person with dementia and to record and report any significant changes.
7. People who use services are assessed for risks of falls so that care staff can help prevent falls and monitor the risks; also to know how to seek emergency help in the event of someone falling and/or sustaining an injury from a fall.
8. People are routinely assessed for nutritional risks so that they can be given help to change their diet if indicated.
9. Care staff are expected to follow any nutritional plans agreed with the person following on the advice and guidance of a dietician.
10. Care staff will help people follow a healthy eating pattern as indicated on an agreed personal plan and monitor and record nutrition and hydration as required in the personal plan.
11. Care staff can be expected to give the appropriate help needed by the person with their eating and drinking in order to help the person eat well (in line with their needs and lifestyle choices, etc). (See the Eating Well in Residential Care (Scotland) Policy and Eating Well in Home Care (Scotland) Policy.)
12. All healthcare issues are regularly reviewed and discussed with the person who uses services concerned, with their family or representatives, and with the medical and healthcare professionals involved.

Training

New staff receive training on how the organisation responds to the healthcare needs of people who use its services as part of their induction.

All staff are provided with ongoing training covering the healthcare needs of people who use their services, including sessions on the planning of a person’s healthcare with the other healthcare professionals involved, medication and recording on personal plans.

The service continues to support and encourage the continuing development of its staff so that they remain competent, up to date and effective in meeting the person’s responsibilities for the healthcare of people using its services.

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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: this policy is reviewed annually (every 12 months). When needed, this policy is also updated in response to changes in legislation, regulation, best practices, or organisational changes.

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