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Moving from {{org_field_name}} (Older People) (Wales) Policy

Aims and Scope of the Policy

This policy sets out the values, principles and procedures underpinning {{org_field_name}}’s approach to helping people using services move from the home following the receiving or giving of notice to leave.

It follows the principles of person-centred care practice as required by the Regulated Services (Service Providers and Responsible Individuals) (Wales) Regulations 2017 and {{org_field_name}}’s responsibilities under the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014. It also reflects the Competition and Markets Authority UK guidance on consumer law (2018).

The reasons for a person receiving care seeking or being asked to leave {{org_field_name}} include the following.

• The person is unsettled and dissatisfied with {{org_field_name}} into which they have moved or their relatives are unhappy with the care given.
• The person’s needs have changed and the home does not have the matching resources to meet the changed needs.
• The person needs to be admitted to hospital and requires a different form of care on discharge from hospital.
• The home cannot offer the level of care and support that the person needs.
• The person has experienced abuse and wants to or must leave because of the abuse suffered.
• The person’s behaviour and conduct has breached their contract with the home.
• The person cannot afford to stay at the home.
• The home is closing temporarily or permanently.

The key aim of this moving policy is to make sure that every person using the service for any reason can do so in a dignified way and that their safety and care is ensured during the process.

Policy Statement

It is recognised that most people will leave the home in a planned way, though there might be instances of someone leaving at short or no notice.

{{org_field_name}} follows the principle that every person who leaves the home for another care setting or to return to their own home should do so as part of a planned process. The person should be supported through the process so that the move to a new home or environment is made easily and safely.

Wherever possible, the home will work to ensure that moving from the home is planned well in advance so that proper continuity of care can be established, and the individual can have the maximum independence, autonomy and control over their arrangements.

The home requires an agreement between the person using the service, the care team, their relatives/carers and the home, which considers and addresses the rights and responsibilities of all those concerned in the leaving process.

Essential to this agreement are adequate information and discussion with the person using the service, flexibility to meet individual needs, effective referral to future care providers, and the availability of ongoing support services.

The Leaving Process

The home bases its leaving plans on the following.

• Wherever possible and practical, it will enable a person using the service to visit in advance any place they might be moving to and keeping their current accommodation while still deciding about moving.
• It will support the person to keep up any friendships made in the current home after the move.
• It will work with the person and their representatives to assess the advantages and disadvantages and risks of moving.
• It will ensure that if the person must leave because the home can no longer provide for their needs or the home must close, the move will involve the least amount of risk, disruption and distress.
• It will pass on records quickly to the new care provider and make sure that the records are complete and up to date, and their future use has the agreement of the person using the service or their lawful representative.
• It will make sure that all the records and information communicated to the new care provider have been put together with the individual’s involvement and agreement.
• It will ensure that it arranges the settlement of outstanding fees and charges to be made in line with its contractual agreements with the person using the service and its obligations to treat the person fairly in line with consumer law.

Procedures

When a person leaves or it is decided that they should leave {{org_field_name}}, the home will follow these procedures.

• The home will develop with the person and other key people involved a leaving plan, which will be in a format that meets the communication needs of the person concerned.
• The plan will:
  • clearly state the reasons for the person leaving the current home
  • specify the care and support with the resources needed by the person in their new situation
  • summarise the services that have already been provided
  • evaluate the experiences and achievement of the goals and objectives of the person using the service so far
  • provide opportunities to visit or get to know the new situation
  • discuss any risks involved with the person using the service and others involved including any new provider.
• The moving plan will be developed and explained to the person using the service in a language or manner that they understand.
• All details and information will be recorded on the person’s care and support plan.
• A leaving date will be set with the person and the new provider (where applicable).
• A manager or appropriate staff member, eg key worker, will discuss with the person using the service, their experiences of living in the current home and (where appropriate and applicable) asking the person (and others involved with the person) to complete the home’s evaluation/satisfaction questionnaire before they leave.
• All relevant information and documentation will be passed on to the new provider (where applicable) as quickly as possible.
• All information passed on will be up to date, complete and accurate, and has the consent of the person using the service to be passed on.
• All required arrangements will be made to settle outstanding fees and charges and other matters relating to the person’s leaving.

Where a person using the service is moving to relatives or carers or some form of independent accommodation, the above procedure will still be followed as far as is reasonably practical.

Self-discharge at Short Notice

Similarly, where a person decides to leave at short notice or a decision is taken for that person to leave at short notice, every effort will be made to make sure that all relevant information is communicated as quickly as possible to the new situation.

In the event of a person demanding to be discharged at short notice, {{org_field_name}} will do the following.

1. The person’s legal right to leave will be respected.
2. The home will do all that it can to advise and encourage the person to stay while they plan the move with others involved in the person’s welfare.
3. In the event of the person still demanding to leave, they will be asked to sign a form stating that they are leaving against the advice of the home.
4. The person’s social worker, key worker, case manager or CPN will be informed (as applicable).

In the event of a person who seeks to leave and about whom there are concerns regarding their safety or to the safety of others, the home will immediately alert the social worker or people responsible for the person’s safety and wellbeing to discuss and decide actions that can be legitimately taken.

Safeguarding and Protection, Including Deprivation of Liberty

{{org_field_name}} recognises that a person’s leaving plan should include assessments of risks to their safety and how they should be protected from risks of abuse and exploitation, particularly the safeguarding of their personal finances and possessions.

The individual, their family members, carers and support workers are all provided with information about the local area’s safeguarding unit and work, including contact details.

It is recognised that people whose care and treatment involve degrees of restrictiveness that could amount to a deprivation of their liberty might need to be assessed against the “acid test” for deprivation of liberty, which was formulated in the Supreme Court judgment of March 2014. This test considers whether an individual:

• lacks the capacity to consent to their care/treatment arrangements
• is under continuous supervision and control
• is not free to leave.

It is recognised that all three elements must be present for the acid test to be met. If they are present, then it will be necessary to seek authorisation of the care and treatment arrangements that are resulting in a loss of personal liberty and human rights.

The advice of the local safeguarding board will be sought to determine the course of action, which is seen to serve the person’s best interests.

Training

All staff who help with a person’s leaving arrangements receive training and supervision appropriate to their roles and responsibilities so that people have positive experiences when “moving on”.

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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}}

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