STATEMENT OF
PURPOSE FOR:
AGNES HOUSE
11A/15 Arthur Road
Erdington
Birmingham
B24 9EX
Tel: 0121 373 0058
Email: info@agneshouse.co.uk
‘A RESIDENTAL CARE HOME FOR PEOPLE WITH MENTAL
DISORDERS’
REGISTERED PROVIDERS
Angel Care Homes Limited
185 Penn Road
Wolverhampton
WV3 0EQ
Contents
4. HOME OWNER AND MANAGEMENT TEAM
AGNES HOUSE ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE
5.3 OTHER STAFF QUALIFICATIONS/TRAINING
7. SOCIAL AND LEISURE PURSUITS
8. CONSULTATION WITH SERVICE USERS
9. FIRE PRECAUTIONS AND EMERGENCY PROCEDURES
13.0 FINANCIAL ARRANGEMENTS AND FEES
13.3 SERVICES NOT COVERED BY FEES
23. DIGNITY AND PRIVACY OF SERVICE USERS
25. EMERGENCY PROCEDURES (FIRE SAFETY)
APPENDIX A: CARE STAFF TRAINING AND EXPERINCE
APPENDIX B: CARE PLANNING AND REVIEW
APPENDIX C: COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE
Agnes House is located in
Erdington, Birmingham in a good quality residential suburb, which is easily
accessible via public transport and close to local shops and other community
facilities such as pubs, and colleges.
Agnes House is a “Residential
Care Home” registered with the C.S.C.I. (Commission for Social Care
Inspectorate). The sole aim and objective of the home is to provide a
comfortable, safe and caring home environment for people suffering from or
recovering from mental illness.
The home has no bias towards
any particular creed, colour or religion and competent and caring staff is
employed in sufficient numbers during both day and night. Every assistance is
given to residents to help them maintain as full and active life as possible
but, where necessary, willing help is given with personal needs such as
washing, dressing, feeding, toilet needs, etc. the wishes of the residents are
always respected, as is their need for personal privacy. The home is concerned
with the mental well being of the residents as well as the physical well being
and to this end gives every assistance with personal problems. Where a member
of staff or management is un able to deal with a particular problem
professional help is sought from outside of the home, in short, the home
provides as homely an environment as possible with very few rules or
regulations where a resident may live happily and in comfort and safety until
they are fully recovered or if recovery is not complete, to the end of his or
her days.
The home does not take
residents who require constant nursing care but is able to offer the same care
as would be offered by a caring relative in a residents own home with the
support of his or her own Doctor and the district nursing service. Should a
resident become ill he or she would be nursed by the staff in the home until
such times as his or her Doctor felt that it would be more beneficial for that
resident to receive more specialised nursing care as would be offered by a
hospital or specialist nursing home.
In summary, Agnes House
provides:
·
Provides a
safe and secure environment for residents;
·
Ensures
their privacy and provides their own personal space under their own control;
·
Protects
their dignity;
·
Offers them
a stimulating setting for daily activities;
·
Enables them
to have easy access around the home; minimises residents' difficulties in
understanding their surroundings;
·
Provides a
work setting which enables staff to deliver high quality care;
·
Meets the
standards relating to the design and fabric of residential care home required
by law, regulations and directives.
Agnes House aims and
objectives are to:
To
those persons entrusted to our care we present our philosophy on the care we
would wish them to receive in our home which is:
1. To
provide a secure, stable, comfortable and welcoming environment where
individuality of care and maintenance of dignity is paramount.
2. To
set realistic and attainable goals and encourage participation in decision
making to reach those individual goals.
3. To
stimulate and maintain physical and mental activity and social well-being.
4. The
Home provides opportunities for people to enhance their quality of life by
providing safe, comfortable and supported environments.
5. The
Home promotes positive relationships between residents and staff characterised
by respect, friendliness and empathy.
6. To
have the right to personal independence and personal choice.
7. To
have the right to care for themselves as far as they are able and
willing. This right is carried out by means of a personal care plan which
is updated at regular intervals.
8. To
have the right to have their dignity respected by others in every way possible
and to be treated, whatever their disabilities or frailties, as individuals in
their own right.
9. To
have the right to privacy for themselves, their belongings and their affairs,
staff adopt a 'knock before entering' approach when going in to a resident's
own room.
10. To
have the right to be consulted about any proposed changes in daily living
arrangements and to make suggestions.
11. To
ensure that each resident's individual needs and preferences are taken into
account and have precedence over the Home's working practices.
12. To
have the same right to facilities and services in the surrounding community as
any other citizen, including registration with the medical practitioner and
dentist of their choice.
13. To
have the right to mix with other people in the community, whether by going out
or by inviting other people in.
14. To
have the right to have their cultural, religious, sexual, emotional and any
other needs accepted and respected.
15. To
share our world, remember preferences and accept idiosyncrasies, and give help
to achieve a sense of purpose and accomplishment.
Agnes House Care Home is owned by Angel
Care Homes Limited.
The
name and address of the registered provider is:
Angel Care Homes Limited, 185 Penn Road, Wolverhampton, WV3 0EQ
The
name and address of the responsible adult for Agnes House is:
Mrs Balver Bisla, 185 Penn Road
Wolverhampton, WV3 0EQ
The
name and address of the registered Manager for Agnes House is:
Acting Care Manager: Mr Alan
Franks.
Agnes House has a full
compliment of staff. They consist of:
ü 1 registered manager (To be appointed)
ü 1 Deputy care Manager (with10+ years experience)
ü 10 care assistants (varying degrees of
experience)
ü 1 part time cook ( with food handling and
hygiene certificates)
ü 1 part time laundry assistant
ü 1 part time cleaner
ü 1 part time gardener
At Agnes House staff see
themselves as a team which is consistent in its shared aims, with members
fulfilling complementary roles. this ensures residents receive a satisfactory
standard of care, The balance of staff can therefore match the residents'
needs.
Agnes
House enables and encourage staff to undertake training. As part of staff appraisal
and supervision, an individual training and development plan has been drawn up
for all staff. Staff are encouraged to undertake training courses to acquire
skills and, where appropriate, qualifications. The benefits to be derived from
having a trained staff are many:
ü residents receive better care;
ü staff feel more confident that
they are doing the work as it should be done and that they can tackle problems
that arise;
ü staff feel valued by
management when the training programme has the management's backing;
ü the ethos of the home is
improved;
ü a pool of staff is available
for promotion and career progression.
Agnes House provides training
in-house as well as arranging for staff to spend time away on courses. In-house
training of this kind is seen as an integral part of the running of Agnes House
and emphasis is given to the timing and arrangement of staffing rotas to ensure
relief cover is provided to enable staff to receive training. Night staff are
included in all training opportunities.
Agnes House also offers
National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) Five levels of qualifications are set
out within the NVQ framework. At level 3 (which is the level most often worked
towards by Agnes House staff), competence is expected in a variety of work
activities, some complex and non-routine, along with the ability to work both
alone and in collaboration with others in different situations.
The management team have the following
qualifications and experience:
|
Name Mrs Balver Bisla Role: Responsible Adult
|
Qualifications: Master of Education
(M.Ed), Bachelor of Art (B.A). Over 15 years of management experience in
local government. |
|
Name TBA Role: Care Manager |
Mr Alan Franks. Various qualifications
and experience in care work and care management. |
All Care staff have a training plan which
shows the training that they have attended and what future training they are
planned to attend. In addition:
The home employs member of staff with NVQ
qualifications up to level 3. For detailed list of care staff and their
qualifications please see appendix A
The organisational structure of the Agnes
House care home is outlined overleaf:
The home employs number of staff with NVQ
qualifications up to level 3.
The single most important
aspect of living in residential care is the living accommodation provided for
the individual resident. All research shows that most residents prefer a single
room. However some people do prefer to share a room they feel less alone and
less vulnerable.
Single occupancy
People moving into Agnes House
can choose to have their own single room accommodation (unless they prefer
otherwise). We strongly recommended that shared rooms are available for
couples; relatives or close friends are able to live together if they so wish.
Shared occupancy
Two people only live in the same
accommodation if they have chosen to do so and the accommodation is
specifically designed for two people (in terms of size and facilities), paying
due account to privacy.
Agnes House can accommodate 14 people in
13 rooms. The people can be either male or female aged18-65. Agnes House can
accommodate up to two people over 65 years of age.
The ground floor provides 2 single rooms
10sq meters or over and both with en suites. The First floor provides 9
single rooms one with an en suite and one double room. The second floor provides one single room.
There are three lounges, one dining room
and one day room. Agnes house has three bathrooms, one of which is assisted.
General care such as is required as a
result of mental illness. Up to 2
residents over the age of 65 can also be admitted. Agnes house can provide a
flexible care package ranging from short term respite care, day care and long
term residential care.
There is a full
activities programme in the home based upon the interests of the service users
currently residing in the home.
The therapeutic benefits
derived from being physically and mentally active are well known and Agnes
House provides stimulation of this sort for our residents. The range of
opportunities available in the home for people to pursue leisure and
intellectual activities reflect the diversity of the residents and their social
and cultural interests and intellectual and physical capacities. Agnes House
staff remembers that just because people suffer from mental, it does not mean
that they all have the same likes and dislikes. Not everyone wants to sit and
watch television (or the same programme on television); not everyone likes
playing bingo or having singsongs. Scope for choice and variety is made
available. Residents confined to bed are as far as possible also have the
opportunity for social interaction and intellectual stimulation.
A programme of
activities is published and accessible to all service users.
Residents
meetings are held regularly. There is a Quality Assurance Scheme, which ensures
that Questionnaires are issued to Service Users, Relatives, and Advocates
requesting their comments and views on the service and operation of the home.
A fire evacuation procedure is in place.
Recording system maintained for testing of emergency lighting, fire bells and
fire drills.
The Policy with
regard to visiting at the home is that visitors are welcome at the home at any
reasonable time, however we
do expect consideration to be made for mealtimes and late night visits. A
cordless handset and large digit telephone are communally available however
many residents make arrangements for a private line into their own room.
Agnes House runs its own
Quality assurance program and as well as the constant monitoring of the general
mood within the home we circulate questionnaires to residents and relatives
once a year. Copies of these questionnaires are given to the C.S.C.I. at
inspection and the feedback acts as an external evaluation of the Quality
achieved.
Reviews are
carried out on a monthly basis. Reviews
will be more frequent, if there are changes in the service user’s condition
making significant amendments to the Care Plan imperative in the interests of
the resident.
Appendix B describes how a
care plan is created and reviewed.
When a resident is admitted the first 3
months are regarded as a trial period for the benefit of the resident, the
proprietors and the present residents. Relatives, friends and representatives
are all encouraged to visit their loved ones as often as they wish to.
As a matter of good practice
Agnes House states that entering care should:
Prospective residents are:
The Agnes House is registered with the
local authority as a residential home
The weekly charge is between £323.00 -
£377.00 payable monthly in advance by cash, cheque or bankers order, or paid
directly to the Agnes House by the DSS. Cheques should be made payable to
The Agnes House' and crossed “account payee only”.
Fees paid more than seven days late will
incur an interest charge at the concurrent rate charged by the proprietors'
bank. A minimum of two weeks written notice will be given for the increase
of fees.
The following services are covered by the
fees:
ü Twenty-four hour care
ü All meals
ü Personal laundry which is suitable for
both washing machine and tumble dryer, or for hand washing. (All items of
clothing must be clearly marked with the residents’ name.) .
ü Towels, face cloths and soap are provided
ü Special diets as required
Services not covered by the fees are:
û Hairdressing
û Dry cleaning
û Extra curricular activities
Additional charges are made for any
residents wanting these services.
The proprietor’s from time to time will
provide evening entertainment. Outings to concerts, theatre, cinema,
shopping, etc will be arranged as required but are not included in the fees.
13.4 INCREASE IN FEES
There is one month’s notice of
the annual increase in fees this allows time for a consultation process. This
is important both for individuals funding themselves and for residents who are
funded by other sources. Local authorities are closely involved in any changes
in existing fee levels, particularly in relation to their contractual
arrangements and service specifications with the home.
Older people who qualify for
statutory funding retain the right to choose which home they would like to live
in even though the social services department is partly funding their care. The
department will put an upper limit on the level of fees it is prepared to pay,
If the resident wishes to come in to Agnes House which has a higher fee level
this is still possible provided that the difference is guaranteed (usually by a
relative or another organisation). This difference is referred to as (top up).
Where residents are paying
full fees themselves (know as private residents) and are likely to continue to
do so for a minimum period of two years it is not necessary for the statutory
services to be involved. However, if a resident becomes in need of financial
assistance after the minimum period of two years social services should be
approached. This may also be available through independent organisations which
specialise in helping people find suitable residential care, through welfare
organisations or advice agencies. Prospective residents should also make clear
their own financial position.
Should the resident require hospital
treatment, the room will be retained on payment of the usual fees.
A period of four weeks notice in writing
is required for termination of this contract by either party. Should the
resident leave the home without giving the required notice, fees in lieu of
notice will be payable.
In the event of a resident’s death, any
outstanding fees will be charged to their estate, Third parties who undertake
to meet the resident’s fees, in whole or in part, should sign the relevant
clause below to this effect prior to the resident’s occupancy.
The proprietors may give a resident notice
to leave the home under the following circumstances:
The Agnes House has public liability
insurance. However, a resident’s personal effects, money and valuables
are not covered by this insurance and such items should be insured by the
resident or responsible relative. The proprietors do not accept
responsibility for any loss of cash or valuable items.
The resident shall provide medical
requisites (other than medication by prescription), clothing, toiletries, and
other items of a personal or luxury nature. Residents are requested to
use paper tissues rather than handkerchiefs for hygiene reasons.
Subject to inspection for safety,
condition and suitability and at the discretion of the proprietors, residents
own items of furniture may be brought into the home. Transport, insurance
and eventual removal of any such items shall be borne by the resident or the
responsible relative. The proprietors will dispose of any item remaining
in the home more than one month after the departure of a resident.
All electrical items brought into the home
can not be checked straight away, therefore the resident takes full
responsibility of the appliance until they can be properly checked by the
annual portable appliance test.
Doctors – if possible the resident should
remain with their own GP In the event that this is not possible for any reason
(e.g.: distance), and provided there are no objections, the proprietors GP will
be asked to become the residents doctor.
Medical Information – The resident will be
required before taking up residency to provide the proprietors with complete
information on the state of their health, any treatment or medication required
and a history of any serious operations or illnesses
Residents are free to journey out
alone. However, the proprietors cannot be held responsible for the
resident’s safety while away from the home.
Facilities are not available for pets to
live at The Agnes House. However, there is no objection to a well behaved
pet being brought on a visit provided that it is under control at all times.
While we trust
that all our service users will be satisfied with the quality of the care they
receive. However there may be occasions when a resident or their relative may
wish to raise a concern, or make a formal complaint.
We want you to
know that you should always feel free to raise your concerns. It is hoped that
a discussion with the manager will resolve the issue. We may however need to
carry out an investigation, if this is the case then we will contact you again
within 28 days with the result of our investigation and what action we intend
to take.
The care manager and the staff are
committed to providing the highest standard of care. However, if at any
time a resident, resident’s representative or relative wishes to make a
complaint, this may be done in writing or verbally to the proprietors, or to
the registration officer named below. If complaint direct to the
proprietors does not result in satisfaction, complaint may still then be made to
the registration officer who will look into the matter on behalf of the
resident. Complaints forms are kept in the office; please ask for one if
needed.
Commission for Social Care Inspection
Stephenson Street
Birmingham
Inspector: Sean Devine
Tel: 0121 600 5720
Appendix C describes the
complaints procedure in more detail
The Agnes House
care home currently employs 11 care workers, 10 of which are female.
All residents are
currently male. All residents are informed of the staffing ratio before moving
into the home, so male residents are aware in advance that we do not currently
have the resources to provide a same-sex care worker for all residents.
If it transpired
that the resident was uncomfortable with intimate care being provided by a
member of the opposite sex, and we did not have the resources to provide a same
sex care worker, we would seek advice from the National Care Standards
Commission.
At Agnes House we are committed to giving
residents the very best care whilst being sensitive to the needs of individual
residents.
Residents have individual preferences,
needs and personalities that must be considered and encouraged.
All of our carers are trained to be
sensitive to issues surrounding intimate care, and adopt the following
protocols:
A Residents
Charter of Rights is in operation in the home.
There is a no smoking policy in the care
home. Smoking is only permitted in the smoke lounge or the garden.
Alcohol consumption in moderation and as
agreed in the care plan is permitted.
The Fire Brigade on an unannounced basis
inspects Agnes House at intervals determined by them. All fire risk assessments
are carried out and reviewed all fire records are checked by the Brigade and
the C.S.C.I. All fire appliances are serviced and recorded annually.
Agnes House supports residents
attending religious services. If demand is sufficient transport will be
provided free, otherwise a small charge may be levied.
It is a fact that most elderly
(over 65) residents die in the homes they are living in rather than returning
to their own homes or being moved into hospital does not mean that dying and
death is routine and commonplace. The impact of death on the community of
residents is significant and continuing and we ensure that opportunities are
available for them to come to terms with issues of life and death in the way
that each individual finds best. This is done by ensuring that opportunities
are provided for meditation and reflection, for contact with local religious
and spiritual leaders and that there is an openness and willingness on the part
of staff and others involved at Agnes House to talk about dying and death, and
about those who have recently died.
Policies and procedures
The issues around dying and
death are very sensitive. Agnes House’s operational policies deal with quality
of life before death, planning in anticipation of death and the practical and
legal requirements following the death of a resident.
Considerations are:
Policies are clearly expressed
and information made available to residents and their families and friends when
they first come into the home.
Expressed wishes of the resident
Some people will be clear about their preferences with regard to
care when they are dying and the formalities to be observed after their death.
They may be very ready to discuss it with those closest to them and with staff.
In other cases, people may be more reluctant to broach the subject, or have it
broached with them. Staff are alert to occasions when individuals may reveal
their thoughts and preferences unexpectedly so that they can make use of this
when the time arises.
However it is done, the process of talking to residents about
their death is a delicate one which is done sensitively and with compassion. It
may be very time-consuming.
Information about the resident
Where possible Agnes House, perhaps in conjunction with relatives
or friends, assemble information about the following, to be made use of at the
time of the death of a resident:
Information of this sort, once gathered, is confirmed periodically
and always observed at the appropriate time.
Financial affairs, wills and next of kin instructions
These matters are handled by relatives, a solicitor, an appointee,
an attorney or the Court of Protection, Court of Session or the High Court. The
resident may have completed a next of kin instruction form or left other
written instructions. Wherever possible, the resident's wishes are to be
respected and carried out. Agnes House is never involved in any financial
arrangements.
The Agnes House has a fully
trained hairdresser who comes every fortnight, and a fitness trainer, who
arranges activities to exercise the body.
A quality management system (QMS) is in
place at Agnes House. As part of the QMS, regular internal checks are carried
out on processes and procedures to ensure that they confirm the Agnes House
internal standards.
Experience has shown that by being
proactive and carrying out these internal checks, potential problems are
identified and corrected earlier. This also ensures that the formal inspections
with the CSCI do not uncover any major issues.
A copy of the Agnes House
Quality Management System is available on request to the residents.
There is one cordless phone which can be
used to take calls in private.
Food and mealtimes are of
great social importance in the lives of our residents. The degree to which
residents are directly involved in choice, preparation and serving of meals and
participating fully in mealtimes depends on their abilities but where possible
the emphasis is on willing participation
The following points observed:
APPENDIX A: CARE STAFF TRAINING AND
EXPERIENCE
APPENDIX B: CARE PLANNING AND REVIEW
APPENDIX C: COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE
|
Name TBA Role Care Manager Name Elaine Haydon Role Senior Care Asst |
To be appointed NVQ level 4 minimum Qualifications NVQ Level 3 Experience 15 Years |
|
Name Mary Walters Role Care assistant Name Charmaine West Role Care assistant Name Rebecca Butler Role Care Assistant Name Brenda Street Role Care assistant Name Jane Teeling Role Care assistant Name Angie Kennedy Role Care assistant Name Bryan Holt Role Care assistant Name Vanessa Tomkinson Role Night Care Name Lynda Moore Role Care assistant |
Qualifications Studying for NVQs Experience 8 years Qualifications NVQ Level 2 Experience 3 years Qualifications Studying for NVQs Experience 1 year Qualifications NVQ Level 2 Experience 5 years Qualifications NVQ Level 2 Experience 5 year Qualifications NVQ Level 2 Experience 9 years Qualifications NVQ Level 2 4 years experience Qualifications Experience 2 years Qualifications NVQ Level 2 Experience 1 Year |
Care plans for individual
residents at Agnes House are to ensure that each resident receives the
individual care he or she requires. They are a necessary part of the
record-keeping of the home and facilitate good communication between residents
and internal and external staff. Residents (and their relatives where
appropriate) are encouraged to take a lead in saying how they would like to be
looked after. Care plans are the basis for daily care and they are referred to
regularly and updated as appropriate. They are available to relevant staff at
all times. Consistency in their implementation is one of our most important
concerns. Residents have direct access to them, at any time. Their permission
is sought before people other than the responsible care staff can see them and
use the information they contain. With the individual resident's permission,
the care plan is used by inspectors as one means of checking on the quality of
care provided at Agnes House.
Drawing up care plans
Care plans at Agnes House have
been developed specifically for our residents and environment. The following
areas are what have been taken into consideration.
Content of care plans
The following areas are
considered when writing up the care plans.
Wherever possible, clear and
attainable goals are set out in the care plan which the resident and care staff
can follow on a planned basis, with a time-scale (which is not too far in the
future) for achievement. In this way progress is monitored and incentives given
to both resident and staff.
Each resident has their “Service users Plan”
(Care Plan) reviewed monthly by the Deputy officers in Charge if any
substantial changes are required a meeting is set up between the Deputies, the
service user and a relative or representative.
On entering Agnes House each
resident and their relatives are given a “Service users Guide” in which is
detailed our Complaints Procedure.
Managers and staff do not assume that an absence of complaints means that
everything is running smoothly. We are particularly alert to the general
hesitancy of residents and relatives to complain for fear (however unjustified)
of recrimination. Residents may feel fearful and vulnerable and therefore
unwilling to speak out because they are dependent on staff and managers for
their care and assistance. More generally, it is remembered that many older
people tend to 'go along with things' in response to questions and that a
comment to the effect that something is satisfactory could in fact indicate
that improvements could be made.
Advocates have a useful role in supporting residents in making a complaint and
Agnes House welcomes their involvement in the life of the home. The information
given to residents and relatives stresses that ideas, suggestions and
complaints are welcome and expected.
Our complaints procedure has the following features:
