Short Term Assessment and Review Team (START)

1. To support a culture of improvement, responsiveness and transparency, the provider should ensure that the Care Inspectorate are informed of accidents and incidents. This should be in accordance with the guidance given in the Care Inspectorate document ‘Adult care services: Guidance on records you must keep and notifications you must make’. This is to ensure that care and support is consistent with the Health and Social Care Standards (HSCS) which state that: ‘I benefit from a culture of continuous improvement, with the organisation having robust and transparent quality assurance processes’ (HSCS 4.19).

2. To support people’s wellbeing, the provider should ensure that care and support is delivered by a staff group who are appropriately trained and skilled. To do this the provider should, at a minimum: a) ensure an up-to-date and accurate staff training record is maintained. b) identify, through monitoring of training records and consultation with staff, any unmet training needs and take steps to address this. This is to ensure that care and support is consistent with the Health and Social Care Standards (HSCS) which state that: ‘I have confidence in people because they are trained, competent and skilled, are able to reflect on their practice and follow their professional and organisational codes’ (HSCS 3.14).

1. To support people’s wellbeing, the provider should ensure people using the service receive consistent and stable care and support. To do this the provider should, at a minimum: a) ensure that people using the service are informed of the planned timings of their visits b) ensure that people using the service are informed if there is to be a significant change to their planned visit time c) ensure that people using the service are informed are informed if there is to be a significant change to their preferred staff d) engage with people using the service to support the planning of their visit times e) engage with people using the service to support the planning of their preferred staff. This is to ensure that care and support is consistent with the Health and Social Care Standards (HSCS) which state that: ‘My care and support is consistent and stable because people work together well’ (HSCS 3.19).

1. To support people’s wellbeing, the provider should ensure that care plans and assessments are up-to-date and accessible to people who use the service, and their representatives. To do this the provider should, at a minimum: a) Ensure that information held within people’s home is the most up to date available. b) Ensure that when changes are made, this is reflected across all care planning documentation including care plans, risk assessments and reviews. This is to ensure that care and support is consistent with the Health and Social Care Standards (HSCS) which state that: ‘My personal plan (sometimes referred to as a care plan) is right for me because it sets out how my needs will be met, as well as my wishes and choices.’ (HSCS 1.15).

2. To support people’s wellbeing, the provider should ensure that risk assessments contain sufficient detail to allow care staff to prevent and manage risk. This applies to all assessed risks, including complex health conditions. To do this the provider should, at a minimum, ensure that risk assessments include sufficient detail about contributing factors to risk, strategies to prevent risk, strategies to manage risk and what to do if the risk occurs. This is to ensure that care and support is consistent with the Health and Social Care Standards (HSCS) which state that: ‘My needs, as agreed in my personal plan, are fully met, and my wishes and choices are respected’ (HSCS 1.23).