Guide to Our Services

The following information is provided to help you understand more about the service we will offer you and fulfils our legal obligations. We have tried to make it as clear as possible but, if you have ANY queries at all, please contact us. We are here to help you, so if paperwork is not your favourite thing, just call us with your query.

Our whole Company vision is based on allowing people to make their own choices about how they want to live their lives - what tasks you want to undertake yourself or what tasks you need support with. These include practical tasks of daily living such as washing, dressing, personal hygiene and a range of other daily routines aimed at promoting and maintaining general health & well-being.

So, if you want to do something, we’ll help you to make an informed choice about your options. If we think it may present a risk to your health, we’ll tell you about it. But, at the end of the day, it’s your decision whether you take our advice or not. We do not believe in forcing our opinions on others. Life is full of risks and challenges and we’ll be there supporting you as you face your own hurdles.

We offer many kinds of service to many kinds of people. In this pack you will find information relevant to the services you have requested. If you feel the information provided, or the service offered, does not meet you need or lifestyle choice, speak to us again and we can send you more details and review the options.

We help elderly and young people by offering a massive range of services from hovering once a week to 24-hour personal care support - and everything in between.

1. How will you know what service I require?

When we are contacted to request services, a senior member of staff will visit you for an initial meeting. If the purchaser is a different person to the service user then, ideally, they will also be present. The meeting will include the following:

• An explanation of the services we offer and how we could assist in your circumstances.

• With your assistance, our representative will complete an assessment; this will describe the service you require from us and important details which will assist our Carers in ensuring they provide all you require.

• A Service User profile will also be completed within the assessment; this contains information such as your name, address, next of kin, GP details etc.

We also have a legal obligation to undertake a number of health and safety assessments. These will include:

• Risk Assessment

• COSHH Assessment (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health)

• Moving and Handling Assessment

If you would like any further information on the above legislation, this is available through our Office or by visiting www.doh.gov.uk.

An assessment is then made as to the skills our staff will require to meet your needs. This will consider moving & handling requirements, current legislation and the skill level necessary to provide the required services. This may depend on issues like personal care as opposed to more domestic type services, your preference about the gender of your Carer and an assessment of your needs with respect to religious and cultural requirements.

It is important that at the end of this introductory meeting you are clear about the service you will be receiving from us, the cost and how you may contact us. If you are unsure about any of the information that has been discussed, you may request that our representative explains the information again, or you may wish for us to explain the information to a family member, friend or advocate.

A copy of all the paperwork completed will be left in your possession for you to review. Please make this information available to your Carers as they will keep the information up-to-date and will record comments and actions in this file.

2. Can I change the time or tasks that I require?

We understand that your requirements may change so the management team will undertake a formal 6-monthly review where they will discuss the service with you to ensure it is still meeting your needs and is providing the best possible assistance.

If you would like to change the service permanently between reviews, please contact our Office to discuss it. If necessary, a member of our care team can visit you and amend your careplan accordingly. If you would like to make a temporary change to the time of your visit, please contact the Office giving as much notice as possible. We aim to give our Carers confirmation of their work schedules a week in advance.

We understand that you may have a requirement for our Carers to assist you in undertaking a task which is not part of your agreed careplan. If this is the case, please discuss it with the care coordinating team in the Office prior to requesting the Carers assistance. Our Carers are matched to you through their training and development plans and amendments to your careplan may be outside their qualifications and experience.

3. Can I cancel the service temporarily?

Yes, you can. Please contact the care team, giving the dates you wish to cancel and the date the service is to restart. Please give as much notice as possible as we aim to give Carers their work schedules one week in advance.

Cancellation of services with less than 48 hours’ notice will still be charged for.

4. What sort of people will be coming to my home?

You can be sure that all staff who visit will have been carefully selected, have undertaken a DBS and will have been reference checked as part of our rigorous recruitment procedure. We also continually train and develop our staff to ensure they have the skills to deliver the services you require.

Our staff will always have their identity badge with them which has their photograph on it so you can be sure it is ok to let them into your home. We encourage all our staff to advise our customers to ring the Office for confirmation of their identity if the service user is in any doubt. For instance; your usual Carer may be off sick and we may have to send a replacement Carer at short notice. Don’t be embarrassed about wanting to check! It is always best to be cautious before letting anyone into your home that you don’t know.

If you are ever unhappy with the standard of service you receive, please let us know at once.

5. What happens if I cannot get to my door when my Carer arrives, or I have gone out and forgotten to inform you?

We have a procedure in place for our Carers to follow should they arrive at your house and there is no reply. This procedure includes:

• Allowing sufficient time for you to reach the door.

• Looking through your letterbox with a view to identifying your whereabouts.

• If your curtains are open, looking through your window.

• Carrying out checks to the rear of your property (where access is possible).

• If keys are available and access has been obtained, but you do not appear to be at home, the Carer will check throughout your property to see if you can be found.

Should these checks not throw any light on your whereabouts; the Carer will immediately check with neighbours, caretakers, wardens or any known contacts as ascertain your location. If, after completing all these checks, your whereabouts is still unknown, the Carer will post a form through your door to inform you they were looking for you and asking that on your return could you contact the Office. They will then immediately telephone their supervisor who will commence contacting your next of kin, social worker or other known contacts to highlight the situation to ensure your safety.

6. What happens if my regular Carer is off sick or goes on holiday?

When your regular Carer arranges a holiday, we will inform you and aim to introduce a stand-in Carer prior to their first visit. We do attempt to have a minimum of 2-3 people as regular carers for you to ensure that any periods of holiday can be covered by others already known to you, offering as little disruption as possible.

Should your regular Carer be off sick, we would contact you to inform you and let you know the name of their replacement. Again, we aim to cover absence due to sickness with another of your regular carers. If this is not possible, the replacement will be an experienced member of our team and will be briefed on your careplan. They may also request to see your DMD file - this will give them details of the routines for their visit prior to undertaking any tasks.

7. What do I do if I am concerned about something?

Please tell us what you think of the service we provide. We need all your comments - good and bad - to help us develop our services. We know that a complaint gives us the chance to learn from mistakes and to improve things in the future. So, if there is anything we could be doing better, we want to hear from you. In fact, we’ll thank you for it.

• We encourage your feedback in the following ways:

• We send out questionnaires periodically to find out what you think about the service.

• We ask our Staff to let us know if they think we could be doing things better - they can give this feedback confidentially if they wish.

• We provide all Service Users with a detailed leaflet telling them how to complain, comment or compliment us! The information is further on in this pack if you need to use it.

Please be assured, any complaint will be treated seriously and confidentially to help us meet your expectations.

8. How will you monitor the service provided to me?

We will undertake regular reviews to monitor the service we provide. To achieve this we undertake the following:

• We ask your regular Carers to complete a review form. This allows your Carer to make recommendations to improve the service to you and to report any areas of concern. Should there be any, our Manager will undertake a full review of the services provided in full consultation with you.

• The management team like a senior member of staff to undertake periodic unannounced visits to our Carers whilst they are attending to a Service User. They will seek your permission prior to making such a visit. This will be included as part of your carer’s supervision, training and development plan and the monitoring of the quality of services being provided.

• A representative of the management team will contact you at least every 6 months to discuss the service you are receiving and to ensure all the details we hold for you are still correct.

If you would like to discuss the service you are receiving at any time, please contact the Office.

9. How much does the service cost and how do I pay for it?

Please see our separate sheet for details of costs of different services (where applicable). Remember, if you want a service you can’t find a price for - just give us a call. We’ll check on the cost and get back to you as soon as possible.

It is up to you how you want to pay for the service - either by cheque, standing order or internet banking (please contact the Office for details) - whichever is easiest for you. However, we prefer not to handle cash.

Please note, you will be charged for the service if:

• You fail to give 48-hours’ notice of cancellation of our service.

• The carer arrives at your house and you cancel care on site.

• You refuse our carer entry.

• You have gone out.

10. Will I have to provide a key to my home?

This is your decision. DMD Medway Ltd does have a key-holding policy in place for Carers to follow. All keys are marked only with your individual identification number, not with any name or address. All keys, whilst not in use, are stored in a locked key cabinet; Carers are required to sign all keys in and out to ensure their safe keeping.

DMD Medway Ltd has key holding insurance. We do not recommend hiding keys for Carers around the outside of your house or having keys on strings through letter boxes. We do recommend having a key safe installed at the premises so that keys can be available for any emergencies.

11. What if I need to speak to someone in the evening?

There will always be someone there when you call, 24-hours a day, 365 days a year. If the Office is closed, the phone will divert to our On-Call service. Our friendly staff are trained to help you with your queries and can send a member of staff out to you in an emergency.

Our Office telephone number is: 01634 775 277

We are open from 8am-5pm, Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays). If you wish to visit the office outside of these times, please contact our Manager to arrange a convenient time.

12. Are my records safe?

It is important that you know DMD Medway Ltd will always protect the information you entrust us with. We are registered with Data Protection and operate within the rules as laid down by the Data Protection Act. More detailed information on Data Protection is at the back of this guide (item 22), but it basically means that:

• We will only store essential information about you.

• We can provide you with full details of your computer records if you request it.

Requests for information should always be sent in writing. Before supplying information, the Company (Data Controller) is entitled to ask for proof of identity and for any other details needed to locate data held about you. A fee may be payable. A reply will be provided within 40 days of receiving your request.

13. Will you tell anyone else about the services you provide to me?

As we said above, we are very aware of the importance of protecting your records and confidentiality. However, to help maintain standards, both DMD Medway Ltd and CQC may wish to review your records on occasion to make sure that all our paperwork is in order and that we are meeting the minimum care standards. You need to know that you can refuse to have your records inspected and, if this is your wish, you should write to the Registered Manager of DMD Medway Ltd Services (see our contact details at the end of this guide).

Remember, we will not discuss your records with anyone without your permission. However, if there is an emergency, we do reserve the right to give the relevant emergency services the information they need to give the appropriate help.

14. Do I need to take out any insurance?

DMD Medway Ltd has the necessary insurance as required by National Care Standards. This includes £10 million Employers Liability, £5 million Public Liability, Key Holding and Money Handling insurances.

15. Am I insured if any accidental damage occurs in my home?

Any accidental damage which occurs in your home to an item belonging to you or your family will need to be covered by your own household insurance. Most contents insurances will already include this. However, we would recommend that you check this with your insurance company.

16. How will I know what Carers are allowed to do?

When employment begins, our Staff are provided with a detailed handbook of our policies and procedures explaining how they are to conduct themselves whilst at work. This helps to protect you and give guidance to our Staff. The points below provide a brief summary of these guidelines:

• Staff are issued with an ID badge which contains a photograph of them, their full name, expiry date and our full company details. If you have any doubts about the badge (or the person wearing it) please contact us before letting them in.

• Staff do not expect you to provide any food for them.

• Staff must not smoke, drink alcohol or take any drugs that are not prescribed whilst on duty.

• Staff must not discuss their private life - or anyone else’s - with you.

• Staff must not retain a key for your home; all keys must be managed by the Office.

• Staff must not undertake any business transactions with you, e.g. selling or purchasing goods through catalogues.

• Staff may accept token gifts of chocolates, diaries, calendars etc. but only if gifts are reported to the Manager. Money or any substantial gifts cannot be accepted.

• Staff can only carry out financial transactions on your behalf if it is specified as part of your agreed careplan and must then complete a Financial Transaction Form.

• Staff must not drive your vehicle unless authorisation has been given by the the insurance company and the registered manager.

• Staff must not remove any items from your home, or dispose of any article without your specific consent including unused food etc.

• Staff must never take pets to your home.

• Staff must not remain alone in your home unless this has been agreed by you and the Manager.

• Staff must never take other people, including their partners, spouses or children, into your home.

• Staff must not use your telephone without your permission.

Staff have a responsibility to their personal health & safety, and for the well being of their colleagues, service users and the public. They must:

• Work safely and efficiently.

• Use protective equipment provided.

• Comply with safety rules, instructions, procedures & statutory requirements.

• Not misuse/interfere with anything provided for health, safety & welfare.

• Report any unsafe practices or methods of work.

• Report any unsafe buildings, plant or equipment.

• Report accidents, conditions or incidents that have led to, or might lead to injury or damage.

• Cooperate in the investigation of accidents and dangerous occurrences and in measures to prevent reoccurrences.

• Tasks undertaken by employees must be part of the agreed careplan.

• Carers should not agree to undertake additional duties outside the agreed careplan and should not undertake any private arrangements where monies are paid direct to the Carer.

• If you decide you would like to employ a Carer directly, the Company reserves the right to make a charge in the form of a commission.

17. How can I be sure what you tell me about your services is true?

You don’t just have to take our word for what we say in this brochure. DMD Medway Ltd is registered by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) which has regional offices across the UK. They act on behalf of the Government to ensure that we meet nationally agreed standards however, as a Company our aim is always to exceed those standards to bring you the best possible service.

DMD Medway Limited is registered to provide services to:

Older people.

• People with dementia.

• Adults with physical disabilities.

• Adults with sensory impairment.

• Adults with HIV/AIDS.

• Adults with terminal illness.

• Adults who are ill (other than terminal illness).

• Adults who are recovering from illness.

As we cover such a wide range of services, we have a lot of procedures and guidelines to make sure that everyone gets the same quality of service. This section contains additional information about us - it is not essential that you read it, but you may want to refer to it at some point.

18. Our company aims and objectives

You may have seen our vision in the careplan folder or on our home page of the Company’s website (www.dmdmedwayltd.com), but visions have to be put into words so that people can picture what we want to achieve. You can see below all the many different aspects that make up our vision.

The aims and objectives of the Company:

• To provide a viable alternative to admission into residential, nursing care or long stay hospital beds.

• To assist those who need help because of extreme frailty, disability or illness to live as comfortable and independent a life as possible.

• To facilitate the discharge of patients from hospital following periods of acute medical care at the earliest possible time.

• To provide a service that is sufficiently flexible to respond quickly to emergencies and, as far as possible, prevent the need for residential, nursing care or hospitalisation.

• To provide a service that is service user focused, enabling the service user to make real choices regarding the time, duration and level of support available within the terms of the agreed careplan.

• To construct a person-centered careplan in full consultation with the service user, with the aim being to provide a service that is outcome based in empowering the service user to achieve independence within their home.

• To promote the welfare and wellbeing of the individual service user receiving the service.

• To provide personal and domestic assistance to enable people to remain in their own homes for as long as they wish, and to provide such support as the service user requests in accordance with the careplan.

• To assess individual needs in full consultation with the service user, his/her family/friends and other involved services. To provide a service user that is fully integrated with the wider network of support available to that service user.

• To keep under review - and to respond to - the changing needs of the service user in an appropriate way in consultation with the service user and relevant services.

• DMD Medway Ltd also aims to provide a service that - as far as possible - meets individual needs and which takes full account of (and is sensitive to) the race, religion and cultural background of the service user.

• To utilise an electronic monitoring system to identify time and attendance of staff, providing total transparency of the quality, consistency and reliability of services. To reduce administrative burdens for purchaser and provider through electronic e-commerce and integration.

• To ensure that staff involved in the service are sufficiently trained and supported to enable them to discharge adequately the objectives of the company and that such training will include a recognised national vocational training qualification - NVQ.

• There are no circumstances at all in which DMD Medway Ltd will EVER accept its service users being shouted at, humiliated by words or actions, being verbally, physically, sexually or emotionally abused, bullied or intimidated, scorned or laughed at because of illness, disability, lifestyle or personal characteristics. DMD Medway Ltd will not countenance any behaviour that intentionally or cumulatively erodes or denies a person’s self-esteem, contentment or human dignity. By the same token, Carer/Service User relationships are two-way and Carers have a right to be treated with the same respect.

• The DMD Medway Ltd office is under the management of a suitably qualified and experienced manager who is accountable for the quality of the services provided and the service objectives. The manager will have a recognised management qualification and will be registered with the CQC.

• To comply with the Care Standards Act 2000 and the National Minimum Standards for Domiciliary Care 2002.

• We aim to ensure the profitability of the Company so as to maintain the business and security of our services and employees.

19. Statement of Purpose

This is a brief look at our company policies and procedures. It also gives you details of our Company aims and objectives (as detailed above), the types of service we provide, the background of both your local manager and the company director, or company training policy and our complaints procedure. If you wish to receive a copy of our statement of purpose, please contact our office on 01634 775 277 and we will send one out to you.

A copy of our statement of purpose is included within our careplan pack.

20. Caring for customers is our business - comments, compliments & complaints

At DMD Medway Ltd, we endeavour to provide services of a very high standard to many people every year. Given that we are helping so many of you, there is bound to be the occasional mistake. Much of the time we cannot know that anything has gone wrong or that you are unhappy with our service, unless you tell us.

To that end, we want to hear your comments, compliments and complaints. With your help we can ensure that our service meets your needs.

This leaflet gives brief details and tells you how to complain if you have a problem with our service, or you feel you have been unfairly treated by our organisation.

If you want to know more - or want someone to help you make a comment, compliment or complaint - please ask a member of staff for a full copy of our complaints procedure or contact the office. The contact details can be found at the end of this document.

Comments: We welcome your ideas/suggestions as we are always keen to consider ways to improve our service.

Compliments: It is nice to hear from you when you have something good to say about us and the service we provide. It helps to know we are getting it right.

Complaints: We hope that you will be satisfied with the service we provide but, if you need to complain, we try to make the procedure as quick and easy as possible.

In most cases complaints can be sorted out quickly and satisfactorily at Stage 1. You can speak to the staff involved and tell them why you are dissatisfied, or you can write a letter/send an email to our Registered Manager Mr Jean Domingue expressing in your own terms, your complaint. Nine times out of ten, the problem can be resolved on the spot. There are time limits for complaints so please read the full procedure to be aware of them.

If you feel your complaint has not been dealt with satisfactorily, you should write to our Director Mr. Frederic Domingue at the company address describing exactly what has happened, why you are not satisfied and asking him to register your complaint under Stage 2. The Director will then investigate your complaint. Please see full complaints procedure for details.

In the event of an unresolved complaint, details can be provided of your local Social Services department who can, of course, be contacted at any time in Stage 1 or Stage 2 of your complaint. Once your complaint has been fully dealt with by DMD Medway Ltd and you are not satisfied with the outcome, you can complain to the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO). The LGO provides a free, independent service. Full details and contact information are provided in the complaint’s procedure guide.

21. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

DMD Medway Limited is registered with the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) and operates within the 8 principles as laid down by the Act:

• Personal data shall be processed fairly and lawfully.

• Personal data will be obtained only for one or more specified and lawful purposes and not used for any other purpose than that specified.

• Personal data shall be adequate, relevant and not excessive in relation to the purpose it is for.

• Personal data shall be accurate and - where necessary - kept up to date.

• Personal data shall not be kept for longer than necessary.

• Personal data shall be processed in accordance with the rights of data subjects under this Act.

• Appropriate measures shall be taken against unauthorised or unlawful processing of personal data and against accidental loss or destruction of personal data.

• Personal data shall not be transferred outside the European Economic Area unless an adequate level of protection is in place in relation to the processing of personal data.

DMD Medway Ltd complies with the subject access rights. Individuals are entitled to find out from the company what personal data is held about them on computer and to have that information corrected or erased if it is inaccurate.

Guide To Our Services

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