Policy

The Care Worker Agency has a responsibility to ensure the safety, protection and well being of all customers and employees and takes this duty of care seriously. As such, it is company policy to operate within a risk management framework and all areas relating to a customer’s care and support are risk assessed prior to a service commencing. The company will not provide a service to any individual without the completion of a risk assessment.

The main principles of risk assessment are that it should be an integral part of planning and that the customer should be fully involved. The assessment should define the type and level of risk as well as identifying both the positive and negative consequences of an action and ways to minimise risk. Risk assessments should be recorded and regularly reviewed with dates agreed for the review unless circumstances dictate that this needs to be done sooner.

The Care Worker Agency will always respect the individual choices, preferences and decisions that customers make while balancing this within the risk management process in terms of the need to ensure the safe delivery of care.

Where customers are unable to fully express their views the company will consult significant others in the best interests of the individual including their representative(s); advocates and other professionals.

Procedure

Risk assessment and management involves:

·         identifying the potential benefits for the person concerned of an activity, event or situation

·         identifying the potential hazards or things that could go wrong

·         weighing up the likelihood of things going wrong

·         taking steps to reduce the risk

·         helping the person make decisions based on these factors

·         in special circumstances, making decisions for people

·         having contingency plans for dealing with problems should they arise.

1. Risk assessments must be completed with the consent of the customer and/or their representative.

2. All care packages must be risk assessed as part of the care planning process by a trained member of staff prior to care being delivered. Risk assessments should cover all elements of need and care to be provided taking into account the abilities and needs of each customer and the related risks.

3. Care will not be started until the risk assessment identifies that it is reasonably safe for the service to commence. The risk assessment activity forms part of the care planning process.

4. All risk assessments must be recorded on the appropriate format and must be signed by the customer and/or their representative and the company to confirm the agreed action and outcomes.

5. Care packages will not be started on the basis that equipment or situations may be unsafe in the short term (pending arrival of new equipment for example).  It is the company's view that the situation is acceptable and safe or it is not, in order to ensure safety is paramount.

6. Risk assessments must be recorded and regularly reviewed by staff with the customer and significant others as appropriate and care/support plans amended accordingly.

Reviewed April 2025 by Fay Townsend-Jackson