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Listen
7-11
Settling in
7 Moving in
8 Making choices
9 Feeling safe and secure
10 Exercising your rights
11 Expressing your views
Settling in
Introduction to standards 7 to 11
Moving in
People take time to settle into a new home, particularly
if the move is going to be long term. You can expect that
the manager and staff will be sensitive to your feelings
and worries during this period. They will respect your
right to make choices about how your accommodation is
provided, and how your support and care needs are met.
Making choices - feeling safe and
secure
You have the right to make decisions about your life and
care in the home, and you can feel safe and secure while
living there. You also have the right to choose the risks
you want to take, as long as there is a sensible balance
between your individual needs and preferences, and the
safety of staff and other people living there.
Exercising your rights - expressing your
views
The staff and manager must always respect and actively
promote your rights. You keep your rights and you also have
a responsibility not to infringe the rights of others. The
care home must take your comments, concerns and complaints
about the quality of the service and your experience of it
seriously. They are your way of contributing to, and
influencing how the home is run and how the services are
delivered.
Moving in
Standard 7
You are welcomed by staff, and they encourage
and support you, helping you through the stages of
moving in.
1 You have a named member of staff (key
worker), who will draw up your personal plan with you,
check its progress and stay in regular contact with you and
everyone involved in providing your support and care. If
you are receiving nursing care, your key worker may be a
nurse.
2 You can discuss your needs at all
reasonable times with your key worker.
3 If you are not certain about whether you
are making the right move, you can speak to the staff or
your representative, who will discuss with you the choices
that are available to you.
Making choices
Standard 8
You can make choices in all aspects of your
life.
1 You achieve the aims set out in your
personal plan helped by the support and care of skilled
staff.
2 You have information about the choices
that are available to you while you live in the home, and
the effect they will have on you. If you want, you can ask
for an independent representative or for specialist
advice.
3 You have time to consider your choices
without pressure.
4 Unless there are legal reasons for you
not to do so, you can carry out your own financial, legal
and other personal business at a time that suits you. You
can decide who should know about, and have access to, your
personal business.
5 You can keep and control your money and
your personal belongings, unless your individual
circumstances mean that specific legal arrangements have
been made.
6 You can choose to employ your own worker
or personal assistant as well as using staff who are
employed in the home.
Feeling safe and secure
Standard 9
You take responsibility for your own actions,
secure in the knowledge that the home has proper
systems in place to protect your interests.
1 A sensible balance is offered to you in
everyday events and activities, between the reasonable
risks you want to take and the safety of the staff and
other residents. This results from the home's individual
risk assessment approach.
2 You are fully involved in your own risk
assessment, as are any other people you may want to be
involved, such as a family member or independent
representative. You receive a copy of your risk assessment
report.
3 You can discuss risks with staff.
4 You can summon assistance easily and
quickly, using a reliable and efficient alarm system.
5 You are reassured about your safety from
intruders by knowing that the home has a system where all
visitors need to get permission before they can enter.
6 Staff record and investigate any
accidents or incidents, including any episodes of
restraint, telling relatives, carers or other
representatives if you want them to.
7 You are confident that you are living in
an environment that is free from bullying, harassment,
discrimination and any other form of abuse.
8 You are confident that staff will use
restraint only when it is necessary and after other forms
of intervention have been thoroughly tried and found to be
unsuccessful, or where there is a particular legal
requirement.
9 You know about the need for insuring
personal belongings.
Exercising your
rights
Standard 10
You keep your rights as an individual.
1 You are confident that staff will treat
you politely at all times and always respect your
individuality.
2 Staff call you by your preferred name or
title at all times.
3 If you need help, your request will be
dealt with politely and as soon as possible.
4 Confidential information about you is
only shared with others if you give permission, unless the
law requires otherwise.
5 You will be told why any information
cannot be kept confidential and who has the right to look
at it.
6 You can be sure that your confidential
records are held securely.
7 You know that any allegation of
discrimination is properly investigated.
8 You are helped to understand your rights
and responsibilities in relation to equal
opportunities.
9 You are supported in keeping your civil
rights (for example, in voting at elections).
Expressing your views
Standard 11
You are encouraged to express your views on any
aspects of the care home at any time.
1 You can freely discuss any concerns you
have with your named worker, other residents or any member
of the care home's management.
2 You know how to make a complaint or
comment to the home about the service. You are also aware
of the procedure for making formal complaints directly to
the Commission.
3 The home deals with concerns and
complaints quickly and sympathetically, and provides full
information about what will happen as a result of the
complaint.
4 You are encouraged and supported to use
an independent and confidential advocacy service that can
act for you. Staff will have information about any service
that would help you in this way.
5 If you have an independent
representative (for example, an independent advocate),
staff will listen to what he or she has to say on your
behalf, as if you were expressing the views yourself.
6 If you belong to an advocacy group,
staff will take seriously suggestions or proposals that
come from the group.
7 You can play a part in the Commission's
inspection of your service.
8 The manager of your care home will make
available a copy of each inspection report about the home
so that you and your representative can look through it in
your own time.
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