Statement of Purpose and Service User Guide
This page has been produced to try and answer some of the questions you may have. We do appreciate that all your questions may not be fully answered here, please feel free to talk through any queries or concerns you may have on a personal or financial basis with a member of the management team at any time.
Ladies in Waiting is owned by Crabtree Care Home Services Ltd
Mr David Crabtree RMN is the Proprietor
Mr Andrew Crabtree BA is the Registered Manager
Mrs Teresa Oates is the Office / Operations Manager
Organisational Structure
Mr D Crabtree - Director
Mr A Crabtree – Registered Manager - Director
Mrs T Oates – Office Manager
Mrs Julie Moore – Accounts Administrator
Care staff – 65 staff members
Ladies in Waiting are a domiciliary care agency based in Ilkley. We provide care and companionship to people in their own home. We are registered with the Commission for Social Care Inspection. Providing as little or as much care as a client needs in order to continue living their life as independently and individually as possible, whilst maintaining their freedom, dignity and privacy in a sensitive and professional manner. Client’s needs are constantly changing therefore we strive to provide a flexible service tailored to your individual needs in a way that compliments and benefits your day-to-day requirements.
We strive to maintain continuity in relation to the care worker and the client, therefore building up a relationship of reliability, trust and often friendship.
Our Aims and Objectives
- To promote the physical, social and psychological well being of the clients.
- To protect and maintain client privacy and autonomy.
- To promote and deliver high standards of care.
- To provide assistance wherever there is a need, across the full range of the adult age group, colour and creed.
- To provide levels of care, as required, within the client’s own home, providing employment for our staff. We are committed to running Ladies in waiting as a sound and profitable business.
- To accomplish these objectives we are committed to training and developing all staff to have understanding skills and competencies to carry out their roles successfully and happily.
Ladies in Waiting provide this service in the Ilkley and surrounding areas including Burley in Wharfedale, Burley Woodhead, Menston, Otley, Addingham, Bradley, Skipton and surrounding areas. Our delivery of care or companionship depends on staffing levels and your requirements at the time. Every effort will be made to deliver a request in these areas. Requests for care outside these areas will be assessed on an individual basis.
The care staff at Ladies in Waiting are mainly female, this is solely due to demand rather than design, and all act as care workers rather than nurses, we do not deliver nursing care. They all have varied experience in care, ranging from nursing qualifications, NVQ training and general experience in the care sector.
This service is for adults only; we do not intend to deliver care to any client under the age of 18, or with acute/ severe mental health problems. We can deliver care on a short or long term basis, for post- operative care or to convalesce.
Ladies in Waiting strive to be dependable and reliable, to arrive at the specified time and work for the full amount of time allocated or until the required tasks are completed.
If a care worker does not arrive, then contact the office and every effort will be made to arrange for an alternative member of the staff to attend immediately unless the service is purely a social/domestic call in which case, alternative arrangements will be made at the convenience of the client. There is always one member of the management team available to deal with emergencies.
A member of the management team interviews applicants applying for employment within Ladies in Waiting, references are applied for and a Criminal Records Bureau check is carried out. Carers are not able to start work until two satisfactory references had been received written or verbal.
Staff are required to complete an application form, health form, enhanced Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check and CRB disclosure declaration form. All applicants are also required to have a ISA First Check.
Ladies in Waiting are contactable 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, always on the same phone number which is 01943 817082. We would ask you to ring between the hours of 9.00am – 5.00pm, Monday – Friday, unless it is an emergency.
Prior to delivering care to a new client, all prospective clients are assessed in his or her own home, by a member of the management team. Their current situation, needs, wishes and requirements would be talked through with the prospective client and often a member of their family or close friend.
A risk assessment, care plan and falls assessment (if the client had sustained a fall within the last year) would be completed, covering potential risks to the client and to the care worker. This risk assessment would cover personal care, physical abilities, feeding and diet, cognition and general behaviour.
This information would be studied by management, who would decide whether we could provide the required level and amount of care by staff qualified to do so for the length of time needed.
If we felt we could competently commit to providing the required service, then the information relevant to the care of the client would be documented in a care plan along with our complaints procedure, which would be duplicated, so that one copy would be safely stored with Ladies in Waiting and the second copy would be at the client’s own home, accessible to the client and their family and the allocated member/s of staff could adhere to this and make a report after each visit.
Therefore the client and their family are kept fully informed about the care the client is receiving. This care plan may be reviewed annually, or when necessary, if the client’s requirements change for example.
Clients or their relatives/representatives (with permission of the client) are able to see their personal files kept at Ladies in Waiting in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998. These files may be reviewed as part of the inspection and regulation process of the Commission for Social Care Inspection.
Clients are free to arrange a personal visit with management to discuss any changes they may wish to make or any queries or concerns they may have.
Ladies in Waiting strive to be flexible; we would aim to install any alterations as quickly as possible. Questionnaires are sent out on a regular basis to fill in anonymously if desired so that we can actively strive to deliver a high quality of care by acting on any concerns or compliments received.
Ladies in Waiting has effected a Public and Employers Liability insurance policy to indemnify against costs incurred in respect of proven acts for which Ladies in Waiting can be held liable for in law.
Two copies of the Terms and Conditions would be issued to the client for them to sign, or whoever was acting on their behalf. One copy would be sent back to Ladies in Waiting and stored in their file. To see an example of out Terms and Conditions of Service please contact Ladies in Waiting.
All our policies and procedures are held at the Ladies in Waiting office, and are available for anyone to read.
Ladies in Waiting encourage our clients and their families to discuss any queries or concerns with the management, without hesitation, so therefore we can strive to provide a high level of care which enhances and compliments our client’s individual needs.
Equal opportunities policy
Ladies In Waiting is committed to providing a service which individuals are able to receive the highest level of care, irrespective of their gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, age, religion or belief.
In order to create conditions in which this goal can be realised, Ladies In Waiting is committed to identifying and eliminating unlawful discriminatory practices, procedures and attitudes throughout the Company.
Ladies In Waiting requires employees to support and uphold this commitment and to assist in its realisation in all possible ways.
Specifically, Ladies In Waiting aims to ensure that no potential Client or current Client are subject to unlawful discrimination, either directly or indirectly, on the grounds of gender, race (including colour, nationality or ethnic origin), disability, sexual orientation, age, religion or belief.
It is a core value of Ladies In Waiting that individuals who wish to use our services are solely assessed on their needs and our ability to meet those needs, irrespective of their gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, age, religion or belief.
Equal opportunities practice is developing constantly as social attitudes and legislation change. Ladies In Waiting will keep its policies under review and will implement changes where these could improve equality of opportunity.
If you have a complaint or concern the person to discuss it with first is the person in charge at the time. Ladies in Waiting can be reached 24 hours a day on 01943 817082. If the problem cannot be resolved on the spot, then the complaint will automatically handed on to the Registered Manager, within 48 hours.
If it were an extremely serious complaint e.g. abuse, then the Registered Manager would be informed immediately. A record of any complaints will be kept and the clients and their relatives will be informed of the developments.
The results of the investigation together with a plan of action to prevent the same situation recurring will be passed on to the client and/or relatives within 28 days.
If this should not result in an outcome that you are entirely happy with you should raise the matter with our registration authority.
You can contact the Regional office of the (CQC) Care Quality Commission at: -
Care Quality Commission
Yorkshire & Humberside
Citygate
Gallowgate
Newcastle Upon Tyne
NE1 4PATel: 0191 233 3300
Fax: 0191 233 3301
In addition to the CQC, should you feel that there is a situation where a vulnerable person may be in a situation where they are being abused, please contact the nearest Adult Protection Unit:
Bradford Metropolitan District
Adult Protection Unit
Olicana House
Chapel Street
Bradford
BD1 5RETelephone: General enquiries - (01274) 431077
Duty / New referrals - (01274) 434442
This document is reviewed annually, and updated as necessary.
