1. Scope

1.1 Purpose

This policy sets out how keeps premises and equipment safe in its supported living services. In supported living, people hold their own tenancy or occupation agreement and receive personal care and support from the provider. Housing and care are arranged separately. This policy explains how the provider meets Regulation 15 (Premises and equipment) and Regulation 12 (Safe care and treatment) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, and its duties as an employer, while respecting that each person’s home belongs to them.

The policy aims to:

• protect people who live in supported living from avoidable harm caused by unsafe homes, communal areas or equipment;
• protect staff, who may work alone, at night or across several homes in a scheme;
• make clear which safety duties belong to the landlord, the housing manager, the provider, equipment services and the tenant;
• give staff clear steps to check equipment, report repairs and hazards, and respond in an emergency;
• make sure faults, incidents and safety alerts are acted on and reported to the right bodies;
• provide evidence of safe practice for commissioners and the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

1.2 Application

This policy applies to everyone who works for or on behalf of , including:

• support workers, senior support workers and team leaders;
• service managers, coordinators, office staff and on-call staff;
• the Registered Manager, Duty Managers and all named leads;
• agency, bank and temporary workers, students and volunteers;
• contractors working at the provider’s office, in staff areas the provider controls or on equipment the provider owns.

It applies in every supported living setting where the provider delivers care. This includes single flats, shared houses, clustered flats with a staff base and core and cluster schemes. It applies 24 hours a day, including during sleep-in and waking night shifts.

1.3 What This Policy Covers

• The provider’s registered office and the equipment kept there.
• Staff offices, sleep-in rooms and storage areas within schemes that the provider uses or controls.
• Communal areas of shared houses and schemes, such as lounges, kitchens, corridors and gardens, where staff work.
• Each person’s own room or flat, where staff provide care.
• Equipment supplied by the provider, the landlord, a community equipment service, the NHS or bought by the person, where staff use it to deliver care.
• Building safety systems that staff rely on, such as fire alarms, emergency lighting, door entry, nurse call and telecare.
• Staff vehicles and any vehicles used to support people.

1.4 What This Policy Does Not Cover

The building, its structure, fixed installations and landlord-supplied fittings are the landlord’s responsibility under housing law and the tenancy. This policy does not give staff authority to repair, alter or remove the tenant’s property or the landlord’s fixtures. Staff must never carry out gas, electrical, plumbing or structural work. Detailed procedures for medicines, infection prevention and control, moving and handling technique and fire procedures at the office are in the related policies in section 15.

1.5 How Regulation 15 Applies in Supported Living

Regulation 15 applies to premises and equipment used by the provider. The regulations exclude equipment in a person’s own accommodation that is not provided as part of their care. In supported living this means:

• the provider’s office, and any staff office, sleep-in room or store it uses within a scheme, are premises used by the provider and must meet Regulation 15;
• equipment the provider supplies must meet Regulation 15;
• whenever staff use any equipment or work in any part of a home, Regulation 12 requires the provider to make sure that care is safe, whoever owns the equipment or the building;
• the provider’s duties under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 apply in every place staff work.

The provider therefore checks, records and reports on all premises and equipment staff rely on. Where the landlord holds a duty, the provider confirms that it has been met and escalates when it has not.

1.6 Separation of Housing and Care

People in supported living have the rights of tenants. They choose who enters their home and how it is furnished. Where has any role in the housing, such as acting as a managing agent, that role is set out in a separate written agreement, and the person’s tenancy and care arrangements remain separate. Staff support people to understand and use their rights as tenants, including the right to have repairs done.

All staff must read, understand and follow this policy and confirm this in writing at induction and after each update. Failure to follow it may lead to further training, supervision or action under the disciplinary policy. Nothing in this policy stops anyone from acting immediately to protect a person from harm.

2. Legal and Regulatory Framework

Legislation/Regulation	Requirements
Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014	Regulation 15 requires premises and equipment used by the provider to be clean, secure, suitable, properly used, properly maintained and appropriately located, with appropriate hygiene. Equipment in a person’s own accommodation that is not provided as part of their care is excluded. Regulation 12 requires risks to be assessed and reduced, and equipment used in care to be safe and used by competent staff. Regulation 17 requires systems to monitor and improve safety and accurate records. Regulation 20 sets the duty of candour.
Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009	Regulation 18 requires notification to CQC without delay of specified events, including serious injuries, abuse or allegations of abuse, police incidents and events that stop or may stop the service running safely, such as a building becoming unusable. Regulation 16 requires notification of deaths.
Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 and Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992	Employers must protect, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of employees and others affected by their work. Risk assessments must be suitable, sufficient and recorded. Employers sharing a workplace must cooperate and coordinate. Workplaces the provider controls, including its office and staff areas, must meet standards for safety and welfare.
Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 and Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992	Work equipment must be suitable, maintained and used only by trained staff. Lifting equipment used at work to lift people, including hoists and slings, must be thoroughly examined by a competent person at least every six months or under a written scheme. Hazardous manual handling must be avoided or assessed and reduced, including by providing equipment.
Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR)	Work-related deaths, specified injuries, over seven day incapacitation of workers, injuries to non-workers taken to hospital for treatment from a work activity, certain occupational diseases and dangerous occurrences, including failure of a load-bearing part of lifting equipment, must be reported to the Health and Safety Executive. Records must be kept for at least three years.
Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 and Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 (as amended in 2022)	Hazardous substances, including cleaning products and body fluids, must be assessed and controlled. Landlords and those in control of premises must assess and control the risk from Legionella in water systems. Suitable PPE must be provided free of charge to employees and workers where risks cannot be controlled in other ways.
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (as amended, including by the Fire Safety Act 2021 and the Building Safety Act 2022) and Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022	The responsible person for non-domestic parts, including the provider’s office and the common parts of shared houses and blocks, must complete and record a fire risk assessment, keep fire precautions in good order, plan for emergencies and cooperate with others who share duties. In multi-occupied residential buildings, responsible persons must give residents fire safety instructions and information on fire doors, with additional checks in taller buildings.
Landlord safety regulations: Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector and Social Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 (as amended in 2025), Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015 (as amended in 2022) and Electricity at Work Regulations 1989	Landlords must arrange annual gas safety checks and give tenants a copy. Private and social landlords must have fixed electrical installations inspected and tested at least every five years and give tenants the report. Landlords must fit smoke alarms on each storey and carbon monoxide alarms where there is a fixed combustion appliance, other than a gas cooker, and repair them when reported. The provider must keep its own electrical systems and equipment safe.
Housing law: Housing Act 2004, Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 (as amended by the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018), Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2025 and Renters’ Rights Act 2025	Homes must be fit for human habitation and kept in repair. Councils can act on serious hazards under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System. Social landlords must investigate and fix emergency hazards and significant damp and mould hazards within set timescales under Awaab’s Law, with Phase 2 extending the hazards covered from 30 November 2026. The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 is reforming private tenancies in stages from 1 May 2026.
Medical Devices Regulations 2002 (as amended, including the Medical Devices (Post-market Surveillance Requirements) (Amendment) (Great Britain) Regulations 2024)	Many care items, including hoists, slings, beds, bed rails and pressure-relieving mattresses, are medical devices. Users must follow instructions for use and act on Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) field safety notices and National Patient Safety Alerts, including NatPSA/2026/005/MHRA on patient hoists and slings. Adverse incidents should be reported through the Yellow Card scheme.
Care Act 2014, Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Equality Act 2010	Local authorities must promote wellbeing, provide or arrange equipment and minor adaptations and make safeguarding enquiries under section 42, including for self-neglect. Decisions for people who may lack capacity must follow the Mental Capacity Act principles and best interests process, and restrictions in a person’s own home need authorisation through the Court of Protection where they amount to a deprivation of liberty. Reasonable adjustments must be made.
UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018	Equipment records, risk assessments, repair reports, CCTV images and incident reports contain personal data. They must be processed lawfully, kept accurate and secure, retained only as long as needed and shared only with a lawful basis. Reportable personal data breaches must be reported to the Information Commissioner’s Office within 72 hours.

3. Definitions of Key Terms

Term	Definition
Supported living	A service where people live in their own home, under a tenancy or occupation agreement, and receive personal care and support from a provider that is separate from their housing arrangements.
Premises	Any building or part of a building used by the provider to carry on the regulated activity, such as its office or a staff base within a scheme. A tenant’s room or flat is their home, not the provider’s premises.
Landlord	The person or organisation that grants the tenancy and holds legal duties for the building, its repair and its safety installations. This may be a registered provider of social housing, a council or a private landlord.
Communal areas	Shared parts of a building, such as hallways, stairs, lounges, kitchens and gardens, used by more than one tenant. They are normally under the landlord’s control.
Responsibility matrix	A written agreement between the provider and the landlord or housing manager that sets out who is responsible for each safety check, repair, test and item of equipment in a scheme.
Equipment	Any item used to deliver or support care, whoever owns it, including moving and handling aids, beds, mattresses, bathing aids, PPE, telecare and office equipment.
Lifting equipment	Work equipment whose main purpose is to lift or lower people or loads, with its attachments, such as hoists, stand aids, bath hoists and slings. Profiling beds are not normally lifting equipment.
Thorough examination	A detailed, systematic examination of lifting equipment by a competent person, required at least every six months for equipment used to lift people, with a written report of any defects.
Pre-use check	A visual and functional check carried out by staff each time before using equipment, in line with the manufacturer’s instructions for use.
Pause-and-check	A step in hoisting where staff stop once the sling is taut and the person’s weight is partly taken, to confirm all attachment points are secure before lifting further.
Hoist and sling compatibility	Confirmation, from the manufacturer’s instructions or a documented assessment by a qualified person, that a sling is approved for use with a particular hoist.
Medical device	A product intended by its manufacturer for a medical purpose, such as diagnosing, monitoring or alleviating disability or disease. Many care aids are medical devices regulated by the MHRA.
Responsible person (fire)	The person in control of premises, usually the landlord or managing agent for communal areas and the employer for its own workplace, who holds duties under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
Personal emergency evacuation plan (PEEP)	A written plan for a person who may need help to leave a building in an emergency, setting out the support, equipment and route they need.
Quarantine (DO NOT USE)	Taking faulty or suspect equipment out of use, labelling it DO NOT USE and reporting it so that it is not used again until confirmed safe.

4. Policy Statement

4.1 Commitment

is committed to making sure that people in its supported living services live and receive care in safe homes, with the right equipment, while keeping full control over their own lives and homes. The provider is equally committed to the health and safety of its staff.

The provider will:

• agree in writing with every landlord who is responsible for each safety duty in each scheme;
• assess homes and equipment before care starts and keep assessments current;
• never ask staff to use equipment that is unsafe, unsuitable, overdue for examination or that they are not trained to use;
• report repairs and hazards promptly and follow them up until resolved;
• keep its office and staff areas clean, secure, safe and well maintained;
• act on safety alerts and incidents quickly and learn from them.

4.2 Core Principles

1. It is the person’s home. Staff respect tenancy rights, privacy, choice and property. Checks inside a person’s home are agreed with them.
2. Safety before the task. If equipment or the environment is unsafe, the task stops and the person is kept safe.
3. Know who is responsible. Every check, repair and item of equipment has a named responsible party, recorded and confirmed.
4. Follow the instructions for use. Equipment is used only for its intended purpose, in line with the manufacturer’s instructions and the support plan.
5. Competence first. Staff use equipment only after training and a competency check.
6. Least restrictive practice. Environmental safety measures are the least restrictive option and never used for staff convenience.
7. Positive risk-taking. People have the right to take informed risks. The provider supports this and records how risks are balanced.
8. Report, follow up and learn. All defects, hazards and incidents are reported, escalated if not resolved, and used to improve.

4.3 Shared Responsibility With Landlords

The landlord is responsible for the building and its installations. The provider is responsible for the safety of its care, its staff and the equipment its staff use. Neither can assume the other has acted. The provider confirms that landlord checks are in date, keeps evidence, and escalates unresolved hazards through the landlord’s complaint process, the council and commissioners where needed.

4.4 Right to Stop Unsafe Work

Every member of staff has the right and duty to stop a task they believe is unsafe. No one will be criticised for stopping work in good faith. When a task stops, the person’s immediate safety and dignity must still be protected and the Duty Manager informed at once.

4.5 Supporting People as Tenants

Staff help people understand their rights as tenants, report repairs, read safety information from their landlord and take part in decisions about their home. Support is given in the person’s preferred way of communicating, in line with the Accessible Information Standard. The provider follows the principles of CQC’s Right support, right care, right culture guidance for autistic people and people with a learning disability.

4.6 Equality and Reasonable Adjustments

Equipment, adaptations and safety measures are planned around each person’s needs, including physical, sensory, cognitive, communication, cultural and religious needs.

5. Roles and Responsibilities

Role	Responsibilities
All Staff	Follow this policy, the support plan and the manufacturer’s instructions for use. Complete and record pre-use checks and the scheduled scheme checks. Use only equipment they are trained and assessed to use. Stop, make safe and report any defect, repair, hazard, near miss or incident straight away. Label faulty equipment DO NOT USE where safe. Know the fire procedure and each person’s PEEP in the places they work. Support people to report repairs to their landlord. Attend all required training.
Registered Manager ()	Hold overall accountability for compliance with Regulations 12, 15 and 17 and this policy. Make sure a signed responsibility matrix is in place with every landlord or housing manager. Act as, or appoint in writing, the senior accountable person for National Patient Safety Alerts, including NatPSA/2026/005/MHRA. Make sure staff are trained and competent. Submit CQC notifications and make sure RIDDOR reports are made. Escalate unresolved housing hazards to the landlord’s senior management, the council and the commissioner. Review audits and incident trends and lead improvement.
Duty Manager	Provide day to day operational leadership on shift, including on-call. Take reports of unsafe equipment, building faults and hazards and make immediate decisions to keep people and staff safe. Coordinate the response to incidents, including emergency repairs, alternative equipment, extra staff or temporary moves. Report emergency repairs to the landlord’s out of hours line and record the reference. Supervise and support staff on shift, including lone and night workers. Make sure incidents are recorded the same day and escalated.
Safeguarding Lead ()	Advise where unsafe homes or equipment may indicate neglect, self-neglect, exploitation or abuse. Make and record safeguarding referrals. Advise on restrictive environmental measures, the Mental Capacity Act and deprivation of liberty in people’s own homes. Link investigations with safeguarding enquiries.
Health and Safety Officer ()	Maintain the provider’s health and safety arrangements, risk assessment templates and the fire risk assessment for the office and provider-controlled staff areas. Keep the scheme compliance tracker showing landlord gas, electrical, fire, Legionella and alarm checks, with evidence. Keep the equipment register and the hoist and sling compatibility register. Monitor LOLER and servicing dates and flag items due or overdue. Log and track MHRA alerts and National Patient Safety Alerts. Make RIDDOR reports and Yellow Card reports.
Data Protection Officer ()	Make sure equipment records, repair reports, photographs and incident records are handled in line with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. Advise on lawful sharing with landlords, equipment services and other agencies. Advise on CCTV, door entry and telecare data. Manage data breaches, such as lost keys, fobs or codes, and report to the Information Commissioner’s Office where required.
Service Manager or Team Leader	Act as the main contact with the landlord or housing manager for their scheme. Complete environmental and equipment assessments and keep equipment records up to date. Make sure scheme checks are done and recorded. Track repairs until completed and escalate overdue repairs. Carry out observations of practice and spot checks.
Senior Support Worker	Lead shifts and check that pre-use and scheme checks are completed. Show new staff the equipment, fire procedures and PEEPs in each home.
Moving and Handling Trainer	Deliver practical training on the hoists, slings and aids used. Assess and sign off competency.
Nominated Individual	Make sure the provider has the resources and oversight to comply with this policy. Receive regular reports on premises, equipment, housing hazards and alerts.

6. Procedures

6.1 Office and Staff Area Safety

The provider’s office, and any staff office, sleep-in room or store it uses within a scheme, are workplaces under the provider’s control.

1. Keep a written fire risk assessment for the office and confirm that each scheme’s fire risk assessment covers staff areas. Review at least yearly and after any change.
2. Test the office fire alarm weekly where fitted, hold at least one fire drill a year and keep escape routes clear.
3. Confirm that fixed electrical installations have been inspected, gas appliances have an annual safety check, and fire equipment is serviced. Keep copies.
4. Inspect portable electrical equipment the provider owns at intervals based on risk. Staff complete a visual check before use.
5. Make sure sleep-in rooms have a working smoke alarm, a lockable door, clean bedding, a way to summon help and a clear escape route.
6. Store care records, keys, fobs and codes in locked storage, with access limited to authorised staff.
7. Store cleaning products in line with COSHH assessments. Keep a stocked first aid kit at each staff base.
8. Complete display screen equipment assessments for office staff.
9. Complete a monthly safety walk-round of the office and each staff area. Track defects until fixed.

6.2 Agreeing Responsibilities With Each Landlord

1. Before a service starts, the Service Manager meets the landlord or housing manager and completes a responsibility matrix.
2. The matrix covers, as a minimum: fire risk assessment of communal areas, fire alarm and emergency lighting testing and servicing, fire doors, gas safety, electrical inspection, Legionella risk assessment and water temperature controls, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, lifts, door entry, window restrictors, communal furniture and appliances, grounds, pest control, repairs reporting routes and response times, and out of hours emergency contacts.
3. Where the landlord asks staff to carry out routine tasks, such as the weekly fire alarm test, this is agreed in writing, staff are trained, and the results are passed to the landlord.
4. The Registered Manager and the landlord sign the matrix. A copy is kept at the scheme and in the provider’s compliance records.
5. The Health and Safety Officer asks the landlord for copies of current certificates and records the due dates in the scheme compliance tracker.
6. The matrix is reviewed every year, when the landlord or managing agent changes and after any serious incident.

6.3 Assessment Before Care Starts or a Person Moves In

1. Visit the home with the person and, where appropriate, their family, advocate or representative.
2. Check access and the approach, lighting, steps, door entry and mobile signal.
3. Check each room where care will be given, including space, flooring, lighting, heating, ventilation, signs of damp or mould, hot water controls, windows and furniture.
4. Check working smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms where needed, fire doors and the escape route.
5. List every item of equipment staff will use with its type, make, model, serial number, owner, supplier, service date and LOLER date.
6. Where hoisting is needed, confirm the hoist and sling combination is compatible and the sling size and type are right.
7. Identify missing or unsuitable equipment or adaptations. Refer to the occupational therapist, community equipment service or landlord before care starts.
8. Complete or request a PEEP. See section 11.
9. Agree controls with the person and record them in the environmental risk assessment and support plan.
10. Where risks cannot be made safe, the Registered Manager agrees a plan with the person, landlord and commissioner before care starts.

6.4 Routine Checks in Supported Living Services

Checks inside a person’s own room or flat are agreed with them and recorded in their support plan. Checks in communal areas and staff areas follow the responsibility matrix.

Frequency	Check	By
Each shift	Escape routes clear, fire doors closed and not wedged, no obvious hazards, equipment charged and stored safely	Shift lead
Before each use	Pre-use check of hoists, slings, beds, bed rails, mattresses and other equipment	Staff using the item
Weekly	Fire alarm test where agreed in the matrix, smoke alarm tests in people’s homes where agreed, first aid kit, flushing of little-used water outlets where agreed	Named staff
Monthly	Scheme walk-round, emergency lighting test where agreed, equipment due dates, landlord certificate dates	Service Manager

Any check that fails is reported the same shift using section 6.5 or section 6.10.

6.5 Reporting Repairs and Housing Hazards

1. Support the person to report the repair themselves where they can and wish to. Otherwise, with their consent, staff report it on their behalf.
2. Report through the landlord’s agreed route and record the date, time, reference number and the priority given.
3. Emergencies, such as no heating in cold weather, no water, unsafe electrics, a broken front door lock, a gas leak or a fire safety failure, are reported to the landlord immediately, including through the out of hours line. The Duty Manager is told straight away.
4. Damp and mould are always reported, with photographs taken with the person’s consent. Where the landlord is a social landlord covered by Awaab’s Law, the provider asks the landlord to confirm the investigation and repair timescales.
5. Staff put temporary safety measures in place that do not involve repair work, such as moving the person away from the hazard or putting up a warning sign.
6. The Service Manager follows up any repair not done within the landlord’s stated timescale.
7. If repairs are still not done, the Registered Manager escalates in writing to the landlord’s senior management and complaints process, tells the commissioner and, with the person’s consent, supports them to contact the council’s housing standards team or the Housing Ombudsman.
8. Where a hazard makes the home unsafe to live in, the Duty Manager arranges immediate safety for the person and informs the commissioner and CQC where the service is disrupted.

6.6 Equipment Records and Responsibility

• Each person has an equipment record in their care file showing every item, its owner, supplier, who services and examines it, last and next due dates, and the fault reporting number.
• Community equipment service items are serviced and examined by that service. The provider checks labels and records and asks for confirmation when dates are unclear.
• Landlord-supplied equipment, such as communal appliances, lifts or fixed hoists, is maintained by the landlord. The provider obtains evidence of servicing and examination.
• Equipment the person has bought is their property. The provider explains why servicing matters and helps them arrange it. Lifting equipment used by staff must have evidence of a thorough examination within six months before staff use it.
• Provider-owned equipment is recorded on the provider’s equipment register and maintained by the provider.
• The Health and Safety Officer reviews all due dates monthly and flags items due within 30 days.

6.7 Pre-use Checks for Hoists and Slings

These steps reflect National Patient Safety Alert NatPSA/2026/005/MHRA, issued on 16 September 2026. Staff complete them every time.

1. Read the support plan. Confirm the hoist, sling type and size, number of staff and method.
2. Check the LOLER examination label or record on the hoist and sling. If overdue or missing, do not use. Phone the Duty Manager.
3. Check the hoist: wheels, brakes, legs, mast and boom, battery charge, emergency stop, emergency lowering and hand control.
4. Check the spreader bar: hooks, clips, carabiners and safety latches are present, not worn or bent, and close fully.
5. Check the sling: no fraying, tears, worn stitching, damaged loops, or faded or missing labels. Confirm it is this person’s sling and is clean.
6. Confirm the combination is listed as compatible in the support plan. If unsure, do not use it.
7. Explain each step to the person in their preferred way and gain consent.
8. Fit the sling as trained and make sure every loop or clip is fully seated on the spreader bar.
9. Pause and check. Raise until the sling is taut and the person’s weight is partly supported. Stop. Both staff check every attachment point and the person’s comfort and position.
10. Complete the lift slowly, keeping it as low as possible.
11. After use, lower, charge and store the equipment as the support plan describes.
12. Record the check and transfer. Report anything unusual.

6.8 Servicing and Thorough Examination Assurance

1. Lifting equipment used to lift people, including slings, must be thoroughly examined at least every six months.
2. Other equipment is serviced at the intervals in the manufacturer’s instructions.
3. The Service Manager checks dates at least every three months and at every review.
4. Items due within 30 days are flagged to the supplier or owner and the request is recorded.
5. Overdue lifting equipment is taken out of use. The Duty Manager arranges a safe alternative.
6. Equipment past its manufacturer’s service life is not used without a documented risk assessment from the supplier.
7. Examination reports, or the supplier’s written confirmation, are kept.

6.9 Requesting Equipment and Adaptations

1. Staff report changes in a person’s needs the same day.
2. The Service Manager reviews within five working days, or sooner if there is immediate risk.
3. With consent, refer to the occupational therapist, physiotherapist, district nurse or community equipment service.
4. Requests for adaptations to the building, such as grab rails, level access showers or ceiling track hoists, need the landlord’s permission. The provider supports the person to request them and, where relevant, to apply for a Disabled Facilities Grant through the council.
5. Staff do not choose, prescribe or adapt equipment.
6. New equipment is checked against the prescription, recorded and added to the support plan before use. Staff are trained before first use.

6.10 Defective Equipment: Stop, Isolate, Report

1. Stop. Do not use the item. If the person is in the equipment, make them safe using the emergency procedure. If you cannot, call 999.
2. Isolate. Where safe, switch off and unplug. Label it DO NOT USE with the date and your name. Explain to the person why.
3. Report. Phone the Duty Manager straight away.
4. The Duty Manager arranges safe care, reports the fault to the owner or supplier and records the reference.
5. Keep the item and any broken parts for investigation.
6. Complete an incident report before the end of the shift.
7. The Health and Safety Officer decides whether a Yellow Card report, RIDDOR report or CQC notification is needed. See section 14.
8. The item is used again only after confirmation that it is safe and the equipment record is updated.

6.11 Beds, Bed Rails and Pressure-relieving Equipment

• Bed rails are used only after assessment by a competent professional confirming they are needed, safe and fit the bed and mattress. Staff do not fit or adjust them except as the support plan describes.
• Staff check rails are secure with no entrapment gaps each time the person goes to bed, and report changes in weight, restlessness, confusion or mattress.
• Bed rails can restrict movement. Their use follows consent or a best interests decision. See section 13.
• For profiling beds, check cables and controls and leave the bed at its lowest safe height.
• For powered mattresses, check the pump is on, the setting matches the support plan, no alarm is showing and the mattress is fully inflated. Know where the emergency deflation valve is.

6.12 Gas, Electrical and Water Safety

1. Staff never repair or adjust gas, electrical or water installations or appliances.
2. If you smell gas, do not use switches. Open windows if safe, help people leave, call the gas emergency number, then the Duty Manager.
3. If carbon monoxide is suspected, ventilate, help people leave, call the gas emergency number and call 999 if anyone is unwell.
4. Do not use damaged, sparking or overheating appliances. Switch off at the wall only if safe and report.
5. Check each scheme has a current gas safety record and electrical installation condition report, and that tenants have received copies, through the compliance tracker.
6. Test bath and shower temperature before every wash. For full immersion baths, water must not exceed the temperature in the support plan, normally no higher than 44 degrees Celsius. Report missing or failed mixing valves.
7. Follow the landlord’s Legionella control measures as set out in the matrix, such as weekly flushing of little-used outlets. Report water that is not hot enough at the tap, since stored hot water must be kept hot to control Legionella.

6.13 Provider-supplied Equipment, PPE and Cleaning

1. The provider supplies PPE free of charge, based on risk assessment.
2. Reusable provider equipment is cleaned between uses and between people in line with the infection prevention and control policy.
3. Equipment in a person’s home is cleaned after use as the support plan describes. Slings are used only by the person they are prescribed for and washed in line with the label.
4. Communal equipment and areas are cleaned as agreed in the matrix and the scheme cleaning schedule.
5. Waste is managed in line with the waste policy and the council’s collection arrangements.

6.14 Security, Keys, Door Entry and CCTV

• Staff hold keys or fobs to a person’s home only with their agreement, recorded in the support plan. Keys are signed in and out.
• Codes and fobs are never shared outside the team. A lost key or fob is reported immediately as a security risk and possible data breach.
• Staff knock and wait before entering a person’s home, except in an emergency.
• Door entry faults are reported to the landlord as urgent repairs.
• CCTV in communal areas is the landlord’s responsibility. The provider makes sure people and staff know where it operates. CCTV or monitoring inside a person’s home is only used with their consent or a best interests decision, and in line with CQC guidance on surveillance.

6.15 Telecare and Assistive Technology

• The support plan records each device, its purpose, who monitors it and how staff respond.
• Staff test devices where the support plan says so and report faults to the monitoring service.
• Technology such as door sensors or bed sensors is used only where agreed with the person or through a best interests decision, as the least restrictive option.

6.16 Staff Vehicles and Lone Working

1. Staff who drive for work provide yearly evidence of licence, business insurance and MOT.
2. People are carried only where agreed in writing and insured.
3. Staff working alone or at night follow the lone working policy and check in as required. The Duty Manager follows up missed check-ins.

6.17 Managing Safety Alerts and Field Safety Notices

1. The Health and Safety Officer checks MHRA alerts and the Central Alerting System at least weekly.
2. Each alert is logged with whether it applies and why.
3. Affected people and equipment are identified within five working days.
4. An action plan with owners and deadlines is agreed with the Registered Manager.
5. Staff are briefed and trained as needed.
6. Completion is evidenced and signed off by the Registered Manager.
7. For NatPSA/2026/005/MHRA, all actions, including standardised pre-use checks with a pause-and-check step, a compatibility register, a complete record of hoists and slings with examination dates, removal from use of overdue equipment and role-specific training, must be completed by 16 September 2027 or sooner.

6.18 Hoist and Sling Compatibility Register

1. The Health and Safety Officer keeps a register of every hoist and sling combination used, showing hoist and sling make, model and size, the source confirming compatibility and the person it is used for.
2. Compatibility is confirmed from the manufacturer’s instructions. For third-party slings, documented evidence from a qualified person is required before use.
3. Accessories, such as weighing scales, are also checked for compatibility.
4. The relevant entry is shown in each person’s support plan.
5. The register is reviewed whenever equipment changes and at least every six months.

6.19 Falls From Windows, Hot Surfaces and Environmental Hazards

• Where a person is at risk of falling from a window, for example because of confusion or distress, the provider asks the landlord to fit suitable window restrictors that can be overridden in an emergency.
• Where a person is at risk of burns from radiators or pipes, for example because of reduced sensation or mobility, the provider asks the landlord for low surface temperature radiators or guards.
• For people with mental health needs who may be at risk of self-harm, the environmental risk assessment considers fixtures, cords and other items, and controls are agreed with the person and their clinical team in the least restrictive way.
• Furniture that could tip is secured with the person’s agreement.

6.20 Oxygen and Medical Gases

• The support plan records where oxygen is kept, the supplier and the emergency number. The landlord is told, with consent, so the fire risk assessment can be updated.
• No smoking, vaping or naked flames near oxygen. Oil-based or paraffin-based creams are not used on the face or hands unless a clinician confirms it is safe.
• Staff change flow rates only where prescribed, planned and trained.
• Tubing is kept clear of walkways and heat. Cylinders are stored upright and secured.
• Concerns are reported to the supplier and prescriber. With consent, a home fire safety visit is requested from the fire and rescue service.

6.21 Clutter, Hoarding, Damp and Mould

1. Staff record and report clutter that blocks exits, prevents safe equipment use or creates a fire risk, and any damp, mould or pests.
2. The Service Manager discusses concerns respectfully with the person and agrees practical steps.
3. Staff do not remove belongings without consent.
4. Damp and mould are reported to the landlord under section 6.5, and staff support the person to ventilate and heat the home where they choose to.
5. Where risk remains high, the Safeguarding Lead considers self-neglect. See section 13.

6.22 Moves, Hospital Admissions, Voids and Ending Services

1. Before a person moves in, the provider confirms that landlord safety checks are in date and that equipment is in place, tested and recorded.
2. After a hospital stay, equipment and the environment are checked again on the first shift, and the support plan is reviewed.
3. When a person leaves, the provider tells the community equipment service, with consent, so loaned equipment can be collected. Provider-owned items are cleaned and checked before reuse.
4. When a room or flat is empty in a shared scheme, the provider asks the landlord to make sure water outlets are flushed and the room is safe before a new tenant moves in.
5. Records are closed and kept in line with the retention schedule.

6.23 When a Person Declines Checks, Repairs or Equipment

1. A tenant with capacity can refuse entry, repairs, equipment or changes to their home. The provider respects this.
2. Staff explain the risks clearly and accessibly and record the conversation.
3. Where capacity for that decision is in doubt, a mental capacity assessment and, if needed, a best interests decision are completed.
4. Where a refusal means staff cannot work safely, the provider does not ask staff to take that risk. The Registered Manager agrees an alternative plan with the person, family, landlord and commissioner.
5. Where a refusal puts other tenants at risk, for example a fire risk in a shared building, the provider informs the landlord, who holds duties for the building, and records the reasons.

7. Training and Development

7.1 Training Requirements

Training	Who	When
Health and safety awareness, including this policy, risk assessment, repairs reporting and incident reporting	All staff	Induction, then every year
Fire safety, evacuation and PEEPs for each scheme worked in	All staff	Induction, scheme-specific briefing before first shift, then every year
Moving and handling of people, with practical hoist, sling and aid training	Support staff who assist with transfers	Before first transfer, then every year
Pre-use checks, hoist and sling compatibility, pause-and-check and stop, escalate and report	Support staff and team leaders	Induction and refresher, updated by 16 September 2027 in line with NatPSA/2026/005/MHRA
Infection prevention and control and cleaning of equipment	All staff	Induction, then every year
Bed rails and pressure-relieving equipment	Staff supporting people who use them	Before first use, then every year
COSHH, PPE and Legionella awareness	All staff	Induction, then every year
Fire alarm and emergency lighting testing	Staff named in a responsibility matrix	Before first test, then every year
Environmental risk assessment and working with landlords	Service managers and team leaders	On appointment, then every two years
Mental Capacity Act, least restrictive practice and positive risk-taking	All staff	Induction, then every year
Incident investigation and RIDDOR	Registered Manager, Duty Managers, Health and Safety Officer	On appointment, then every three years

7.2 Induction

New staff complete induction in line with the Care Certificate standards. Before working in a scheme, they receive a local briefing covering the fire procedure, PEEPs, the location of fire panels, isolation points and emergency equipment, the repairs reporting route and the equipment used. They shadow experienced staff before working alone and do not assist with hoisting until signed off as competent.

7.3 Competency Assessment

1. A trained assessor observes each staff member using each type of hoist and sling they will use.
2. The observation covers pre-use checks, compatibility, fitting, attachment, pause-and-check, the transfer, communication and emergency lowering.
3. Staff are signed off only when every element is met.
4. Competency is reassessed every year, after a related incident, after long absence and when new equipment is introduced.
5. Records are kept on the staff file and training matrix.

7.4 Equipment-specific Training

Where a person uses equipment new to the team, such as a ceiling track hoist or specialist bath, the provider arranges training from the supplier, occupational therapist or manufacturer before use and records who has been trained.

7.5 Continuous Learning

• Learning from incidents, alerts, audits and repairs is shared at team meetings, in supervision and in written briefings.
• Supervision includes equipment use, near misses and concerns about homes.
• People who use the service are involved in learning about safety in ways that suit them.

7.6 Supporting Tenants and Family Carers

Staff help people understand fire safety, how to report repairs and how to use their equipment safely, in accessible formats. Family carers who use equipment are encouraged to get training from the equipment service. The provider does not certify family carers as competent.

8. Monitoring and Review

8.1 Monitoring Framework

• Each shift: the shift lead confirms scheme checks are done and issues reported.
• Daily: the Duty Manager reviews reported faults, outstanding emergency repairs and incidents.
• Monthly: the Health and Safety Officer reviews the scheme compliance tracker, equipment due dates, open repairs and alert actions.
• Quarterly: an audit of each scheme and a sample of at least 10 per cent of support plans checks risk assessments, PEEPs, equipment records and compatibility entries.
• Six-monthly: observation of hoisting practice for each staff member who hoists.
• Every year: the Registered Manager reviews compliance with this policy and reports to the Nominated Individual.

8.2 Quality Indicators

• Percentage of schemes with a signed, current responsibility matrix. Target: 100 per cent.
• Percentage of schemes with in-date gas, electrical, fire risk assessment and Legionella evidence. Target: 100 per cent.
• Percentage of people with a current environmental risk assessment, equipment record and, where needed, PEEP. Target: 100 per cent.
• Percentage of hoists and slings with a thorough examination confirmed within six months. Target: 100 per cent.
• Number of times equipment was used when overdue or defective. Target: zero.
• Number of repairs outstanding beyond the landlord’s timescale, and time to resolution.
• Training and competency compliance. Target: 100 per cent.
• Equipment and premises incidents, near misses and RIDDOR reports, with trends.
• Safety alert actions completed by the deadline. Target: 100 per cent.
• Feedback from tenants and families on their homes and equipment.

8.3 Records

Responsibility matrices, landlord certificates, scheme checks, equipment records, risk assessments, PEEPs, repair logs, training records, incident reports and alert logs are kept securely and in line with the retention schedule, and RIDDOR records for at least three years.

8.4 Policy Review

This policy is reviewed at least every year and straight away after a change in law, regulation or the CQC assessment framework, a relevant safety alert, a serious incident or safeguarding enquiry, or audit findings showing it is not working.

8.5 Continuous Improvement

Findings are added to the service improvement plan with owners and dates and tracked monthly. Recurring housing problems are raised at regular meetings with each landlord.

8.6 Evidence for CQC

CQC continues to assess services under the Single Assessment Framework, including the Safe key question and its quality statements on safe environments and infection prevention and control, until its new adult social care framework comes into use. The provider keeps its evidence current and will map it to the new framework when it is implemented.

9. Reporting Concerns

9.1 Staff Duty to Report

All staff must report concerns about unsafe equipment, unsafe homes, unrepaired hazards, unsafe practice or failure to follow this policy. This includes concerns about colleagues, managers, landlords and suppliers. Report straight away where there is immediate risk and always before the end of the shift.

9.2 Reporting Channels

1. In an emergency, call 999 first.
2. Phone the shift lead or the on-call Duty Manager.
3. Complete an incident or concern report in the electronic record.
4. If the concern is about the Duty Manager, contact the Registered Manager. If it is about the Registered Manager, contact the Nominated Individual.
5. Staff can go directly to the Safeguarding Lead or the Health and Safety Officer.

9.3 Whistleblower Protection

Staff who raise concerns in good faith are protected under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998. Victimisation will not be tolerated. Staff can contact CQC or the Health and Safety Executive, which are prescribed bodies, and can seek advice from the charity Protect. See the whistleblowing policy.

9.4 Investigation Procedure

1. The Duty Manager makes the situation safe and records immediate actions.
2. The Registered Manager decides the level of investigation within one working day.
3. Evidence is preserved, including equipment, photographs, records and accounts.
4. The investigation looks at what happened, why, and how to prevent it, including systems, landlord arrangements and individual practice.
5. Where the landlord or supplier is involved, the provider asks them to take part and share their findings.
6. The person and their family are kept informed, and the duty of candour is followed where it applies.
7. Findings and learning are recorded, shared and reported to the Nominated Individual.

10. Risk Assessment Framework

10.1 Approach

The provider follows the Health and Safety Executive’s five steps: identify hazards, decide who might be harmed, evaluate risks and decide controls, record findings and review. Assessments are completed with the person and, where relevant, the landlord.

10.2 Types of Risk Assessment

• Environmental risk assessment of the person’s home and the communal areas where staff work.
• Moving and handling risk assessments for each task.
• Equipment risk assessments, such as for bed rails or oxygen.
• Person-centred fire risk assessment and PEEP.
• Lone working and night working risk assessment for each scheme.
• Fire risk assessment and COSHH assessments for provider-controlled areas.

10.3 Risk Rating

Risks are scored by multiplying likelihood (1 rare to 5 almost certain) by severity (1 negligible to 5 catastrophic).

Score	Risk level	Action required
1 to 4	Low	Manage through routine support planning.
5 to 9	Medium	Agree and record controls. Review within three months.
10 to 15	High	Controls in place before the task continues. Service Manager review within five working days. Inform the Registered Manager.
16 to 25	Very high	Stop the task. Duty Manager acts the same day. Registered Manager agrees a plan with the person, landlord and commissioner.

10.4 Hierarchy of Control

1. Remove the hazard, with the person’s agreement.
2. Replace with something safer, such as different prescribed equipment.
3. Use engineering controls, such as mixing valves, window restrictors or grab rails, arranged through the landlord.
4. Use safe systems of work, such as two staff, support plan instructions and pre-use checks.
5. Use PPE as the last line of defence.

10.5 Dynamic Risk Assessment

Staff assess risk throughout every shift. If something changes, they stop, think, make safe and report. They do not carry on when the risk is beyond what the support plan covers.

10.6 Review Triggers

Assessments are reviewed at least every six months and after any fall, incident or near miss, change in needs, new equipment, change to the building or tenants, hospital discharge or concern raised.

10.7 Positive Risk-taking

Where a person chooses to live with a risk, the provider records the risk, the information given, the decision and the agreed measures. Where capacity is in doubt, the Mental Capacity Act 2005 is followed. Where the choice affects other tenants, their safety is also considered.

11. Fire Safety and Evacuation in Supported Living

11.1 Who Is Responsible

The landlord or managing agent is normally the responsible person for communal areas under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and decides the building’s evacuation strategy. The Order does not cover the inside of each tenant’s own flat, so fire risks inside flats are managed through person-centred risk assessment. The provider is the responsible person for its own office and any staff areas it controls. Each must share information and cooperate.

11.2 Evacuation Strategy

• Staff must know whether each building uses simultaneous evacuation, where everyone leaves, or a stay put strategy, where people in unaffected flats stay unless told to leave.
• The strategy, assembly point, fire panel location and emergency contacts are kept at the staff base and covered at induction.
• The provider tells the landlord if staffing levels, such as sleep-in rather than waking night cover, may affect whether the strategy can work, so the fire risk assessment can be updated.

11.3 Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans

1. Every person who may need help to leave in an emergency has a PEEP, completed with them and shared with the landlord with consent.
2. The PEEP records how the person is alerted, for example vibrating pillow pads for people who are deaf, the help and equipment needed, the route and the number of staff.
3. Evacuation aids, such as evacuation chairs or sheets, are used only by trained staff.
4. PEEPs are tested through practice where the person agrees and reviewed after any change.

11.4 Person-centred Fire Risk

• Check smoke alarms are fitted and working in each person’s home and report faults to the landlord.
• Consider smoking, emollient creams, oxygen, heaters, electric blankets, candles, cooking and charging of mobility scooters, e-bikes or other lithium battery devices.
• Advise that fabrics with emollient residue catch fire easily, and support safer smoking arrangements where the person smokes.
• With consent, request a free home fire safety visit from the fire and rescue service where risks are identified.
• Fire doors must never be wedged open. Report damaged fire doors and self-closers to the landlord as urgent repairs.

11.5 If There Is a Fire

1. Raise the alarm and call 999.
2. Follow the building’s evacuation strategy and each person’s PEEP.
3. Close doors behind you. Do not go back inside.
4. At the assembly point, check everyone is accounted for and tell the fire service who is still inside and where.
5. Phone the Duty Manager as soon as it is safe.

Staff use extinguishers or fire blankets only if trained, the fire is very small and their escape route is clear.

12. Communication Protocols

12.1 With People and Families

• Explain equipment, checks and repairs in the person’s preferred way of communicating.
• Tell people promptly about faults, overdue checks and repair progress.
• Ask families to tell the team when they buy, move or change equipment.

12.2 With Landlords and Housing Managers

• Use the reporting routes in the responsibility matrix and record every reference number.
• Hold regular meetings, at least every quarter, to review repairs, compliance certificates, fire safety and incidents.
• Share information about a tenant only with their consent or where there is another lawful basis, such as a serious risk to life.
• Confirm important requests and escalations in writing.

12.3 Within the Team

• Phone faults and hazards through to the Duty Manager, not only in written notes.
• When equipment is taken out of use, an alert is sent to all staff working with the person.
• Shift handovers cover open repairs, equipment issues and fire safety concerns.
• Support plans are updated before the next shift when equipment changes.

12.4 With Other Agencies

• Report faults to the community equipment service and record the reference and response time.
• Refer changing needs to occupational therapy, physiotherapy or district nursing.
• Tell the commissioner when a home or package cannot continue safely.

12.5 Escalation Timescales

Situation	Who to tell	Timescale
Immediate danger to life	Emergency services, then Duty Manager	Immediately
Lifting equipment fault or overdue examination	Duty Manager	Immediately, by phone
Emergency repair, such as fire alarm fault, gas smell, no heat or water, insecure door	Landlord emergency line and Duty Manager	Immediately
Other repair or hazard	Landlord and Service Manager	Same shift
Repair overdue beyond landlord timescale	Service Manager, then Registered Manager	Within one working day of the deadline

13. Safeguarding Interfaces

13.1 Links Between Premises, Equipment and Safeguarding

Unsafe homes or equipment can indicate neglect, self-neglect, exploitation or abuse. Staff consider safeguarding when they find:

• equipment withheld, damaged on purpose or used to restrict a person;
• serious hazards left unrepaired despite reports, affecting a person’s health or safety;
• a home in such poor condition that the person is at risk;
• other people using the home in ways that put the person at risk, such as cuckooing;
• injuries that do not match the explanation given.

13.2 Making a Referral

1. Make the person safe and call 999 if there is immediate danger.
2. Tell the Safeguarding Lead or Duty Manager straight away.
3. The Safeguarding Lead decides whether to refer to the adult safeguarding team. Out of hours, the Duty Manager contacts the emergency duty team.
4. Where criminal exploitation or a crime is suspected, contact the police, or call 999 in an emergency.
5. Where a child visiting or living in the home is at risk, refer to the children’s services front door.
6. Record the concern, decision and reasons, even if no referral is made.

13.3 Restrictive Environmental Measures

Locked doors, locked kitchens or cupboards, sensors, bed rails and removal of items can restrict a person’s freedom in their own home. They are used only after assessment, with consent or a best interests decision, as the least restrictive option, and are reviewed regularly. Restrictions that affect other tenants in a shared house are agreed with each tenant affected. Where arrangements may amount to a deprivation of liberty, the provider tells the commissioner and seeks advice from the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards team, as authorisation in supported living must come from the Court of Protection.

13.4 Self-neglect

Self-neglect is a safeguarding concern under the Care Act 2014. Where a person declines help and their home is becoming unsafe, staff report it and the Safeguarding Lead considers a referral while working with the person to build trust.

13.5 Allegations Against Staff

Where staff are suspected of misusing equipment or ignoring known hazards, the Registered Manager follows the safeguarding and disciplinary policies and refers to the Disclosure and Barring Service where the threshold is met.

14. External Notifications

14.1 Who Must Be Notified

Body	When	Responsible
Care Quality Commission	Without delay for serious injuries, abuse or allegations, police incidents and events that stop or may stop safe running of the service, including a building becoming unusable. Deaths under Regulation 16.	Registered Manager
Health and Safety Executive under RIDDOR	Deaths and specified injuries without delay. Over seven day worker injuries within 15 days. Non-workers taken to hospital for treatment from a work activity. Dangerous occurrences, including lifting equipment failure.	Health and Safety Officer
MHRA Yellow Card scheme	Adverse incidents or near misses involving medical devices.	Health and Safety Officer
Landlord or housing manager	All building defects, hazards, fire safety failures and incidents in communal areas.	Service Manager or Duty Manager
Equipment supplier or owner	Any equipment fault or incident.	Duty Manager
Commissioning team for the area where the service operates	Serious incidents, unresolved hazards and where care or housing cannot continue safely.	Registered Manager
Adult safeguarding front door for the area where the service operates	Where abuse, neglect or self-neglect is suspected.	Safeguarding Lead
Information Commissioner’s Office	Within 72 hours for reportable personal data breaches.	Data Protection Officer
Insurer	As the policy terms require.	Registered Manager

14.2 RIDDOR Decision Steps

1. Did the incident arise out of or in connection with work, such as the condition of work equipment or the way a task was done?
2. Is it a death, a specified injury, an over seven day injury to a worker, or did a non-worker go to hospital for treatment?
3. Was it a dangerous occurrence, such as failure of a load-bearing part of lifting equipment, even with no injury?
4. If yes, report to the Health and Safety Executive online, or by phone for fatal and specified injuries, within the required time.
5. Record the decision, even when the incident is not reportable.

14.3 Duty of Candour

For a notifiable safety incident, the provider tells the person or their representative as soon as reasonably practicable, apologises, explains what happened and follows up in writing, in line with Regulation 20.

14.4 Building and Office Emergencies

If a scheme or the office becomes unusable through fire, flood, structural failure or loss of utilities, the Registered Manager activates the business continuity plan, works with the landlord on temporary accommodation, notifies CQC and informs the commissioner. Where a wider incident affects the area, the emergency planning team is contacted. Where an infection outbreak is linked to the premises, such as a suspected Legionella case, staff follow advice from the UKHSA health protection team.

15. Related Policies

• Health and Safety Policy
• Fire Safety and Evacuation Policy
• Moving and Handling Policy
• Lone Working Policy
• Infection Prevention and Control Policy
• Risk Assessment and Positive Risk-taking Policy
• Incident Reporting and Learning Policy
• Safeguarding Adults Policy
• Safeguarding Children Policy
• Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Policy
• Restrictive Practice Policy
• Duty of Candour Policy
• Whistleblowing Policy
• Medicines Management Policy
• Waste Management Policy
• Key Holding and Access to People’s Homes Policy
• Surveillance and CCTV Policy
• Data Protection and Information Governance Policy
• Records Management and Retention Policy
• Business Continuity Policy
• Training and Development Policy
• Support Planning and Assessment Policy