Policies and procedures in social care for Scotland and Wales

Policies and procedures in health and social care in Scotland

The policies and procedures in health and social care in Scotland are guided by Scotland’s Health and Social Care Standards. These standards set out what is expected of health, social care, or social work services in Scotland to achieve high quality care.

Principles

The Health and Social Care Standards are underpinned by five principles:

Dignity and respect
Compassion
Be included
Responsive care and support
Wellbeing

Outcomes

The Health and Social Care Standards are designed to achieve five outcomes for the individual receiving care:

I experience high quality care and support that’s right for me.
I am fully involved in all decisions about my care and support.
I have confidence in the people who support and care for me.
I have confidence in the organisation providing my care and support.
I experience a high quality environment if the organisation provides the premises.

Regulation

Care in Scotland is regulated by the Care Inspectorate, and all care services in Scotland must be registered with the Care Inspectorate.

The Care Inspectorate inspects care services to ensure they meet the Health and Social Care standards and publishes inspection reports for every care service in Scotland.

The Care Inspectorate also investigates and resolves any complaints about care services.

Domiciliary care policies and procedures Scotland

Policies and procedures for domiciliary care in Scotland (Care at Home) must be written in accordance with the Health and Social Care Standards. Their overarching aim is to ensure that individuals are treated with respect and dignity, and that their basic human rights are upheld.

The following table is a comprehensive list of domiciliary care policies and procedures for Scotland (taken from Access Policies & Procedures):

Absence management	Grievance
Access to service user homes	Head injuries
Accessible information standard	Health and safety
Accidents and incidents (reporting and managing)	Heatwave
Adoption appointments	Hospital avoidance
Adult & child support & protection	Hot water and surfaces
Adults with incapacity	Infection prevention & control
Advance decisions	Legionella & water testing
Advocacy	Lone working
Aggression towards staff	Management of sharps & needlestick injuries
Anaphylaxis	Management of urinary & faecal incontinence
Annual leave	Managing a pandemic
Antenatal appointments	Managing engagement about complaints
Anti-bribery	MAR & eMAR chart management
Appraisal and performance management	Maternity leave
Aseptic technique	Medication – application and administration of medication other than oral and topical
Bariatric care	Medication – homely remedies
Basic life support	Medication – management of medicines
Bed rails	Medication – safe handling & administration of medicines
Behaviours that challenge & positive behaviour support (PBS)	Medication – topical medication application guidance
Body map	Medication – transdermal patch application guidance
Bullying and harassment	Meeting nutrition and hydration needs
Business continuity	Menopause
Care & support staff work allocation	Missing persons from the service
Care Inspectorate registration	Missed & late calls
Care planning & assessment	Modern day slavery
Catheter care	Moving and handling
Chaperone	MRSA infection and prevention guidelines
Company vehicles	Network security
Complaints	Oral hygiene and dental care
Confidentiality	Parental leave
Confirmation of death	Paternity leave
Consent	Performance and capability
Control of substances hazardous to health (COSHH)	Person centred care
Corporate risk management	Pets
Data protection, information governance, CCTV & GDPR	Pressure ulcer prevention
Data quality	Promoting independence
Data security	Quality assurance
Delegation of healthcare tasks	Record keeping
Dementia care and management	Recruitment of individuals with convictions (higher end disclosure)
Diabetes	Reportable incidents CIS
Dignity and respect	Restraint and physical intervention
Discharge and transfer to other settings	Sepsis
Disciplinary	Service user monies and financial affairs including safe keeping of valuables
Disclosure Scotland & protection of vulnerable groups	Service user risk management
Do not attempt CPR	Sexuality and relationships
Dress code and uniform	Shared parental leave
Driving at work	Smoking & vaping
Duty of candour	Social media
Dysphagia and the risk of choking	Social value
Early warning signs of a deteriorating service user	Staff induction
End of life	Staff recruitment
Environmental & waste management	Staff substance misuse
Epilepsy	Staff supervision and spot checks
Equal opportunities	Stoma care
Equality and diversity	Supporting people with a learning disability and/or autism
Falls management and risk assessment	Surveillance equipment & CCTV
Fire safety	Training and development
First aid	Use of agency workers
Flexible working	Wheelchair & lap belt safe use
Food safety and allergens	Whistleblowing
Gifts and legacies	Working time directives
Giving notice	Working with other providers
Good governance

Residential care policies and procedures Scotland

Policies and procedures for residential care in Scotland must be written in accordance with the Health and Social Care Standards. Their core ethos is to treat individuals with respect and dignity, and to safeguard their basic human rights.

The following table is a comprehensive list of residential care policies and procedures for Scotland (taken from Access Policies & Procedures):

Absence management	Isolation
Accessible information standard	Kitchen – allergies, labelling & cross contamination
Accidents and incidents (reporting and managing)	Kitchen – cleaning efficiently
Adoption appointments	Kitchen – cook-chill code of practice
Adult & child support & protection	Kitchen – managing food waste & stock control
Adults with incapacity	Kitchen – opening, closing & four weekly checks
Advance decisions	Kitchen – personal hygiene & washing hands
Advocacy	Kitchen – pest control
Agency staff	Kitchen – suppliers & maintenance
Aggression towards staff	Kitchen – testing refrigerator, freezer & food temperatures
Anaphylaxis	Kitchen – training & supervision
Annual leave	Kitchen – use of mini kitchen facilities
Antenatal appointments	Kitchen – planning menus in residential care
Anti-bribery	Kitchen – preparation, defrosting and safe cooking of high-risk food and the hazard of acrylamide policy
Appraisal and performance management	Legionella & water testing
Aseptic technique	Lone working
Bariatric care	Management of sharps & needlestick injuries
Basic life support	Management of urinary & faecal incontinence
Bed rails	Managing engagement about complaints
Behaviours that challenge & positive behaviour support (PBS)	MAR & eMAR chart management
Body map	Maternity leave
Bullying and harassment	Medication – application and administration of medication other that oral and tropical
Business continuity	Medication – homely remedies
Care & support staff work allocation	Medication – management of medicines
Care inspectorate registration	Medication – safe handling & administration of medicines
Care planning & assessment	Medication – topical medication application guidance
Catheter care	Medication – transdermal patch application guidance
Chaperone	Medications requiring refrigeration storage
Company vehicles	Meeting nutrition and hydration needs
Complaints	Menopause
Confidentiality	Missing persons from the service
Consent	Modern day slavery
Control of substances hazardous to health (COSHH)	Moving and handling
Corporate risk management	MRSA infection and prevention guidelines
Covid-19 pandemic	Network security
Data protection, information governance, CCTV & GDPR	Oral hygiene and dental care
Data quality	Parental leave
Data security	Parkinson’s
Death of a resident (verification & certification)	Paternity leave
Delegation of healthcare tasks	Performance and capability
Dementia care and management	Person centred care
Diabetes	Pets
Dignity and respect	Premises
Discharge and transfer to other settings	Pressure ulcer prevention
Disciplinary	Promoting independence
Disclosure Scotland & protection of vulnerable groups	Quality assurance
Do not attempt CPR	Record keeping
Dress code and uniform	Recruitment of ex-offenders
Driving at work	Recruitment of individuals with convictions (higher level disclosures)
Duty of candour	Reportable incidents CIS
Dysphagia and the risk of choking	Resident monies and financial affairs including safe keeping of valuables
Early warning signs of a deteriorating resident	Resident risk management
End of life	Restraint and physical intervention
Environmental & waste management	Sepsis
Epilepsy	Sexuality and relationships
Equality opportunities	Shared parental leave
Equality and diversity	Smoking & vaping
Falls management and risk assessment	Social media
Fire safety	Social value
First aid	Staff induction
Flexible working	Staff recruitment
Food safety and allergens	Staff substance misuse
Gifts and legacies	Staff supervision and spot checks
Giving notice	Stoma care
Good governance	Supporting people with a learning disability and/or autism
Grievance	Surveillance equipment & CCTV
Head injuries	Training and development
Health and safety	Wheelchair & lap belt safe use
Heatwave	Whistleblowing
Hospital avoidance	Working time directives
Hot water and surfaces	Working with other care providers
Infection prevention & control

Care worker checking policies and procedures for Wales

Policies and procedures in health and social care in Wales

The policies and procedures in health and social care in Wales are guided by the Care Inspectorate Wales. Through making professional assessments, they guide service providers to improve the quality and safety of their care.

Values

The Care Inspectorate Wales is guided by five core values that ensure that people are at the heart of everything they do and aspire to be:

Caring: Be compassionate and approachable.
Fair: Be consistent, impartial and inclusive.
Integrity: Be honest and trustworthy.
Professional: Be skilled, knowledgeable and innovative.
Respect: Listen, engage and value people.

Principles

The Care Inspectorate Wales follows six principles that guide the way they implement their values:

Putting people first: Champion people’s rights and seek feedback about their experiences and outcomes.
Being intelligence-led: Collect, analyse and share data and intelligence.
Being risk-based and responsive: Prioritise inspection activity based on analysis of risk.
Working collaboratively: Exchange information with the Welsh Government, local authorities, health boards and representative groups.
Supporting improvement and innovation: Actively encourage new ways of working.
Reflecting and learning: Seek feedback from key stakeholders and pioneer new, flexible ways of working.

Regulation

Care in Wales is regulated by the Care Inspectorate Wales, and all care services in Wales must by registered with the Care Inspectorate.

The Care Inspectorate inspects cares services to ensure they are safe for the people using them and publishes inspection reports for care services in Wales.

Domiciliary care policies and procedures Wales

Home care policies and procedures for Wales (Domiciliary Support Services) must be written to be compliant with Care Inspectorate Wales. Their overarching aim is to put people first and treat them with respect, fairness and integrity.

The following table is a comprehensive list of domiciliary care policies and procedures for Wales (taken from Access Policies & Procedures):

Absence management	Health and safety
Access to individuals' homes	Heatwave
Accessible information standard	Hospital avoidance
Accidents and incidents (reporting and managing)	Hot water and surfaces
Admissions & commencement of the service	Infection prevention & control
Adoption appointments	Legionella & water testing
Advance decisions	Lone working
Advocacy	Management of sharps & needlestick injuries
Agency staff	Management of urinary & faecal incontinence
Aggression towards staff	Managing engagement about complaints
Anaphylaxis	MAR chart management
Annual leave	Maternity leave
Antenatal appointments	Medication – administration of medication other than oral and topical
Anti-bribery	Medication – homely remedies
Appraisal and performance management	Medication – management of medicines
Aseptic and clean techniques	Medication – safe handling of medicines
Bariatric care	Medication – topical medication application guidance
Basic life support	Medication – transdermal patch application guidance
Bed rails	Medicines requiring refrigeration storage
Behaviours that challenge & positive behaviour support (PBS)	Meeting nutrition and hydration needs
Body map	Menopause
Buccal midazolam administration	Mental Capacity Act and DoLS
Bullying and harassment	Missing persons from the service
Business continuity	Modern slavery
Care & support staff work allocation	Moving and handling
Catheter care	MRSA infection & prevention guidelines
Chaperone	Network security
CIW registration	Non-guaranteed hours
Complaints	Nurse revalidation
Confidentiality	Oral hygiene and dental care
Consent	Parental leave
Control of substances hazardous to health (COSHH)	Paternity leave
Corporate risk management	Performance and capability
Covid-19 pandemic	Personalised assessment & care planning
Data protection, information governance, CCTV & GDPR	Person-centred care and outcomes-based care
Data quality	Pets
Data security	Pressure ulcer prevention
DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service)	Promoting independence
Death of an individual (verification & certification)	Quality assurance
Delegation of healthcare tasks	Record keeping
Dementia care and management	Recruitment of ex-offenders
Diabetes	Reportable incidents CIW
Dignity and respect	Responsible individuals
Discharge and transfer to other settings	Restraint and physical intervention
Disciplinary	Risk management for individuals
Do not attempt CPR	Safeguarding adults
Dress code and uniform	Safeguarding children in an adult setting
Driving at work	Sepsis
Duty of candour	Sexuality and relationships
Dysphagia and the risk of choking	Shared parental leave
Early signs of a deteriorating individual	Smoking & vaping
End of life	Social media
Environmental & waste management	Social value
Epilepsy	Staff induction
Equal opportunities	Staff recruitment
Equality and diversity	Staff substance misuse
Falls management and risk assessment	Staff supervision and spot checks
Fire safety	Stoma care
First aid	Supporting individuals with monies & financial affairs (including safe keeping of valuables)
Flexible working	Supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people
Food safety and allergens	Surveillance equipment & CCTV
Gifts and legacies	Training and development
Giving notice	Wheelchair & lap belt safe use
Good governance	Whistleblowing
Grievance	Working time directives
Head injuries	Working with other care providers

Residential care policies and procedures Wales

Care home policies and procedures for Wales must be written to be complaint with Care Inspectorate Wales. Their core ethos is to put people first and to treat them with respect, fairness and dignity.

The following table is a comprehensive list of residential care policies and procedures for Wales (taken from Access Policies & Procedures):

Absence management	Kitchen – cook-chill code of practice
Accessible information standard	Kitchen – managing food waste & stock control
Accidents and incidents (reporting and managing)	Kitchen – opening, closing & four weekly checks
Admissions & commencement of the service	Kitchen – personal hygiene & washing hands
Adoption appointments	Kitchen – pest control
Advance decisions	Kitchen – suppliers & maintenance
Advocacy	Kitchen – testing refrigerator, freezer & food temperatures
Agency staff	Kitchen – training & supervision
Aggression towards staff	Kitchen – use of mini kitchen facilities
Anaphylaxis	Kitchen – planning menus in care homes
Annual leave	Kitchen – preparation, defrosting and safe cooking of high-risk food and the hazard of acrylamide policy
Antenatal appointments	Legionella & water testing
Anti-bribery	Lone working
Appraisal and performance management	Management of sharps & needlestick injuries
Aseptic technique	Management of urinary & faecal incontinence
Bariatric care	Managing engagement about complaints
Basic life support	MAR & eMAR chart management
Bed rails	Maternity leave
Behaviours that challenge & positive behaviour support (PBS)	Medication – administration of medication other than oral and topical
Body map	Medication – homely remedies
Buccal midazolam administration	Medication – management of medicines
Bullying and harassment	Medication – safe handling of medicines
Business continuity	Medication – topical medication application guidance
Care & support staff work allocation	Medication – transdermal patch application guidance
Catheter care	Medicines requiring refrigeration storage
Chaperone	Meeting nutrition and hydration needs
CIW registration	Menopause
Complaints	Mental Capacity Act and DoLS
Confidentiality	Missing persons from the service
Consent	Modern slavery
Control of substances hazardous to health (COSHH)	Moving and handling
Corporate risk management	MRSA infection & prevention guidelines
Covid-19 pandemic	Network security
Data protection, information governance, CCTV & GDPR	Nurse revalidation
Data quality	Oral hygiene and dental care
Data security	Parental leave
Death of an individual (verification & certification)	Paternity leave
Delegation of healthcare tasks	Performance and capability
Dementia care and management	Personalised assessment & care planning
Diabetes	Person-centred care and outcomes-based care
Dignity and respect	Pets
Discharge and transfer to other settings	Premises
Disciplinary	Pressure ulcer prevention
Disclosure and Barring Service checks	Promoting independence
Do not attempt CPR	Quality assurance
Dress code and uniform	Record keeping
Driving at work	Recruitment of ex-offenders
Duty of candour	Reportable incidents CIW
Dysphagia and the risk of choking	Responsible individuals
Early signs of a deteriorating individual	Restraint and physical intervention
End of life	Risk management for individuals
Environmental & waste management	Safeguarding adults
Epilepsy	Safeguarding children in an adult setting
Equal opportunities	Sepsis
Equality and diversity	Sexuality and relationships
Falls management and risk assessment	Shared parental leave
Fire safety	Smoking & vaping
First aid	Social media
Flexible working	Social value
Food safety and allergens	Staff induction
Gifts and legacies	Staff recruitment
Giving notice	Staff substance misuse
Good governance	Staff supervision and spot checks
Grievance	Stoma care
Head injuries	Supporting individuals with monies & financial affairs (including safe keeping of valuables)
Health and safety	Supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people
Heatwave	Surveillance equipment & CCTV
Hospital avoidance	Training and development
Hot water and surfaces	Wheelchair & lap belt safe use
Infection prevention & control	Whistleblowing
Isolation policy for care homes	Working time directives
Kitchen – allergies, labelling & cross contamination	Working with other care providers
Kitchen – cleaning effectively

Software solutions for policies and procedures

Having a set of policies and procedures in place is essential for any domiciliary or residential care provider in Scotland or Wales. Policies and procedures ensure your care service is operating according to the latest regulations, keeping individuals receiving care safe and well.

At Access we have been supplying software solutions to the care industry for over 30 years. We support over 11,000 registered care locations in the UK.

Our comprehensive health and social care policies and procedures software covers domiciliary and residential care in Scotland, Wales and England:

Written by a team of experts who, collectively, have over 200 years’ experience in the care sector.
Regularly updated on an annual basis in addition to urgent updates as and when needed.
Covering all relevant areas including quality assurance, governance, continuous improvement, person centred care, safeguarding, and training and development.
Featuring over 130 policies and procedures for each category and region.

Our software is designed to help you and your teams work more efficiently:

Customisable to suit the needs of care providers of all sizes, from small independents to large organisations.
Digitally formatted allowing instant distribution to staff, regular updates, and easy read versions.
Available on mobile app, ensuring information is accessible anytime, anywhere.

To find out about more about the policies and procedures software we offer at Access, contact us here to discuss your needs or watch a demo.

Clement is a Writer on Health and Social Care for the Access Group's HSC team. With a background in journalism and law, Clement's expertise is in creating well-researched, informative and engaging content.

Clement's wide-ranging experience as a writer for the tech sector allows him to present complex material in an accessible, easily digestible format.