How to refer Information for professionals Making a referral (our referral form is available to download) professionals can use the following link to refer young carers for a service: https://www.assessme.uk/welcome/twreferral When we receive a referral, a Care Co-ordinator will arrange to meet both you and the person you care for to understand your needs and how the service can best support you. If we can help, the Care Co-ordinator will agree with you, and the person you care for, the details of how and when the service will take place. The Care Co-ordinator will then, with your agreement, carry out a Care Needs Assessment to identify the care and support needs of the person you care for. Care Plan A personal care plan will be developed, following the care needs assessment, which we will ask you both to sign to agree that it is the service you require. The care plan will detail the tasks that the Carer Support Worker is required to complete whilst providing care and support. All agreed tasks will be risk assessed to ensure the safety of the person you care for and the member of staff involved. The Carer Support Worker will refer to the care plan at each visit and complete relevant paperwork to record care given. Start of Service Once the care plan is completed the Care Co-ordinator will contact you to arrange the start date for your service. She will discuss the date and time of your first service and subsequent services and confirm your named Carer Support Worker. If your named Carer Support Worker is not at work, due to holidays or sickness, we will contact you to let you know and arrange a replacement service. Once your service has started, a Care Co-ordinator will always be available to discuss any issues you may have about the service, including any changes you wish to make. Review of Service Your service will be reviewed at 6 weeks and 12 weeks to check it is running smoothly and that it is meeting both your needs and those of the person you care for. We do, however, actively encourage carers to contact their Care Co-ordinator at any time about any aspect of their service. The Care Co-ordinator will carry out an annual review, which includes a reassessment of need, to ensure the service is continuing to meet your needs. Carer Support Workers Carers Trust Tyne and Wear provides competent and experienced Carer Support Workers who are trained to NVQ Level 2 or 3 in Health and Social Care. They are supervised and managed by a Care Co-ordinator and have 24 / 7 access to a manager out of hours for consultation and advice. We currently employ over 30 Carer Support Workers, most of whom have worked with us for many years. Carer Support Workers provide practical, personal and specialised care to support the people you care for, allowing you to have that much needed break from caring. Carer Support Workers quite simply come into your home, step into your shoes and give you a break. This means that they are required to carry out the tasks that you normally do. Carer Support Workers can, if required, support with and / or administer medication during a care visit. This applies only to medication prescribed by a qualified medical practitioner. Agreed tasks involving personal care and medication will be documented in the care plan and detailed records kept of all help given. Further details about Personal Care and Medication can be found in our policies which are available by contacting our Registered Manager. For your added security and peace of mind, all of our staff have been checked by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). Response Times Telephone queries will be responded to within 48 hours. All correspondence will be responded to within 5 working days. Cancellation and Withdrawal of Service Our service may be cancelled or withdrawn under the following circumstances: No capacity within staff resources to deliver the service safely. A risk to staff e.g. dangerous premises, verbal or physical abuse Non-payment of invoices within agreed terms Cancellation Policy If a service is cancelled within 24 hours before the start of the service, the Carer Support Worker will still be paid for the service. This means that if you, as a client / carer, pay for your services you will still be charged if the cancellation period is less than 24 hours. Health and Safety The Care Co-ordinator will carry out a full risk assessment of the service to be provided, paying particular attention to the following areas. Equipment As a householder it is important that you ensure any equipment staff might be required to use is in good working order. This includes electrical equipment such as kettles, cookers or vacuum cleaners and any special equipment such as hoists, stair-lifts, bath seats and wheelchairs. Our Carer Support Workers are supplied with and required to use a power breaker when operating electrical appliances in your home. Staff are not allowed to bring any of their own electrical equipment (for example food mixers, irons, heaters) into your home. Mobility Assistance (Moving and Handling) All mobility assistance and manual handling tasks will be assessed as part of the care planning process to ensure no-one is put at risk. We will involve both you (the carer) and the person with care needs (as appropriate) in all such assessments and will seek wherever possible to respect your wishes with regard to mobility issues. All our care workers are trained in mobility assistance and receive updates on an annual basis. First Aid All our staff are trained in basic first aid. Fire Safety Our Care Co-ordinator will discuss fire safety issues and evacuation plans with you and ensure staff know what to do in the event of a fire. Smoke Free Policy Carers Trust Tyne and Wear believes that staff working in service users’ homes are entitled to protection from second hand smoke. We therefore ask both you and the person with care needs not to smoke in the area of your home staff will be using for at least one hour prior to the visit, as well as during the visit, and to ensure that other family members and visitors do the same. Likewise, Carers Trust Tyne & Wear staff are not permitted to smoke whilst in your home. General Safety Keep a look out around your home for possible risks to yourself or others and our staff will do the same. If you have any worries please talk to us and we will do our best to help. Please note: We retain the right to withdraw our service at any time, should we consider a staff member be at risk. Confidentiality Mutual trust between Carers Trust Tyne and Wear and the people using our services is central to the successful provision of care. We will ensure that: staff respect the confidentiality of those using our service. personal information held by Carers Trust Tyne and Wear is only made available to those directly involved in the provision of care. confidential information is only disclosed if there is a legitimate need to know, and only with the prior consent of the person concerned, apart from in an emergency situation. In the event of an emergency that may lead to someone being put at risk, staff have a responsibility to report their concerns and Carers Trust Tyne and Wear is obliged to inform the appropriate authorities. General Data Protection Regulations All personal information is held in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) We will seek consent from you (the carer) and the person you care for (as appropriate) to hold information about you. You will both be informed what information is held about you, what it will be used for and who it might be passed to. Information will be kept safe and secure and access to it limited to a small number of identified individuals, including inspectors from the Care Quality Commission and Carers Trust auditors. You and the person you care for can ask to see your personal records, subject to a 40 day time limit to allow us to comply with your request. Manage Cookie Preferences