clinical excellence

Starting Care with NursLink – 6 Stages

When you embark on your care journey with NursLink, you can expect a comprehensive and transparent process designed to deliver a tailored and high-quality care service. Our commitment to excellence is reflected in our consistent approach, ensuring that you receive exceptional care wherever you reside.

Here’s what you can anticipate when beginning a care package with us:

1. Enquiry or Referral: Upon receiving your enquiry or a referral from a healthcare organisation, our local team specialist will promptly reach out to you. We’ll discuss your care needs and gather initial information. If you’re seeking private care or funding through case management, we’ll outline the associated costs.

2. Complex Care Assessment: We’ll arrange for a Client Care Manager and a NursLink nurse to visit you in your home, along with close relatives or household members. During this visit, we’ll take the time to understand your needs, compile information for your personal profile, and conduct necessary risk assessments.

3. Care Plan Creation: Based on the assessment findings, we’ll recommend the suitable nature and frequency of care to meet your needs. For private clients, we’ll confirm the costs of the proposed care package. We’ll then formulate a formal care plan, which we’ll discuss with you to ensure your satisfaction. You’ll have the final say in what’s included in your care plan.

4. Care Staff Selection: With your agreement, our team will identify suitable care staff with the skills and aptitude to support you according to your care plan. We offer the opportunity for you to meet these care staff prior to the start of your care. In some cases, we may arrange for additional staff, such as a nurse, to supervise the beginning of your care package and provide relevant training.

5. Commencement of Care: Before your care begins, you’ll have clarity on who will be providing your care and when they will be visiting you. Our Client Care Manager will maintain regular communication and visits during the initial two weeks of your care provision. Most importantly, you’ll have met the care staff who will be supporting you.

6. Care Review: We conduct a review of each care package after six weeks and subsequently every few months. This ensures that your care plan remains aligned with your evolving needs. Any changes to your care plan will be discussed with you and documented for your reference.

At NursLink, we are committed to providing compassionate, personalised, and high-quality care services. Our structured approach ensures that you receive the support you need to enhance your well-being and quality of life.

Assessing Your Medical and Social Needs

Before implementing your care service, we conduct a comprehensive and empathetic care assessment to evaluate both your medical and social requirements. This assessment involves gathering information about you beforehand, including any documentation provided by your case manager, NHS trust, or community nurse assessments.

One of our client care managers, often accompanied by an NursLink Healthcare nurse, will schedule a visit to your home at a convenient time to meet with you, as well as any relatives or household members. During this meeting, we aim to establish a personal profile that encompasses your wishes, aspirations, community involvement, and preferences for educational or leisure activities.

The assessment also encompasses a review of your medical condition and clinical and social needs. In cases where a client has dementia or reduced mental capacity, we engage in discussions to determine which decisions may require an advocate’s involvement, while prioritising freedom of choice for you as the client.

Getting to Know You

Investing time in understanding our clients enables us to select care staff who not only possess clinical competence but also align with your personality. We have a wealth of experience in successfully managing both long and short-term care packages, fostering a natural rapport between our care staff and service users, thereby creating a comfortable and personal home environment.

Following the assessment, we carefully review our registered client care staff and present you with a selection of profiles to consider. We prioritize collaboration with you to finalise the selection of care staff who will provide care in your home.

The assessment process is swiftly followed by an initial ‘meet and greet’ session, facilitating introductions between clients and care staff.

Your Care Plan

The insights gleaned from the assessment are documented into a comprehensive Care Plan, which you, as the client, will review and agree to before the commencement of care services. A copy of the Care Plan is retained in your home and within our records. We conduct periodic reviews of the Care Plan, initially after six weeks and subsequently every few months, or more frequently if necessitated by changes in your circumstances.

Protecting Your Care Information

We understand the sensitivity of care records and the importance of keeping them safe and secure. This is a responsibility we take very seriously, with senior managers overseeing our compliance with legal obligations. Our systems are designed to manage this information effectively, and we consistently monitor our adherence to these systems.

How We Safeguard Your Information

We recognise the significance of confidentiality in care records and acknowledge people’s desire for secure storage. In fact, it’s not just good practice—it’s the law. The Data Protection Act 2018 mandates that we control the use of confidential personal information by ensuring that it is:

• Used lawfully, fairly, and transparently.
• Collected only for valid purposes, clearly explained to you, and used in a compatible manner.
• Relevant and limited to the purposes disclosed.
• Accurate, regularly updated, and kept for no longer than necessary.
• Securely stored, with access restricted to authorised personnel only.

All NursLink staff are trained on the importance of confidentiality, and both our computer systems and paper records are secure, with access granted only to individuals involved in your care.

Additionally, the common law duty of confidentiality dictates that any information provided for your care must be protected and not shared or used for other purposes without your consent. The Caldicott guidelines reinforce this by stipulating strict guidelines on accessing and using patient information, emphasizing the need-to-know principle.

Who Receives Your Information?

We may share information about you with various organisations involved in your care delivery, including:

• Your GP
• Funders of your care, such as Local Authorities or insurance companies
• Professionals supporting your care, such as district nurses or medical consultants
• Partner organisations providing your care or involved in its management
• Safeguarding teams, where required by law

You have the right to restrict the sharing of your information if you believe it may cause harm, although we may override this if we deem it necessary for your best interests or care continuity.

Accessing and Amending Your Records

Under the Data Protection Act 2018, you have the right to access all records we hold about you, including both paper and digital records. This can be done through a “subject access request,” initiated by contacting the branch responsible for your care. While there’s no fee for accessing your information, reasonable charges may apply for additional copies or unfounded/excessive requests.

You can also request changes to inaccurate information in your records, although we reserve the right to refuse if we believe it could be detrimental to you, in which case we will document your concerns within your records.

Managing Your Care with NursLink

At NursLink, we are dedicated to providing safe and high-quality care services within the comfort of your home. Each of our care packages is overseen by local nurse-led teams and care coordinators, ensuring that your safety and well-being remain our top priorities.

Assessing Your Care Needs

When you choose NursLinkfor your care provision, we initiate a comprehensive assessment process. This involves meeting with you to understand your specific care requirements, as well as your personal preferences and routines. We welcome input from friends, relatives, and other healthcare professionals to ensure a thorough understanding of your needs. During this assessment, we also conduct risk assessments to guarantee the safety of our care provision.

Once the assessment is complete, we create a detailed care plan, which is prominently displayed in your home for both our staff and yourself to reference as needed. For clients under the care of other organisations, such as NHS hospitals, we collaborate closely to ensure seamless care delivery.

Ensuring Your Safety

At NursLink, we understand that inviting a care provider into your life can be a significant transition, often accompanied by anxiety or concern. To address this, we adhere to strict policies, training protocols, and employment checks to ensure that our staff are safe, competent, and compassionate. Our comprehensive training equips our staff with the knowledge and skills to keep you safe, recognise signs of abuse, and respond appropriately to any concerns. Additionally, we conduct thorough background checks on all staff members to ensure suitability for care provision.

In line with health and safety laws, we maintain rigorous standards to safeguard our clients and staff. Our dedicated Health & Safety Manager provides ongoing support and guidance to our branch offices, ensuring compliance with health and safety regulations.

Supporting Your Rights

At NursLink, we are committed to upholding the principles of equality and fairness in all our services. The Human Rights Act and the Equality Act serve as cornerstones of our commitment to treating all individuals with respect and dignity, regardless of age, disability, race, religion, gender, or other characteristics. Our staff undergo extensive training on equality and human rights to ensure adherence to these principles.

Addressing Issues and Improving Quality

While we strive for excellence in care provision, we acknowledge that occasional challenges may arise. In such instances, we have systems in place for staff and clients to report issues, which are thoroughly investigated to identify areas for improvement. We believe in transparency and openness, adhering to the principle of Duty of Candour, which requires us to be honest and forthcoming when things go wrong. Our commitment to openness and continuous improvement ensures that we maintain the highest standards of care delivery.