Welcome to Guardian Health Care

Advocacy is the process of standing alongside an individual who is disadvantaged, and speaking out on their behalf in a way that represents the best interests of that person.

Guardian Health Care encourages and respects the rights of any client to use an advocate of their choice. The client has the right to change their advocate at any time. We also recognise that effective advocacy needs to be independent and separated from direct service delivery.

 Guardian Health Care invites advocates participation in all areas relating to the services of the person they are supporting. This includes but is not limited to:

• assessments;

• reviews;

• complaints and disputes;

• informed decision making;

• meetings;

• policy development and review;

• participation in subcommittees and/or working groups;

• strategic planning; and

• general meetings or for any other communication between the client and staff.

Procedures
The Client Service Coordinator is to establish links with advocacy groups and inform the client of the availability of such assistance. A register of service providers and agencies that provide advocacy services is maintained.

Where prior consent has been obtained, Guardian Health Care will supply the advocate with current and timely information in relation to the service provision being provided to the person they are representing, recognizing that to be effective the advocate needs to be kept informed.

Guardian Health Care acknowledges and respects the role of people who act as independent advocates for clients and will undertake to ensure that clients have unimpeded access to their advocate.
Guardian Health Care will ensure that information about advocacy and how to arrange the involvement of an advocate will be given to the client at the initial assessment meeting. This information will be repeated to the client at regular intervals during the period of service delivery.

Guardian Health Care will accept, at any time during service delivery, the appointment of an advocate to represent the client. The client or their appointed representative can inform either the Employee or the Client Service Coordinator of their need for an advocate.
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Client Centred Plan / Care Plans

Guardian Health Care believes you have the right to choose the supports provided to you and how that support is delivered. Guardian Health Care’s Client Service Workers will work with you, in conjunction with any other stakeholders or advocate/s you wish to be involved, to develop a Client Centred Plan / Care Plan outlining your needs. We believe you are in control at all times of the services being provided to you.

The Plans that are developed with you respect the principles of Dignity of Risk, Least Restrictive Alternatives and Social Role Valorisation.

The Client Service Coordinator will discuss with you what requirements you have of support and will include any goals you may have and what strategies will be utilised to achieve these goals. Individuals may choose not to have written goals, this is for you and your support person/advocate to decide. This is documented in what is called the Client Centred Plan/ Care Plan.

The Client Centred Plan will be reviewed on a regular basis to make certain that we have the right supports in place to meet your needs and update any information that may have changed.
At each review date all parties will be asked to sign the Client Centred Plan /Care Plan and will be provided with a copy. Service users may request an alternative Client Centred Plan format in the situation where this Client Centred Plan Performa does not meet the needs of the service user.

A copy of this documentation shown to your support workers so they are aware of the care and support needs your require and what duties and tasks are expected of them while on shift. These care plans will be updated at Service reviews or as needed.

Special Care Plan
Guardian Health Care understands that you may have individual complex needs that greatly influence your support needs. A special care plan is developed for all service users with significant medical or health care needs. These care plans are developed in consultation with you as a service user and your GP. The following Management Plan templates are utilised:

• Epilepsy Management Plan

• Diabetes Management Plan

• Asthma Management Plan

• Behaviour Management Plan

• Medication Management Plan

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Client’s Rights and Responsibilities

Individuals are given a copy of their rights and responsibilities during the initial intake process and will be asked to sign they have read and acknowledged that they have received this information.

Rights

• You have the right to be treated with dignity and respect.

• You have the right to be informed about what services are available.

• You have a right to choose what service you will receive.

• You have the right to privacy and confidentiality.

• You have the right to express your own views and ideas.

• You have the right to have someone with you when seen by a health professional.

• You have the right to have someone to speak on your behalf.

• You have the right to have access your records held by this agency.

Responsibilities

• To respect Guardian Health Care staff and other clients and communicate appropriately and respectfully at all times.

• To understand that the home is a “workplace” and that workplace health safety must be adhered to.

• To respect the conditions on the agreed service plan between you and this agency.

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Confidentiality, Privacy and Dignity policy

Guardian Health Care understands we are trusted with keeping your information private and only discussing or sharing this information with appropriate people as outlined in Guardian Health Care’s policies and procedures. We respect your right to privacy and will only disclose information with your consent.

Guardian Health Care keeps service users personal information in a private file stored in a locked filing cabinet in the Guardian Health Care office. Guardian Health Care does not pass your personal information on to anyone without your consent. Service users are asked to sign a client consent form which outlines what information they wish Guardian Health Care to obtain, release and store. Disability support workers are required to sign a confidentiality agreement that protects the rights of service users.

Information Privacy Principles
Guardian Health Care adheres to the Privacy practices as outlined in the Eleven Information Privacy Principles as extracted from Section 14 of the Information Privacy Act 2009.

Guardian Health Care’s Confidentiality Agreement

All Guardian Health Care’s employees are required to sign a Confidentiality Agreement upon appointment to the organisation.
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Code of Conduct

What is Code of Conduct?
Guardian Health Care is committed to encouraging a safe, supportive and productive work environment. This can only happen when everyone cooperates and agrees to suitable standards of conduct. Some of these standards are set out in the Employee Code of Conduct.

This Code of Conduct is not intended to be exhaustive and cannot anticipate every situation which may morally or ethically compromise the employee, or Guardian Health Care. In this regard Guardian Health Care expects its employees to use their common sense and sound judgment. However, compliance with this Code is an obligation owed by all employees to each other and to Guardian Health Care. Breach of this Code will result in disciplinary action or dismissal.

Employee’s of Guardian Health Care have an ongoing responsibility to comply with organisational Workplace Health and Safety policies and procedures, Legislated Acts and regulations and to adhere to safe work practice.

All Guardian Health Care’s employees are required to read and sign a Code of Conduct Form upon appointment to the organisation.
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Criminal History Screening

People with a disability can be more vulnerable to abuse, neglect and exploitation than other members of the community. A high priority for the Department of Communities is to increase the safety of people with a disability when they are accessing funded services.

The Disability Services Act 2006 introduced criminal history screening for all people engaged by funded non-government service providers. The Act makes it unlawful for a person to work or volunteer for a funded non-government service provider at a service outlet (place where disability service is provided) without an application being made for a criminal history check.

Under the Act, all workers and volunteers must undergo criminal history screening every three years. People working in funded non-government service providers will be issued with a positive notice card that verifies they have had a criminal history screening within the past three years.

All Guardian Health Care staff undergo this screening and hold a Positive Notice (yellow) card.
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Culturally Appropriate Support

Guardian Health Care provides proactive strategies to promote the cultural, ethnic, religious, and individual beliefs of the service users. Support/advocate persons are encouraged to share the cultural values with disability support workers and Guardian Health Care to assist in this process.

Guardian Health Care provides flexible, sensitive and culturally appropriate care for our clients. We work toward building relationships and connectedness between staff, clients and their families, in order to achieve mutual understandings and meet individual client need.

Guardian Health Care is aware of how race and ethnicity influence family life and the way in which support is carried out. Staff are provided with cultural awareness training as well as collaborating with families to meet specific cultural requirements.
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Duty of Care and Dignity of Risk

Duty of Care
A Disability Support Worker has a duty of care to the person with a disability that they are supporting and others in the general community when working within a community environment. A duty of care is breached if a person behaves unreasonably or fails to act (which can also be unreasonable in a particular situation). A duty of care can be breached either by action or inaction.

Harm can fall under any or all of these four headings:

• Physical;

• Mental;

• Emotional; and

• Financial.

Duty of Care means that while you are receiving our services we will do everything reasonable to take care of your safety and well being at all times. Guardian Health Care has a responsibility to be careful where injury or harm is foreseeable. Guardian Health Care also has a responsibility and Duty of Care to staff. We will not be able to provide supports where duty of care to service user and/or staff person is compromised.

Dignity of Risk
Guardian Health Care believes you have the right to make an informed choice; to experience life and take advantage of opportunities for learning, developing competencies and independence and, in doing so, take a calculated risk.

Guardian Health Care and support workers are under obligation to ensure duty of care is carried while supporting the person to fulfil their desired goals.

Least Restrictive Alternative
The Least Restrictive Alternative principle states our need to be least intrusive on the lives of those we support. We recognise your right to live in an environment which is most supportive and the least restrictive of your freedom.

We will respect your autonomy and independence. You will have the opportunity to exercise choice and make decisions about your life. We encourage you to be involved in the decision-making process at various levels of service delivery, either by participating directly or having a representative participate.

When assisting you to exercise choice and make decisions, we will take care to ensure you understand the meaning of the options presented; and we will give you as much information as possible to enable you to make informed choices. Our Support Workers will discuss with you any risk that you may face as a result of a decision. If there is doubt about the possibility of harm, you can further discuss concerns with Guardian Health Care Management.

We believe we can support you to exercise your right to make decisions about issues affecting you by ensuring:

• Individual Care Plans state the YOUR preferences;

• The day-to-day routines developed give maximum opportunity for you to exercise choice and make decisions;

• You are encouraged, wherever practical, to make decisions about your residence, employment and relationships; and

• We encourage you to develop skills required to participate in meetings.

Guardian Health Care believes you should make decisions or be supported in making decisions about who will assist you in your personal care and the timing of your daily routine (for example, when to go to bed, when to eat, when to do chores, what to eat and drink and so on). We will empower you by ‘stepping back’ and letting you do tasks at your own pace!
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Complaints

All people in our community have the right to complain if a service they are receiving is inadequate. They have the right to access appropriate bodies who will listen and act on any grievances that occur.

Guardian Health Care recognises and supports the right of the service user and their family to complain about the service provided. If people are concerned or unhappy with their service or the treatment they receive they are invited to discuss their grievance with Guardian Health Care. We make every effort to resolve grievances in this initial process. We want you to feel comfortable to initiate this process without fear of discrimination and in the knowledge that a satisfactory resolution will be pursued.

Contact Guardian Health Care with your concerns and we will address all complaints whether formal or informal in a fair and positive manner with confidentiality maintained throughout the process. Guardian Health Care does care and we will act to ensure matters are addressed.

A great first step would be to discuss your concerns with the person directly involved. If you don’t believe that has resolved things, then contact your Client Service Coordinator. Matters of a serious nature will be sent to Guardian Health Care Management to investigate.

If you feel a complaint has not been adequately addressed, then contact us to find out other avenues/agencies you can contact.
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Handling of Files and Storage of Information

Guardian Health Care is committed to ensuring that service users’ personal information is protected within privacy laws. Guardian Health Care will only collect information that is relevant and applicable to the Client Centred Plan / Care plan process and meeting the needs of the service user.

Where requested, translated materials and interpreter services will be provided.

Disposal of personal information is carried out in a manner of which is in keeping of the privacy act. Service Users are able to request at any time, assistance from a support person or advocate with the collection, storage, disposal and accessibility of their personal information in discussions with Guardian Health Care.
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Incidents

It is the intention of Guardian Health Care to provide a safe working environment for both service users and workers. This policy also insures that when an incident occurs it is reported properly in line with Guardian Health Care service policy and state/federal legislation. Guardian Health Care aims to minimise incidents by documenting, reviewing and redressing the negative consequences of incidents.

Guardian Health Care considers an incident to be of concern if any person associated with services provided by Guardian Health Care is injured, put at risk or distressed.

If a staff member considers an incident to be of concern, he or she will:

• Take immediate action to ensure the people involved are safe, calm and or receiving appropriate assistance

• Inform the Coordinator/Manager as soon as possible and

• Complete an Incident Report form within 3 day after the event.

Incident reports will allow Guardian Health Care to continuously review practices to ensure we are doing everything possible to maintain a safe working environment for all.
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Manual Handling

What is Manual Handling?
A significant proportion of support work involves manual handling. Manual handling is any task in which a person lifts pushes, pulls, carries, lowers or otherwise moves, holds or restrains any person or object.

Manual handling tasks disability support workers may perform in their role include:

• Using equipment such as hoists;

• Transfers of clients in and out of wheelchairs, from bed to chair, from chair to toilet etc.;

• Pushing shower chairs and wheelchairs; and

• Assisting clients to stand.

The main risks involved in manual handling tasks are:

• Lifting and transferring the client inappropriately or not using the equipment provided correctly;

• Twisting, stooping or using unsafe postures while moving clients or carrying loads;

• Doing more lifts/transfers than necessary;

• Repetitive movements eg in massage or exercise routines;

• Lack of experience or skill in routines required;

• Unpredictable movements due to spasms etc; and

• Lack of communication between client and carer during transfers.

Guardian Health Care is committed to ensuring staff utilise best practice Manual Handling skills by providing ongoing training dependent on individual support needs, and implement annual mandatory training for our staff in Manual Handling.
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Participation and Integration

One of the most important goals of Guardian Health Care’s services is to provide clients with every opportunity to participate in community life.

Community inclusion helps clients gain:

• Experiences necessary for normal growth and development that is not possible in isolated settings.

• A range of social and personal relationships with other members of the community.

• Greater levels of independence by using community facilities and services.

Guardian Health Care believes each individual should be supported in pursuing activities of their choice. This could involve working together with community groups to create opportunities for activities with other members of the community and to increase the friendship network of the client.

Valued Status
In the past, people with disabilities have been disadvantaged by being limited to lifestyles not valued by the rest of the community. Guardian Health Care actively works to help clients to develop and maintain skills to achieve valued roles in the community.
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Professional Boundaries

Talking about Professional Boundaries is as difficult as it is important. But Guardian Health Care is committed to good practice on professional boundaries with clients.

We recognise that staff must establish rapport with clients and provide support that optimises their potential to lead a meaningful life. In doing so, staff need to maintain appropriate professional boundaries between themselves and clients. Having said this, a professional boundary is not always black and white in community care services.

There is no single all-inclusive definition of what constitutes professional boundaries. Our intent is to provide guidance on acceptable and unacceptable practice, enabling us to apply clear and consistent standards across Guardian Health Care.

In setting out a professional context for working with services users some basic values and principles that govern our professional practice are:

• Boundaries define the limits of behaviour, which allow a professional support worker and a service user to engage safely in a supportive caring relationship. These boundaries are based upon trust, respect and the appropriate use of power.

• The relationship between staff and service users is a therapeutic caring relationship that must focus solely upon meeting the needs of the service user. It is not established to build personal or social contacts for staff. Moving the focus of care away from meeting a service user’s needs towards meeting the employee’s own needs is not acceptable.

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Quality and Continuous Improvement

Commitment to Quality Assurance
Guardian Health Care is committed to ensuring we provide a high quality service that is responsive to the changing needs of our target population. Guardian Health Care participates in quality assurance processes to ensure that its services are of a high and improving standard.

The Quality system is part of Guardian Health Care’s commitment and is based on:

• Continuous improvement of our services as the basis of achieving our mission;

• Input and involvement of our Service Users in evaluation and improvement activities;

• The need to involve and empower all Guardian Health Care staff and Service Users in identifying and implementing quality improvements; and

• Systematic use of qualitative and quantitative feedback as a basis for identifying and prioritising improvement opportunities.

The achievement of quality outcomes necessitates a commitment to quality procedures at all levels and by all members of Guardian Health Care.

Guardian Health Care is committed to meeting the quality standards expected by Service Users in the delivery of the services that we supply to them.

Our quality objectives are to:

• Provide a high quality service;

• Use the Quality Management System as a tool in achieving best practice outcomes across the organisation

• Ensure continuous improvement

• Comply with the relevant Commonwealth and State Legislative And Regulatory requirements for the operation of a Disability Service.

We currently meet all the Disability Service Standards.

We support the transition to the new Human Services Quality Standards, which contain the following six standards:

1. Governance and Management

2. Services Access

3. Responding to Individual Need

4. Safety, Well-being and Rights

5. Feedback, Complaints and Appeals

6. Human Resources