Health Professionals will ensure that our services and processes are of the highest standards by carrying out the following:
Health Professionals as a Supplier of Service
Regular audits:
All files, policies and procedures are to be audited on a regular basis to ensure the most up-to-date standards are in place.
· A yearly process where an independent auditor (health industry background) comes to review current and new policies / procedures. Of particular interest will be the Medication Policy and how it’s applicable to the temp Nurse or Midwife. This auditor is invited to table any recommendations.
· All documents (handbook, training manual) that are given to employees at induction, to be audited on 6-12monthly rotations. This includes all professional expectations and policies relating to their practice. All employees to sign off that they have received and read these documents.
Feedback:
Health Professionals actively seeks feedback on our services from both consumers and health practitioners.
· All outgoing emails now include the following line “Please let us know what you think of the level of service provided. You can send feedback to feedback@healthprofessionals.com”.
· Our website also includes a feedback form so that anyone, including visitors to the website, can forward their comments.
· We enclose questionnaires without our client packs.
· Follow up of services and the documentation of these to be actively pursued.
· Feedback, which has been authorised by the consumer, to be posted on the Health Professionals website and as part of promotional tools.
· We actively invite both clients and staff to provide feedback in order to improve services.
Employees of Health Professionals
- All employees, (inclusive of new and current) to be given a copy of the Health Professionals Handbook and Training Manual where details of the minimum standards for practice and professional expectations are highlighted. We intend to create a schedule of training programmes so that:
- Regular auditing of employees professional practices.
- Methods of monitoring employees performance is via appraisal and quality assurance questionnaires (completed by service users).
- The appraisal provides an opportunity for both employee and employer to define future professional goals. It also allows for feedback to be tabled that has been collected over the previous 6 months. Our new database will bring attention to dates of appraisals for staff.
- The usage of quality assurance questionnaires also allows for closer scrutiny of employees professional practice.
- Where 1 or more reports of poor performance by employees arise, employee will be invited to discuss this feedback and may result in appraisals needing to be carried out on a more regular basis than standard 6 months.
- LAP3 Note. We will liaise with the Authority to ascertain and record the performance of any newly qualified Agency worker or for any Agency worker returning to work after 13 weeks or more of not working or any worker newly employed or engaged by the agency, check and record their performance twice in the first 3 month period (after the 1st assignment and again at the end of that period).
- LAP3 note. The agency shall use its reasonable endeavours to obtain regular quality assessment reports for each agency worker from placements from the Authorities that the agency worker has been provided to under the framework agreement.
Complaints:
Outlined in the Health Professionals Handbook and Training Manual is the procedure by which Health Professionals handles all complaints.
- All complaints to be taken seriously and documented and dealt with according to relevant policies and standards.
- Employee involved to be made aware of any allegations and invited to respond to any allegations.
- Any allegations involving children or serious misconduct to involve immediate action.
- NMC to be notified if serious allegation and evidence arise pertaining to an employee.
- A regular audit of all complaints to be carried out by senior Health Professionals staff. Any patterns seen to be arising to be examined further.
- Where the complaint is against Health Professionals (and not an employee), to be handled by the director of Health Professionals and/or most senior nurse manager.