Service User Guide

Service User Guide

Welcome to the Gardiner’s Homecare and our Service User Guide.

Gardiner’s was established in 1968 by Dorothy Gardiner.  Dorothy was made an MBE in 1984 for her ‘outstanding contribution to fostering good standards of care in the independent sector’.  Dorothy strove to provide a professional, sensitive, caring service, setting high standards and valuing every client and staff member equally.

More than fifty years on, Gardiner’s remains a family business with a reputation for providing reliable, compassionate and dedicated care at home.    We promote and maintain independence by providing personalised care and companionship tailored to individual needs.  We are regulated by the Care Quality Commission.

This Service User Guide explains some of the details that clients will need to know about our service.

The sections in our Service User Guide

How would you like Gardiner’s to help?

Whatever it is that you are struggling with in your day-to-day life, our Care Workers are likely to be able to help. Maintaining your independence is important.  Detailed via the above link are some of the things that we can help with.

Getting started with Gardiner’s

Via the link above, we set out the process if you are looking to start receiving care from Gardiner’s.

Managing your care

How do the Gardiner’s team help to manage your care?  This page explains about your appointed Care Manager, your care team, the software we use to plan and record care and how you can access it.

The arrival of your Care Worker

When your Care Worker arrives, how will they get in and how will you know they are who they say they are?  This page explains how key safes work and how you can organise one.  It also details how you can be confident that the person visiting you is who they (& we!) say they are.

Mobility

If we are concerned about how you are able to move about in your home, we may ask that an Occupational Therapy assessment is completed.  Care Workers may only be able to provide help with certain activities once the recommended equipment is in place.

Infection control

What steps do our team take to make sure that the risk of infection spreading is minimised.  How can you help them and what supplies do you need to provide.

Medication

We know that medication can sometimes be difficult to manage. The Gardiner’s team can help clients with their medication.

Your home as a workplace

When you start to receive care at home you need to think about your home as a workplace.  You are responsible for making sure that your home is a safe working environment.  Your home as a workplace needs to be safe for those who provide you with help.

Comments and complaints

Your feedback about our service is very important to us, it helps us to improve the service we provide.  We aim to work closely with you to provide your care in the way that you would like it to be done.

Adult Safeguarding

Adult safeguarding means protecting people so they can live in safety, free from abuse and neglect.  If we have concerns, we will raise those concern with the local safeguarding team.

Data protection

What information do Gardiner’s hold about you as a client?  Why do we hold that information and what do we do with it? What are your rights with regard to the data we hold?  The link above is the link to our client privacy notice.

Surveillance for the elderly

Surveillance for the elderly can be used to help keep people safe however it is important to protect people’s privacy and human rights.  The Human Rights Act protects every individual’s right to their private and family life, this extends not only to vulnerable service users but also to their care workers.

Click here to read the Homecare Association Code of Practice