In an industry that provides essential care and support for the vulnerable, a strong HR department is required to support employees.

Care homes have a duty of care to their patients, and as such need to be regulated. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) closely monitor, inspect and regulate services across the UK to maintain a high standard within the care sector.

Of course, many sensitive issues can arise when working in the industry – whether that’s around health and safety, employee issues or even receiving complaints. On top of that, there are CQC regulations that must be adhered to.

These include:

• Requirements relating to registered managers;
• Safeguarding service users;
• Premises and equipment;
• Receiving and acting on complaints;
• Staffing.

At NORi HR and Employment Law, we want to help showcase just how well your care home is performing, which is why we offer our own audit before your official CQC inspection.

We will examine your internal and external procedures against current CQC requirements for staffing and address any criticisms that might arise. By having a ‘practice run’, together we are able to identify specific problem areas and implement procedures that ensure your care home comes out on top.

A CQC inspector will generally interview the people who use your service, i.e. your patients, as well as your staff. Additionally, the Care Quality Commission may observe your care home in action, review records and look at your documents, policies and procedures.

For example, one category that your care home will be marked on is Staffing. The driving force behind the regulation is to ensure that the provider has enough suitably trained employees to care for the users and to ensure that the regulatory requirements are achieved. According to CQC guidelines, staff must receive the support, training, CPD, supervisions and appraisals necessary to carry out their role and responsibilities.

We know that your number one priority is looking after the people in your care, and we understand how big a task staying up to date with the latest legislation and procedure is. That is where we can help.

Usually a HR department will look after all of the above, but sometimes care homes might not have the resources to create a dedicated Human Resources Team. However, that does not mean that you have to miss out.

From providing you and your staff with CPD accredited workshops that will enhance managerial skills and capabilities in employee relations, to acting as your HR support team, NORi can provide you with essential and expert HR support. We can even help with your recruitment process to ensure you are hiring – and training – the best possible team to provide care for the vulnerable.

If this is something you are interested in, or would like more information about, simply call the team on 01254 947829.