Following an enquiry, a visit is arranged for the individual and or the family to view the home at first and to ensure the placement and the environment will be suitable in meeting the individuals need.

Once they have visited the care home and feel comfortable that it is the right place for them or their loved one, the Care Home Manager will ask to arrange a pre-admission assessment.

The pre-admission assessment serves many different purposes.

• The assessment allows the potential service user to meet at least one member of the staff team before they move into the home. This way, there will be some level of familiarity before they move in.
• The assessment allows the care home to gain a detailed understanding about an individuals care needs before they move in. This way, the home can begin developing a care plan before a person moves in; ensuring that the staffs at the home are adequately prepared from the first day a service user arrives to the home.
• The assessment allows a Care Home Manager to conduct a detailed analysis about an individual’s needs and can confirm that our particular care facility is the right place for your loved one. If not, they will be able to inform you immediately and possibly recommend alternate facilities for you to visit and evaluate.

A decision is made based on some criteria and if the individual is suitable for the care home, a pre-admission meeting will be held between interested parties (relatives, social services, service user themselves) and the care home to discuss the ‘initial care plan’ and speak about the best time for the individual to move in.

In the event of an emergency admission, where there isn’t time to follow standard admission procedures, the care home will endeavour to work in partnership with the Placing Authority to ensure that the individual is removed from their point of crisis and admitted with them in as quickly as possible. The home will accept emergency placements on the understanding that it does not imply that the service user will stay in the home once the emergency is over.

On receipt of a completed referral form/care plan the care home management team will meet to discuss if they believe the needs and care of the individual can be successfully met. An answer will be given to the authority within three hours.

Service users accepted into the home in an emergency situation, are accepted on the condition that they will be fully assessed, if the home feels it is unable to meet the needs of the service user, it will relocate the service user to a more appropriate environment to their needs. The relocation will take place as quickly as possible, after the emergency is over, or under the guidance of all professionals concerned.

It is advisable to mark all clothing’s clearly with their initials or label with the name sown on them.