Rota / Staffing Capacity

Are travel times between consecutive domiciliary care visits scheduled realistically, accounting for distance, traffic, and preferred visit times?

What we look for: Sample a minimum of 5 staff rotas across a week. Verify that there is explicit, realistic travel time blocked out between visits. A fail would be consecutive calls booked with zero travel time or evidence of "clipping" call times to accommodate travel.

Evidence: Staff rotas, map/routing software outputs, electronic call monitoring (ECM) data, staff feedback forms

Are staff working hours monitored to ensure they do not exceed safe limits, and are adequate rest breaks provided within shifts?

What we look for: Review timesheets for 5 full-time care staff. Check for consecutive days worked without a day off, 14+ hour shifts, and lack of meal breaks. A fail is evidence of staff fatigue risk through systemic overworking without adequate rest periods.

Evidence: Timesheets, payroll reports, working time directive opt-out forms, shift patterns

Is there a robust system to monitor and respond to missed, late, or shortened visits in real-time?

What we look for: Examine ECM alert logs and management responses for the last month. Assess if alerts for late/missed calls are investigated and actioned immediately to prevent harm. A fail is unacknowledged ECM alerts or failure to contact the person/family when delays occur.

Evidence: Electronic Call Monitoring (ECM) alerts, late/missed call logs, incident reports, daily handover notes

Are staff matched to care visits based on their specific training, competencies, and the individual needs of the person?

What we look for: Cross-reference the needs of 3 clients requiring specialized support (e.g., PEG feeding, complex moving and handling) with the training records of the staff rostered to them. A fail occurs if unqualified staff are scheduled for specialized tasks.

Evidence: Staff training matrix, client care plans (e.g., stoma care, hoist use), rota system skill tags, competency assessments

Does the rostering process ensure continuity of care by assigning a consistent core team of care workers to each person using the service?

What we look for: Review schedules for 5 people with complex needs. Calculate the number of different carers they have seen in the past month. Good practice involves a small, consistent team. A fail is a high turnover of unknown staff delivering personal care.

Evidence: Client rotas/schedules for the last 4 weeks, continuity reports from rostering software, care plan preferences

Are people using the service informed in advance about who will be visiting them and any unavoidable changes to their scheduled rota?

What we look for: Check communication logs or call clients to verify if they receive their rotas in advance in an accessible format. Verify the procedure for notifying them of last-minute sickness. A fail is clients consistently reporting they do not know who is turning up or when.

Evidence: Weekly schedules sent to clients, communication logs, complaint records, client feedback surveys

Is there adequate on-call and management support available during all hours that care is being delivered, including weekends and evenings?

What we look for: Review the on-call rota and logbook for the past month. Ensure a competent, trained manager/senior is always available for advice and emergency cover. A fail is staff reporting they cannot reach anyone in an emergency out of hours.

Evidence: On-call rotas, out-of-hours logbooks, staff survey results, incident reports occurring out-of-hours

Is staffing capacity formally assessed before accepting new care packages to ensure current commitments are not compromised?

What we look for: Review the process for accepting new referrals over the past month. Look for evidence that management calculates available staff hours and geographical capacity before saying yes. A fail is taking on new packages that immediately lead to late/rushed calls across the board.

Evidence: Capacity planning documents, new referral assessments, management meeting minutes, documented decline of packages