Governance
European Care Group is committed to a process of internal self regulation which supports and complements the external regulation which is carried out by the various regulatory bodies such as CSCI, Care Commission and CSSIW.
European Care Group has introduced a number of initiatives to carry this out. These include:
Dementia Development Service
The Dementia Development Service exists to provide a research and best practice focus for all dementia care services within the group. The Service is led by an experienced Psychiatric Nurse with experience of University level practice and research. There are links with major Universities and Specialist Dementia organisations such as The Alzheimers Society. A key focus has been on improving practice through training and learning. This is achieved through training programmes and development of Policies and Procedures to support practice.
Group Compliance Team
The Group Compliance Team provide a corporate internal regulatory service to support the board plus local managers. Key areas of work are ensuring compliance with Health and Safety and meeting standards for care provision as contained in the relevant National Standards. This is achieved through a variety of audits and training. Visits to homes and services provide additional support to managers to enable them to focus on provision of high quality care within their area. The Compliance Team oversees the Policies and Procedures Development and Implementation for the Group.
Policies and Procedures
European Care Group has a comprehensive set of Policies and Procedures which are supplemented by Practice Guidelines. Practice Guidelines are developed in relation to specific services and are influenced by service users, carers and practitioners. These enable services to respond locallly to specific needs and requirements. Policies and Procedures provide specific Group-wide advice and instruction to ensure consistency of approach.
Participation Strategy
In line with current regulatory practice European Care Group has developed a participation strategy to ensure we receive feedback from service users and relatives. This is achieved through meetings, surveys and one to one interviews. Service users can also be involved in the recruitment and selection process.
Lay Visitors
European Care Group has set up a lay visitor pilot scheme in Wales. Lay visitors are representative of a range experience within local communities and their purpose is to visit homes and services and provide the board with independant feedback. This is currently being evaluated and if successful will be developed in England, Scotland and Ireland.