Checking the health and well-being of a customer

Purpose

This procedure describes the actions to be taken to check the health and well-being of a customer on an emergency visit.

Responsibility

Response Officers

Process

Response Officers should use their eyes, ears and sense of smell to assess the customer’s health and well-being.

• They should ask the customer to provide information that would describe their state of health, well-being or needs.

• When asking the customer questions, ensure that one officer takes the lead and asks the questions to avoid confusing the customer.
• The leading Response Officer should use open questions and should seek to gain clarity around answers provided and explore further, if necessary.

NB: Consult with your colleague before major decisions are made.

Where the Response Officer needs to examine the customer as part of any first aid assessment (and the customer is conscious):

• They should explain to the customer what they wish to do and ask for the customer’s consent / agreement to this before proceeding.
• The customer’s response to this request should not be over-ruled where it is deemed that the customer has capacity at the time of the visit.

Please see - Overruling a customer’s wishes

Where the Response Officers have concerns about the customer’s health or well-being or do not feel able or competent to make a full assessment, they should call for relevant assistance. Please see - Calling emergency services procedure

Welfare checks

Where there is a concern for the well-being of a customer and if all other means of contacting them have failed. Staff should visit the customer. Requests may be obtained from a relative, GP, 999 services or other health & social care professional. Please see - Entering the customer’s premises

If the request is received from a carer or care agency then the request must be made via the on-call duty social worker first (after 5pm or at weekends). Or via ASC if between the hours of 9am-5pm Monday-Friday the duty social worker.  The reason we involve ASC is to record the entrance to a customer’s home without invitation. Therefore this action should not delay any visit to the customer’s home following the customary checks.