Improving care provision – The Ethical Care Charter11 June 2014

Issues in Reading(from Home care Survey)

• Timeliness of calls• Having enough time to fully meet needs• Consistency of care workers• Care workers approach to caring• Access to and support from care agency

office• Training for care workers• Communication

Ethical Care Charter

• March 2012• Establish a minimum baseline for the

safety, quality and dignity of care by ensuring employment conditions

• RBC signed March 2014

Ethical Care Charter - Stage 1Ensure• Need is start point – not time/task• Avoid 15 min calls (apart from when

appropriate)• Workers get paid travel time, costs

and basic expenses• Scheduling to allow travel time• Statutory sick pay

Stage 2• Same workers for each client where possible• No Zero Hours instead of permanent contracts• Clear procedures for safeguarding, complaints,

and whistleblowing• Regular paid training to good service standard• Paid time to meet other workers

Stage 3

• Living Wage• Occupational Sick Pay

Implementation of Charter

• Providers are already doing many of these • No timescales• Staged approach but can ‘pick and mix’• No definitive answers

Discussion groups• Introduce discussion groups• Talk about your experience of care in any capacity

(carer, care provider…)• What works particularly well?• What is missing / could be improved?• What further provision could be made?• Charter’s Outcomes: what should the council

concentrate on now? Later? • What is important to you? • Prioritise outcomes from charter

Feedback from discussion groups