Checklist for Evaluating the Activity Provision within a Health and Social Care Setting
Produced by the Gloucestershire Activity Champions Network
Facilitated by:
In collaboration with:
October 2014 (Edition 1)
Checklist for Evaluating the Activity Provision within a Health and Social Care Setting
Note: This list is not, and should not be used as, definitive; all services are different, and so are all service users – this should be taken into account when making an assessment of which statements are applicable in specific surroundings. (The term ‘service user is utilised throughout the checklist to describe residents/clients/those who access and are supported by social care services in all settings)
Statement: / Y/N / Evidence/Comments:A: THE INDIVIDUAL/SERVICE USER
a1 / Each service user should have a ‘Life History’ or ‘Cloud Profile/ All About Me Book: these life biographies should be freely available (in every service user’s room?) to all people providing support to these individuals, and staff should be able to talk about how they use this information to support residents in a person centred way e.g. respecting previous routines, or familiar habits that give them a feeling of purpose or security. There should be evidence that this information is a ‘living’ document; that it is added to and updated as more information is discovered, or as an individual’s likes, abilities and preferences change.
A2 / There should be evidence that these life biographies are actively being used by all staff members – that they see them as a point of reference,enabling them to get to know the individual as well as possible, and using the contents to inform their interaction with the person in question. e.g. offering activities that they enjoy, starting conversations about them, their past/present, their likes and dislikes etc.
A3 / Evidence of equality, diversity and inclusion – showing that the organisation is respecting each person’s individual culture, beliefs and personal choices and enabling relevant access to things/people/places that are important to them.
B: THE ENVIRONMENT
B1 / Options to have quiet space and ‘alone time’ should be visible – different areas of the home should have a more low-key ‘feel’ to them, and residents should be able to choose to go into their own rooms whenever they want, and not cajoled to be in a day room when they don’t want to go.
Encouragement to try things is positive – insisting that they join in is not.
B2 / Evidence of previous life in their own rooms – personalised bedrooms that add to the picture of who the resident is – examples could be having their own furniture/bedlinen and photos,ornaments pictures on doors to help with recognition (this is not always relevant in every care setting – for example, an autistic service user could be distressed by an overly busy and confusing environment)
B3 / Appropriate use of colour in the building – staff are able to explain why the décor in their building is appropriate to their service users’ needs e.g. white doors in white walls are not helpful to dementia residents.
B4 / A positive environment should be evident -Happy faces – smiles from both staff and service users; chatting and lots of eye contact where appropriate; cheerful, encouraging tone of voice and the use of enabling, ‘can-do’ language from staff; lots of positive encouragement and praise from staff to service users to build self-esteem and sense of purpose.
Both staff and service users are proud of their establishment and will express this, for example verbally, or in writing.
B5 / On site facilities that add value to residents and are engaging for them – examples may include garden areas with ‘open door’ access, reminiscence corners with interesting items for people to hold and talk about; sensory equipment readily available, musical instruments etc. (this has to be practical – this will depend on whether residents can be left with items when without supervision – if they can’t, then baskets of items should be easily accessed and used by all staff).
B6 / Effective use of indoor and outdoor space – evidence of activities that residents relate to, such as having washing hanging on the line. Easily accessible things of interest will be on hand in rooms.
C: ACTIVITY PROVISION
C1 / The workplace has a nominated person who is the lead, or ‘Champion’ for activity provision, and who has a specific budget for materials and resources, with a dedicated storage area for these resources that all staff can access.
C2 / Activities should be offered that maintain (and, where appropriate, develop) independence, challenge, skills, experiences and self-esteem – staff should be able to explain the link between the activities an individual is participating in and their value to that individual i.e. what needs the activity is meeting for that person.
C3 / Evidence that activities are taking place – e.g. photographs, display area of residents’ contributions to activities sessions (group or individual). Where possible, this evidence should record the spontaneous, unplanned occasions where meaningful engagement with a resident is occurring. It should also evidence that all staff are directly involved in this (indicating a culture of meaningful engagement) and not just one or two where their job title is activity related.
C4 / Record keeping (paper or computerised) should link as supporting evidence to show that activities are being planned, offered and evaluated in a person centred way,with the individual at the centre of decisions being made.
Staff should be aware of and access this information.
C5 / Visible signs of a published programme of activities (what is on offer and when etc.), appropriately communicated (pictures etc.) with individuals sheets in service users’ room (where required). It should be evident that any planning for individuals is a flexible document, and that changes are acceptable.
Note: Not all establishments will feel a programme of activities is relevant to their service users, so the lack of one is not evidence in itself of poor activity provision, but the reason why should be explored.
C6 / Service users should be in different parts of the home doing things that have meaning and purpose for them – these activities will be person-centred, tailored to individuals’ needs, aspirations and wishes, linked to life biographies. Some may be in a group activity through choice, but others will engage in other ways, either planned or spontaneous.
C7 / Individuals should be able to access activities to do at the time they want to do them – for some individuals, this may be at night time, for example, if they are poor sleepers.
D: DOCUMENTATION
D1 / Up-to-date written evidence of activities, showing clear links to care plans and a person-centred approach to activity provision. There should be a paperwork trail running from the individual, through the planning to evidence of activities having taken place.
D2 / Written evidence that activities have been evaluated for their value to the individual(s) participating, and that findings have affected decisions on activity provision e.g. to change or continue an activity.
D3 / Record keeping available for all staff to access – and a way for families to see what has been happening when they are not around – for example, daily records, in-room diaries etc.
D4 / An ‘in-house (staff) activities planner board – daily activities, shifts, staff allocated, visual reminder of who is doing what planned activity
E: STAFF ENGAGEMENT
E1 / Staff see their role as being an ‘enabler’ rather than a ‘carer’ – supporting people to do as much as they can for themselves, rather than doing things to or for them, to encourage independence, self-worth, and achievement.
E2 / Evidence of training and skills being shared across the whole staff team, particularly on the ‘whole home approach’
E3 / Evidence that all staff engage with residents in meaningful moments e.g. making a cup of tea together, having a chat, sharing the job of laying the table etc.
Note: ‘All staff’ means anyone on the workforce, including kitchen staff, maintenance, housekeeping etc.
E4 / There should be good interaction when doing ‘core’ care tasks, e.g. talking with the residents when assisting with personal care; talking about food when assisting with meals; explaining ‘why’ when doing tasks.
E5 / Staff bring their own skills, hobbies and talents into the home and share them for the benefit of the service users.
E6 / All staff respond to service users in a person-centred way, respecting their choices and preferences on the day/in the moment – staff asking service users if they wish to join in with an activity, not telling them it is time to do it. Staff work flexibly and can adapt to changing factors, such as individual mood, health, weather etc.
E7 / Staff should recognise changes in individuals’ abilities (this can include health and medical conditions, reactions to medication etc.)
F: COMMUNITY INCLUSION
F1 / Service users are able to have strong links with the local community – either going out if they are able (walking to the local shop for a newspaper instead of having it delivered, sales, markets, shopping trips, using the library etc.) or bringing them in (volunteers, groups, local schools visiting, hosting events that are open to the public etc )
F1 / Links with other organisations are evident – for example, colleges, schools, other care homes and organisations that provide relevant opportunities for residents to enjoy and be part of.
F3 / Families and other visitors can explain how community links are maintained if they are asked; they will also be invited to get involved with activities and outings that are taking place.
F4 / Individual service users are able to maintain links that are important to them, such a being a member of a church. Staff can explain how they enable service users to maintain these links.
Note For Use of This Checklist:
ThisChecklistforEvaluatingthe Activity Provision Within A Health and Social Care Settinghas been produced by theGloucestershire Activity Champions Network. The group, supported and endorsed by Gloucestershire County Council, is working hard to promote excellence in creating a culture of meaningful engagement, through activity provision, for individuals accessing care services in Gloucestershire. TheGCC Quality Assurance Team, who monitor and review quality in care establishments where they commission services, have been fully involved in this initiative from the outset.
They advise thatCare Home Managersuse thechecklistas their ownself-audit tool. By doing this, they should then be able to identify any areas that need to be developed, and thus be able to write their ownSMARTaction / improvement plan.
The GCC Review Officers will use the document as a reference tool at visits, and also make sure that home managers are aware of this, encouraging them to use the document as a quality improvement tool as outlined above.
Please can all managers also ensure that yourActivity Co-ordinator has his/her own copy of this document- it istheirworking tool for ensuring that the activity provision in the service where theywork is meeting the highest standards possible. It is also abenchmarking toolfor having conversations together about the quality of the activity provision in your establishment, andagreeing actions and improvements together.
This document has been created from the contributions of Gloucestershire Activity Co-ordinators - they are the people who are directly responsible for making activity provision'excellent'within their care setting, and have the knowledge and experience to know what works and why. The aim of thechecklistis to provide you with a set of statements that evidence 'excellence', and for you to assess your own activity provision and create aspirational performance amongst your whole staff group, and a recognition of the vital importance of meaningful activity to the individuals they, and you, support.