Department of Children and Families/Department of Mental Health

Department of Children and Families/Department of Mental Health

Caring Together

Frequently Asked Questions

Medication Administration Program

Nursing

Question 1: What are the Nurse responsibilities in Caring Together contracts

When the relevant service specifications require a nursing presence at a site, a Registered Nurse must be available for consultation for medical issues and to oversee the establishment, implementation and review of medical protocols as well as the site’s medication administration system. Specific nursing responsibilities include but are not limited to:

·  Review of medication logs at regularly scheduled intervals to ensure that medications are being administered in a manner consistent with the prescribing practitioner’s orders; Consultation with and education of staff regarding youth with eating disorders and other medical conditions, e.g., diabetes;

·  Providing medication education for youth and staff;

·  Ensuring families receive education regarding side effects of medication;

·  Work closely with youth with complex medical needs;

·  Participating, as clinically indicated, in treatment planning;

·  Educating staff and youth regarding infection control issues, including influenza transmission;

·  Ensuring that medications are arriving as ordered from the pharmacy and are being stored and administered in accordance with all applicable statute, regulation and policyProviding information about community resources that support youth with medical needs;

·  Consulting with healthcare providers regarding youth with complex medical needs;

·  Coordinating with outside medical providers;

·  Ensuring that verbal orders from prescribers are accurately transcribed and implemented; and,

·  Ensuring that Court-ordered medication(s) subject to a “Rogers” order are administered as directed by the Court.

Question 2: What are the nursing hours in Caring Together contracts with MAP requirement

Each site must have a Registered Nurse.

Intensive Group Home 1:3

The number of hours will vary according to the size of the program, but they must be based on the requirement of 10 hours per week for a 12-bed program (0.25 FTE RN)

Intensive Group Home with Expanded Nursing

Each program must have 1.5 FTE Registered Nurse and 1.5 FTE LPN for a 24 bed program.

Group Home 1:4 Services

The number of hours will vary according to the size of the program, but they must be based on the requirement of 10 hours per week for a 12-bed program (0.25 FTE RN)

Pre-Independent Living Services

The number of hours will vary according to the size of the program, but they must be based on the requirement of 4 hours per week (0.1 FTE RN) for a 12-bed program

Stabilization, Assessment and Rapid Reintegration (STARR)

The number of hours will vary according to the size of the program, but they must be based on the requirement of 1 hour per week per youth

Please note that the above numbers represent an average amount of nursing time spent on each youth and that the nurse is expected to use his/her judgment with regard to how the total time required in each setting is allocated among the youth in that particular program.

January 16, 2014