Policies

This policy exists in order to ensure that complaints are dealt with effectively, professionally and reviewed in order to prevent the complaint from recurring.

When a complaint from a client or a volunteer is received it must be passed on, as soon as possible, to a member of the committee who should fill out a complaints form and enter the complaint in the complaint record.

If the complaint is deemed to be a Safeguarding issue, the Safeguarding Lead should be notified and necessary and appropriate actions outlined in the organisation’s Safeguarding Policy carried out.

Two members of the committee should work together to investigate the complaint as fully as possible and make a plan of how it should be dealt with. This may involve contacting the complainant and the person about whom the complaint is made. If it is necessary to meet the person about whom a complaint is made they should be offered the chance to have someone with them.

The complainant should be contacted within 2 weeks of the complaint being received. If the process is going to take longer than this they should be informed of the fact and the reason for the delay.

The complainant can nominate an objective person to help them through the complaints process.

In the event that the complaint cannot be resolved to the complainant’s satisfaction the management committee reserve the right to full and final say.

Full details on the progress and outcome of the complaint should be detailed on the Complaint Record.

Any required corrective or preventive actions should be agreed by management committee and if required the constitution and relevant guidelines updated.

Who are we?

We are Home 2 Hospital, a charitable organisation, set up to provide people living with cancer with a free transport service to hospital appointments relating to their diagnosis.

Address:

41 Falcon Drive

Larbert

FK5 4QU

Email: admin@home2hospital.org

Tel: 07826 878942

What does this policy cover?

Home 2 Hospital is committed to the proper management and safeguarding of information provided to us to enable us to provide our service.

This policy

• Sets out the types of data we collect about you to provide our service;
• Explains how and why we collect and use your personal data;
• Explains how long we keep your data for and how it is stored;
• Explains when, why and with whom we will share your personal data;
• Explains the effect of you refusing to provide the personal data required;
• Explains the rights and choices you have when it comes to your personal data; and
• Explains how we may contact you and how you can contact us.

What personal data do we collect about you?

As a client who has requested our service, we collect only the information necessary to be able to provide you with that service. This will comprise of your name, date of birth, home address, landline and/or mobile telephone number, email address, address and telephone number of your GP, address and telephone number of an emergency contact, times and dates of your hospital appointments.

As a volunteer, we collect only the data necessary to provide our hospital transport service to clients. This will comprise your home address, landline and/or mobile, and email address; your PVG (Protection of Vulnerable Groups) reference number and the names and addresses of your referees.

For donors we will ask for your name and contact details, to allow our treasurer to acknowledge receipt of donations and submit gift aid claims to the HMRC, when applicable. These will be stored on a secure lap top.

For drivers, make, colour and registration number of your vehicle, MOT (if applicable), DVLA and insurance information will be noted and thereafter on each mileage expenses claim form submitted by a volunteer driver they will certify that a valid certificate of insurance, a current driving licence and MOT, if required, are in force ensuring that all vehicles which are used to transport patients are fully licensed,  and insured.

How do we collect your Data?

As a client we will collect the data directly from you in the form of your name, address etc. We only use this data to provide the patient transport service. We do not collect any medical data.

As a volunteer, we collect data from the application form which you have completed in order to become a volunteer.

How long do we keep your data for?

Your data is stored on a secure cloud storage system, secure laptop and password protected phone

If you are a client, we will keep your data for 5 years. This is to enable us to offer you our service in the future if required.

If you are a volunteer, we will keep your data for 6 years after you have ceased to be a volunteer with Home 2 Hospital. We are legally required to retain all your expenses claim forms for a period of six years.

With whom do we share your data?

If you are a client your data is only shared within Home 2 Hospital as required to enable us to provide the service required by our clients. We will not share your data with any other organisations.

What happens if you do not provide us with the information we request or ask that we stop processing it?

As a client, if you do not provide us with the personal data necessary, or request that we no longer use your data, we may not be able to provide you with our service.

As a driver if you do not provide us with the data we need to deliver our services you may not be able to drive clients on our behalf.

What rights do you have in relation to the data we hold on you?

Under Data Protection Legislation, you have a number of rights when it comes to your personal data. Further information and advice about your rights can be obtained from the UK’s data protection regulator, The Information Commissioner (ICO).

How will you contact us?

If you are unhappy with the way we have handled your information or have further questions regarding your personal data, contact – June Kirkwood in writing at 41 Falcon Drive, Larbert FK5 4QU  or email admin@hometohospital.org

Home 2 Hospital is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation SC052901

Purpose and scope of policy

The purpose and scope of this policy is to set out Home 2 Hospital’s  Safeguarding Policy in line with the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007.

This policy and its related procedures apply to:

• All volunteers and trustees of Home 2 Hospital
• Children, young people and adults at risk taking part in any of our activities
• External organisations, visitors and partners engaged with Home 2 Hospital’s business

Home 2 Hospital has a commitment to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk, as well as volunteers and other people who come into contact with the charity through its work.

This policy will be reviewed for operational purposes on an annual basis but with a robust review every three years.

2. Policy Principles

Home 2 Hospital has the desire to create a culture whereby safeguarding is discussed at all levels on a regular basis, promoting the message that it is important to recognise and address issues of concern. Similarly promoting the message that concerns will be taken seriously, acted upon appropriately and recorded in a consistent manner.

Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility; we are committed to creating and sustaining a culture of vigilance amongst our trustees and volunteers to recognise, respond, record and report safeguarding concerns and provide a proportionate response.

Information and data received as part of safeguarding concerns are handled in confidence and on a need-to-know basis, and in accordance with data protection. 

3. What is Safeguarding?

Safeguarding can be defined as “to protect from damage or harm with an appropriate measure”.

OSCR (Scottish Charity Regulator) define Safeguarding as “the action that an organisation takes to promote the welfare of children and vulnerable adults to protect them from harm including physical, emotional, sexual and financial harm and neglect. This includes making sure that the appropriate policies, practices and procedures are put in place. Safeguarding includes child protection but goes further and extends to all vulnerable beneficiaries.”

3. Safeguarding children, adults at risk, trustees and volunteers

It is widely recognised that everybody has a responsibility to promote safeguarding and the welfare of children and adults at risk. What is less recognised is the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of trustees and volunteers who come into contact with these vulnerable groups. Home 2 Hospital is also committed to safeguarding volunteers through the measures contained in this policy.

At Home 2 Hospital we are committed to offering a safe environment for all to thrive and achieve. We understand the importance of embedding safeguarding processes within our organisation to protect the most vulnerable. 

All trustees and volunteers will, through this policy and any associated training know how to recognise a disclosure and how to manage this.

All volunteers, through training will know how to identify potential abuse of vulnerable groups which can take place in any family, institution, community setting, by telephone or on the internet. 

All volunteers, through training, will know how to identify potential harm and risk a vulnerable person may experience from others or inflict on themselves.  This could include mental health concerns, self-harm and suicidal thoughts or intentions.

It is equally important that trustees and volunteers are able to identify risks to themselves, such as being open to allegations of abuse, or experiencing emotional distress, and that they know how to deal with such concerns. 

Upon recognising a safeguarding concern, immediate action must be taken in accordance with the guidance provided in this policy. 

5. Responsibilities and Expectations

Trustees and volunteers must discuss Confidentiality and Information Sharing with the person they are supporting during their first engagement or at the point of referral.  It is possible that this discussion will have to be repeated throughout the relationship to ensure the person understands their rights and the responsibility of the volunteer.  

There may be occasions where the volunteer considers it necessary and in the best interests of that young person/vulnerable adult to share information with someone else.  This could be; a Trustee, a partner/referral organisation, family member of the person being supported, social services or emergency services.  It is imperative that the volunteer discusses with the young person/vulnerable adult; who they will be sharing information with, what information will be shared and why and seeks informed consent before doing so.  Consent may not always be appropriate or possible and therefore information should only be passed on without consent when it is felt this is in the best interests of that person or the health and wellbeing of that individual or someone else is at risk.

Home 2 Hospital has a Board of Trustees whose responsibility it is to make sure that the organisation has an effective safeguarding policy and procedures in place and to monitor that the organisation complies with them. The Board of Trustees ensures that the policy is made available to volunteers, beneficiaries and partners through training, induction or in writing if requested. It is also the responsibility of our Board of Trustees to ensure that our volunteers are properly vetted to make sure they are safe to work with beneficiaries of our organisation and that the organisation has procedures for appropriately managing allegations of abuse made against a volunteer.

It is the responsibility of the Chair [or a Safeguarding lead designated by the Board] to ensure that all safeguarding issues raised in our organisation are effectively responded to, recorded and referred to the appropriate agency. They are also responsible for arranging appropriate safeguarding training for all volunteers as is considered necessary.

The Board also has the responsibility of publishing, in accessible areas for all Trustees and volunteers, the telephone number for their Local Social Work Departments.

6 Referral Procedures for Trustees and Volunteers – What to do if you are concerned 

Children or adults at risk may disclose information that causes concern. In these situations, it is important you: 

• Do stay calm and listen carefully.
• DO NOT question their account or probe for further information.
• DO NOT promise confidentiality; be honest and explain that you will need to pass this information on in order to help.
• Do reassure them that they have done the right thing in telling you.

 Do record the information immediately / as soon as possible on the Safeguarding Incident /Disclosure Form and pass this to the committee members responsible for safeguarding.

If it is felt/identified that a person is at immediate risk you should contact the Adult Support & Protection Department 01324 506070 and/or call 999 or Police Scotland on 101, depending on the nature of the concern.  After emergency action has been taken, a Safeguarding Incident / Disclosure Form should be completed immediately.

Falkirk Council Adult Support & Protection social services take the lead in coordinating the multi-agency approach to safeguard adults at risk. Anyone who has a concern about an adult at risk, should make a referral to local authority adult social services 01324 506070 or after hours 01786 470500

(asp.falkirk.gov.uk).

Local authority children’s social care act is the principle point of contact for safeguarding concerns relating to children. Anyone who has a concern about a child’s welfare should make a referral to local authority children’s social care 01324 506070.

If you need an urgent social work service outwith the normal office hours, you can contact the Emergency Duty Team on 01786 470500.

7. Managing Allegations

We are aware of the possibility of allegations being made against volunteers that are working with or may come into contact with children, young people and adults at risk whilst in our organisation. Allegations can be made by these vulnerable groups for a number of reasons. If an allegation is made against a volunteer this should be brought to the attention of the safeguarding lead person on the Board or Chair immediately. In the case of an allegation being made against the Chair or safeguarding leads, then it should be brought to the attention  of another Trustee and the Local Social Work Department on the same day. The Lead person / Chair must discuss with the Local Social Work Department the nature of the allegation, in order for the appropriate action to be taken. They will need to:

• Refer to the Local Social Work Department or police immediately.
• Consider safeguarding arrangements for the adult concerned i.e. are they safe to go home.
• Follow the instruction of the Local Social Work Department.
• Consider the rights of the volunteer involved for a fair and equal process of investigation.
• Ensure that the appropriate procedures are followed.

Lack of Police or other investigatory authority action will not preclude the possibility of appropriate action being taken with volunteers if deemed appropriate in response to poor practice.  Procedures will take place as per Home 2 Hospital complaints policy.  Allegations against a volunteer who no longer volunteers for the organisation should be referred to the police. Historical allegations of abuse should also be referred to the police.

8. Training

When new volunteers join our organisation, they will be informed of the safeguarding arrangements in place. They are given a summary of how to look after and deal with safeguarding concerns and who their safeguarding contact is. 

Each year, volunteers will be given a safeguarding update that reminds them about safeguarding procedures in the organisation and provides updates on topical safeguarding issues or training in their area, through the local third sector interface, or national organisations supporting the charity sector. 

Our Board of Trustees will have access to safeguarding training.

9. Safer Staff and Volunteers – Safer recruitment and selection

Home 2 Hospital recruits the right volunteers to ensure they are safe to work with vulnerable adults. We ensure that all those recruited are appropriately scrutinised, and have the relevant values, references where appropriate and Protection of Vulnerable Groups Disclosure check to ensure they are safe to work with children, vulnerable  adults. 

10. Records and Monitoring

If a volunteer is concerned about the welfare or safety of any person, they will record the concern on the Safeguarding Incident / Disclosure Form and pass this to the Safeguarding Lead.  Blank copies of these forms are available from the members of the committee responsible for safeguarding.

Any information recorded will be kept in a restricted folder in Home 2 Hospital’s electronic filing system. These files are the responsibility of the Safeguarding Leads and information will only be shared within the organisation on a need-toknow basis for the protection of the child, or adult at risk. 

11. Information Sharing

Data protection legislation is not a barrier to sharing information, but rather a framework to ensure that personal information is shared appropriately. In particular, the Data Protection Act 2018 balances the rights of the information subject (the individual whom the information is about) and the possible need to share information about them.

Consent is not always needed to share personal information. Wherever possible you should seek consent and be open and honest with the individual from the outset, as to why, what, how and with whom, their information will be shared. There may be some circumstances where it is not appropriate to seek consent, because the individual cannot give consent, or it is not reasonable to obtain consent, or because to gain consent would put a child’s or young person’s safety at risk. (Source: Working Together to Safeguard Children July 2018) 

There are seven golden rules for information sharing: 

• Remember that the Data protection legislation and GDPR are not a barrier to sharing information
• Keep a record of your decision and the reasons for it. Record what you have shared, with whom and for what purpose
• Be open and honest with the person (and/or their family where appropriate) at the outset about why, what, how and with whom information will, or could be shared, and seek their agreement, unless it is unsafe or inappropriate to do so.
• Seek advice if you are in any doubt, without disclosing the identity of the person where possible.
• Share with consent where appropriate and, where possible, respect the wishes of those who do not consent to share confidential information. You may still share information without consent if, in your judgement, that lack of consent can be overridden in public interest. You will need to base your judgement on the facts of the case.
• Consider the safety and well-being of the person and others who may be affected by their actions.

12. Data Protection

Personal data can be shared in relation to children and adults at risk (Data Protection Act 2018 Schedules 2, 3 and 4. The exemptions are also in Article 23 and Chapter IX of the GDPR) when a safeguarding referral is made. Home 2 Hospital ensures measures are taken to protect individual’s privacy on a needto-know basis through the reporting procedures outlined in this policy.

Only the Safeguarding Leads have access to the Safeguarding records which are held in a secure cloud storage system in accordance with data protection guidelines.

Current safeguarding leads are Ken Drummond (Chair) and Graeme Sutherland (Lead Driver).

Safeguarding Incident/Disclosure Form

All allegations, complaints or suspicions of abuse should be recorded as close as possible to the time of the incident. Details of incidents should be recorded in as much detail, and as accurately as possible. Any disclosures of abuse being made should be a reflection of what was actually said. Do not try and interpret any of the information. Just record what was said or witnessed.

Signed: ………………………………………………..

Date: …………………………………………………Time: ……………………………….

This form should be kept in a secure and safe place, in compliance with Home 2 Hospital Data Storage policy.

You should seek further guidance and support from:

• Safeguarding Officer (Graeme Sutherland)
• Lead Safeguarding Officer (Ken Drummond)

A member of Home 2 Hospital Committee

• Adult Support, Social work department 01324 506070