Zero Tolerance for Client Abuse

Zero Tolerance For Client Abuse

Whereas we recognize and accept that psychological and physiological changes caused by illness may result in some clients exhibiting behaviors that would normally not be expected from a reasonable person,

Whereas we recognize and accept that such behaviors could from time to time pose a risk to the health and safety of staff,

Whereas we recognize and accept that sufficient procedures, tools, and training should be in place to protect the welfare of staff working in such high-risk environments,

But considering that Compassion North America Home Health Services believes that our values are the main reasons why clients should choose us,

And moreover considering that we are strongly committed to protecting the health and safety of our clients, and promoting a high quality of life for them free from abuse, discrimination, and harassment,

Compassion North America Home Health Services condemns and considers the abuse of clients a direct threat to the success of the company and adopts a zero tolerance policy to all kinds of client abuse, including the semblance thereof.

What is Abuse?

The organization believes that abuse of clients can occur in the following three ways:

Through Physical Actions: Such as when a client is slapped, pushed, looked at in a threatening way, or sexually abused. Abuse can also occur, when basic necessities of life such as food and water are withheld from the client, without any justifiable medical cause, for unreasonable periods of time. It can also occur when staff make unjustifiable use of some interventions for the sole purpose of punishment or avoiding the duty of care, including abuse of medication, physical restraints, and isolation techniques.

Through Non-Physical actions: These actions include using threats, name calling, foul language, aggressive intonations, innuendos and like actions with the intended or unintended consequence of causing fear, anxiety, confusion, depression, and other kinds of mental suffering in the client.

Through Inaction: Such as refusing to provide, or insufficiently providing, the duty of care reasonably expected of a caregiver, or provided in the client’s care plan. This includes improperly performing or refusing to help the client with personal care activities including washing, eating, and dressing. It can also include refusing to provide medical care or protect the client from health and/or safety hazards.

Therefore, Compassion North America Home Health Services takes a proactive approach to monitoring, investigating, and auditing for abuse, whenever necessary, to ensure that its work practices, workplaces, and staff conduct are free of abuse and harassment of any kind. The company shall take such actions as, but not limited to:

· Investigating, understanding, and documenting risk factors for abuse within the company, operational environment, and client situation to identify signs that predispose a client to abuse.

· Establishing a process to proactively identify client situations where the staff is at reasonable risk of harm and injury. To collaborate with the attending physician, or other specialist, to provide adequate training, tools, and protective measures in the client’s care plan to ensure the safety and security of staff.

· Conducting regular anonymous and confidential interviews with staff, clients, family members and other caregivers focusing on abusive actions or practices and staff conduct in the workplace and interaction with clients.

· Providing a fair process for reporting all incidents of abuse, as well as establishing protection guarantees to prevent recrimination against staff members or clients who report incidents.

· Establishing mechanism for internally investigating and addressing the outcomes of reviews on abuse. Depending on results of preliminary investigations and urgency of the situation several redress mechanisms are possible. For individuals, redress actions could range from the education of suspected offenders, suspension without pay, separation from the company, informing law enforcement, and following other procedures provided in the applicable law. For the organization, progressive policy measures shall be adopted to strengthen existing organizational guarantees against client abuse to address any lapses identified.

· Provide an anti-abuse checklist for completion with all frontline documentation.

· A copy of this statement shall be displayed in easily visible areas in all work settings.

· Staff would be required to sign this statement to demonstrate their understanding and agreement to abide by the requirements implicit in this policy statement during hiring.