Information & feedback

Visit times are an indication of when we will visit. You should expect staff to visit 30 minutes prior to or after the time. This is to allow for changes in the needs of other service users and travel conditions between visits.

We will do our best to keep you informed if we are running late, however where we are supporting others due to an emergency then we may not be able to contact you immediately.

As your needs change then your own visit may take longer than planned, this will have an effect on other people being supported.

e.g. A visit time of 09:30, means staff may visit between 9:00 and 10:00.

Our staff have the right to work in a healthy environment. This means that they should be able to support you in an environment which is free of:

• Smoke & Risks to health
• Racism & Abuse
• Violence & Aggression
• Bad language & Sexism

If you require 2 or more staff to support you, and refuse the support of one of them, then we cannot continue to provide our service to you. This is because it could be unsafe for both you and the staff member.

Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership have contracted providers to support you with some limitations:

• Similar to support in a hospital, you cannot choose the gender of staff who support you unless there is a valid reason for this. We will however do our best to accommodate this request if we are informed prior to commencing service.
• You cannot choose the specific staff who support you, however we will do our best to accommodate valid requests where possible, but this cannot be guaranteed.

In the first instance please email office@social-care.org or call 0131 285 1606 and ask to raise your concern with the Care Manager. Your support needs will change over time and we will always do our best to support you. If you feel we could do better then we need to know.

If you don't need support e.g. you are going out, have an appointment or visitors, please let us know immediately so that we can update the rota. This will allow us to spend more time with others as well as ensuring we do not trigger an alert if you are not home.

If you are not at home when we visit or we can't gain entry then we will:

• Phone your next of kin
• Check the hospitals to see if you were admitted
• Phone the police for a welfare check
• Contact Social Work to report our concerns

Staff use their phones as part of their job, not to access social media. Everything has become digital so there are very few written records anymore. Phones are used to:

• Access rotas
• Contact the office
• Log in and out of visits
• Record medication that has been given
• Record notes and confirm they have completed everything

We would encourage you to sit with staff and participate in completing these tasks together, this way we know your thoughts at each visit.

Absolutely, if you want to get involved in the recruitment process, nominate staff for promotion or be part of staff observations and appraisals then we would love to hear from you. Please contact us now and we will do our best to support you to get involved.

Staff appreciate your kindness, however staff are not allowed to accept gifts. If you wish to offer a gift then please contact the office for advice. This protects staff from being put in an uncomfortable position.

Absolutely, we would welcome your attendance at any of our workshops. Please contact the office if you are interested.

The British Geriatrics Society (BGS) are providing free Frailty e-learning courses that are suitable for people who work in health and social care and across different settings. You do not need to be a member of the BGS to access this resource. The courses currently on offer are:

• Module 1: Understanding and Communicating Frailty
• Module 2: Identifying Frailty
• Module 3: Managing those living with Frailty
• Module 4: Building Systems Fit for Frailty

If you are interested, please use this link to the BGS website to find out more information and how to register and access the courses.

Edinburgh Council has outlined the different levels of support that Social Care Alba (SCA) can provide with your medication. Here’s a simple guide:

• Level 1: You are fully responsible for managing your own medication and do not need support from SCA.
• Level 2: You remain in control of your medication but may need some assistance. This might include help with opening packaging or a reminder to take your medication. You may also need support for tasks like applying eye drops or ointments.
• Level 3: You are unable to manage your medication on your own and need full assistance. SCA will provide complete support to ensure you take and apply your prescribed medication.

Visit our dedicated page to learn more and find the pharmacies we work with in your area.