• the highest standards of care are provided;
• the rights and welfare of service users are paramount;
• the rights and welfare of care workers are protected.

All UKHCA member organisations agree to be bound by this code of practice and comply with it.

Principle objectives of homecare:

• The provision of support to enable service users to be cared for in their own home for as long as possible or to enable them to return to their home from hospital or accommodation elsewhere.
  Thereby promoting real choice in practice between care at home and residential care;
• Members are required to recognise diversity in relationships, beliefs, and cultures of service users;
• Provide the necessary and appropriate care to achieve this objective.
  The care provided should take into account the needs and wishes of the service user and should maximise their independence;
• Always assume that a service user has mental capacity and will take all practical steps to help the service user to make their own decisions about all elements of their care.

Service users rights

• Dignity and value;
• Personal choice;
• Consideration should be given to the service users wishes even where there is a lack of mental capacity;
• Where service users care is purchased by a commissioning body, the users personal choices and preferences will be met to the widest extent possible;
• Service users may request care workers from a similar cultural, ethnic or religious background or request a care worker who is of the same sex. (See par 34,35 and 48 of the code of practice)
• No discrimination against the service user or care worker;
• Each service user and their representative has a right to a detailed explanation of the services being offered;
• The member organisation should advise the service user of the nature of their contractual relationship with the care worker(s);
• Service users are entitled to receive the care specified in their agreed care plan and for records to accurately reflect the care delivered. This includes time sheets, invoices, care plans and medication charts;
• Changes to the start time, duration or a change of the rostered care worker should be communicated to the service user, or their representative without delay;
• The rights of service users, their families and carers to privacy and confidentiality must be safeguarded;
• A copy of the member organisation's confidentiality policy should be made available to serves users at their request;
• The right of a service user to complain must be honoured;
• member organisations must ensure they have an effective procedure for recording and dealing with complaints, including advising the service user of their right to make a complaint directly to the statutory regulator. Written details of this procedure must be given to all service users;
• Member organisations should assist service users to refer unresolved complaints to the most suitable organisation;
• Non-discrimination in all aspects;
• Service users have the right to be involved in, and comment on, a careful and thorough assessment and regular review of their needs and wishes and capacity;
• Service users have the right to remain safe and free from physical, psychological and financial abuse and neglect by care workers, family members, friends, representatives, carers and health and social care workers;
• Member organisations acknowledge the rights of a service user to make informed decisions that carry an element of risk to themselves
• Member organisations are required to maintain the safety of their care workers. They may not always be able to comply with the full range of choices made by service users;
• Member organisations must take into consideration personality, temperament, skills, capabilities and knowledge when matching care workers with service users;
• Member organisations should establish a quality assurance procedure that regularly monitors service users satisfaction with the service they receive;
• Member organisations should advice service users of the need to consider any requirement for household insurance against any liability for loss suffered by, or accidental injury to, a care worker that might arise while he or she was in the service users home.

Care Workers rights

• Member organisations should ensure that care workers are fully aware of their right to make a complaint to the member organisation about action the member organisation has taken or contemplating taking in relation to him or her;
• Member organisations should have an effective "whistle blowing" policy in place to ensure that care workers disclosing information are protected;
• Should be offered assignments commensuration with their training, experience and competence;
• as far as possible all member organisations must require their care workers to comply with the standards of the UKHCA code of practice and national Social Care Council;
• Member organisations must provide care workers with a statement of their terms and conditions relevant to the relationship they have with the care worker;
• Member organisations must ensure that, as far as reasonable, working conditions and practices secure the health, safety and welfare of their workers whilst at work;
• The attention must be drawn to service users to any potential risk to care workers to provide a safe working environment;
• Member organisations must carry out a health and safety risk assessment in the service users house;
• Have a right to a fair hearing;
• Not to be discriminated unlawfully in any aspect;
• Right to confidentiality;
• A thorough risk assessment should be carried out at the service users home and the relevant findings conveyed to the care worker prior to their attendance on any service user;
• Have adequately informed care workers and managers about training and receive fair access to such opportunities.

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