The Swift Management team would recommend even that outstanding services have a service improvement plan. Some providers feel that having a living plan that includes all the issues encountered and the actions taken or to be taken to resolve them is pointing out what is wrong.
That is simply not the case, no business is perfect, no business is always fit for the future and any business that thinks change is not required probably has a problem even if they do not know it yet.
Having a Service improvement plan which details every issue, what is going to be done about them, timeframes for completion and regular evaluations, shows local authorities, bankers, insurance companies and regulators, that you know what needs to be done and you have a clear path to achieve it.
We have developed a trusted method of action planning which identifies the issues that need to be addressed, plans what action should be taken to achieve the outcome, delegates the individual responsible for each action, and identifies how each issue is going to be monitored in the future to maintain success.
The action plan also holds the evidence needed to demonstrate each issue has been resolved. Providing such an improvement plan to an inspector or other interested party shows, that when something happens you have a plan, and you act.
The same plan can be shared with service users and their families to demonstrate what is happening in an evolving service and can go a long way in reassuring everyone that items brought up in an inspection report are being managed effectively. If also shows there is a good governance system in place and issues are addressed before a regulatory inspection.
The team at Swift Management can provide you with an initial action plan and teach you how to keep the document live whilst evidencing the actions taken or we can work in partnership with you to keep it updated over time.
It is vital that the application, statement of purpose and the registration category you wish to apply for are correct. In many cases the information provided simply does not correlate. This raises concerns and often potential providers have their registration turned down based on the application submission without an inspection even taking place.
To avoid a rejection at the first hurdle:
- Ensure you are applying for the right category of registration, ensure that the team you propose to run the service are trained and experience in that area of care.
- Write a clear statement of purpose, setting out what you can provide and who will be responsible. Ensure that your application and your statement of purpose contain the same information.
- When including supporting documents, such as policies and procedures, ensure that they are correct for the service you wish to apply to register, it is not one size fits all.
- Also remember that some categories for registration have different requirements and, in some cases, you will require local authority approval and support.
The Swift Management team can provide assistance to new entrants to ensure that an application is appropriate for submission, and you will not fail at the first hurdle. We are also able to assist in setting up your systems to support the service to ensure that all aspects of good governance are identified. It is also vital that your service is good to go on the date of the registration visit and our team can help ensure that you have covered all the bases before your registration inspection.
Once registered you may wish to consider our retained services to help you through that important first year and into the future