National care standards support services

13-16 Day-to-day life

13 Lifestyle - social, cultural and religious belief or faith
14 Daily life
15 Eating well - where the support service provides meals
16 Keeping well

Day-to-day life

The standards in this section focus on the ways in which the support service promotes your general health and wellbeing. They are an important means of making sure that your quality of life is maintained or improved and that you feel part of the everyday activities that are going on around you.

Lifestyle - social, cultural and religious belief or faith

The standards in this section make it clear that you can continue to live your life in keeping with your own social, cultural or religious belief or faith when you are using the support service.

Daily life

You have a right to be treated as an individual with unique needs, and to be free from unwanted public attention or intrusion when you are using the support service.

Eating well and keeping healthy

Nutrition is important for your health and wellbeing. If the support service provides food, you should have a good, varied diet. You should have choices in food and have any special needs catered for. How the food is prepared and served and where you choose to eat it are important to your enjoyment of it.

Staff will know enough about your healthcare needs to offer you any support you may require while you are using the service.

Lifestyle - social, cultural and religious belief or faith

Standard 13
Your social, cultural and religious belief or faith are respected. You are able to live your life in keeping with these beliefs.

1 You can be confident that staff make sure they are properly informed about the implications of your social, cultural and religious belief or faith for you and other people using the support service.

2 You are given the opportunity and support you may need to practise your beliefs, including keeping in touch with your faith community.

3 The social events, entertainment and activities provided by the support service will be organised so that you can join in if you want to.

4 Your sexuality is accepted and your legitimate sexual needs and preferences are viewed as being important to you.

Daily life

Standard 14
You have a right to your privacy when using the support service, and to make choices about how much personal information you want to share and to make choices about how you spend your time.

1 You can be confident that staff will respect your right to privacy and dignity when they help you with all intimate activities.

2 You will be helped with intimate physical care and treatment sensitively and in private, in a way which maintains your dignity.

3 You can discuss your needs in confidence and privacy with a member of staff if you want to.

4 You can be confident that personal information will not be displayed on notice boards.

5 You can be confident that staff will not speak publicly about you unless you agree beforehand.

6 You can choose what activities you want to be involved in and receive support to take part in them.

7 You can be confident that staff will support you to take part in activities in the local community as a member of the community and not as a 'service user'.

8 You are consulted about organised visits to the support services by professionals or members of the public.

9 If you go on trips with other people who use support services, you will be consulted about travelling in a group so that you do not feel awkward about being in a group.

10 You can be confident that staff who go with you to events, appointments and so on will not wear uniforms or identify themselves as being different from you.

11 You will not have to travel in cars or minibuses belonging to the support service which advertise the support service in a way that singles you out for unwanted attention.

Eating well - where the support service provides meals

Standard 15
Your meals are varied and nutritious. They reflect your food preferences and any special dietary needs. They are well prepared and cooked, and attractively presented.

1 You can be confident that catering and other staff get to know your food choices and any ethnic, cultural, faith or other preferences you have. Any special dietary needs (for example, if you have diabetes or poor kidney function) are recorded in your personal plan.

2 You are offered a menu that reflects your preferences. The menu varies regularly according to your comments and will always contain fresh fruit and vegetables.

3 You can help prepare meals and snacks with support and encouragement from the staff if you need it.

4 You can have snacks and hot and cold drinks whenever you like.

5 You enjoy meals that are well presented. All food handling follows good food-hygiene practices.

6 If you need any help at mealtimes (for example, adapted cutlery or crockery, a liquidised diet, or help from a staff member), staff will arrange this for you.

7 If you want them to, staff will regularly review anything that may affect your ability to eat or drink, such as your dental health, and will arrange for you to get appropriate advice.

8 If you cannot keep a check for yourself on the amount of food and drink you take, staff can do this for you. If there are concerns, staff will explain them to you or your representative. With your agreement, staff will take any action needed, such as seeking advice from a dietician or your GP.

Keeping well

Standard 16
You can be confident that the staff know enough about your healthcare needs that might have to be met while you are using the service. They arrange to meet them in a way that suits you best.

1 If you feel unwell you should get help from staff who can contact your doctor or other healthcare professional if you want them to.

2 You can be confident that staff tell you about preventive healthcare such as screening, immunisation and regular check ups. Staff support you in taking part in these.

3 If you need to take medication, staff know this and there are arrangements in place for you to take your medication safely and in the way that suits you best.

4 You can get help from the staff with ordering and collecting your prescriptions if you want or need it.

5 If you are on medication that someone else needs to administer (for example, an injection), the staff will do this in a way that recognises and respects your dignity and privacy, as set out in your personal plan.

6 If you have any questions about your medication which the staff cannot answer, they will help you to get the advice from your community pharmacist, or another member of the primary care team.