Repairs and Maintenance

All staff have a responsibility for reporting deficiencies particularly if there could be any safety implications.

All non-emergency maintenance requirements should be noted in the Repairs Log which is kept in each unit and then reported to the Home Manager at an appropriate time.

Emergency requirements must be reported immediately to a Deputy Care Manager who will then ensure arrangements for repair are made and the Home Manager informed.

If staff become aware of damage that could have safety implications for other staff and young people, they have other responsibilities beyond reporting it to managers. 

It may be some time before a qualified person is available to affect a proper repair, so it may be necessary to provide temporary protection measures. 

These could include:

1. Locking a door to prevent access;
2. Erecting a barrier with signs, if possible;
3. Isolating an electrical circuit by switching off the trip switch and fixing a warning sign;
4. Taping cardboard over broken glass;
5. Removing an electrical item and locking it away;
6. Locking away car keys in a marked envelope.

Any repairs or maintenance that would require the use of protective equipment i.e. Hammer Drills, Disk Cutters, etc, should not be undertaken by employees of Crystal Care Solutions. 

Staff are not to undertake repair or maintenance work when working at a height greater than 2 metres.  

All repairs and maintenance that require protective equipment are to be outsourced to a building and maintenance service company. Crystal Care has arrangements with maintenance companies who provide workers with DBS checks to complete the work.

Certain items e.g. Gas and electrical systems, fire appliances, etc are subject to external inspection on an annual basis, and a full Electrical Test and Inspection carried out every three years, by specialist outside agencies. 

The certificates recording such inspections should be stored in the Homes Health & Safety file and a copy given to Crystal Care Solutions Head Office to be kept in the Homes File. 

The Care Manager is responsible for ensuring that checks are always up to date.