Security

On entering the building you will be asked to sign the visitor book and will be given a visitor’s badge to wear. On leaving you will be asked to sign out and return your badge. Please inform a member of the care team if you are expecting visitors during your stay.

Fire Safety

Please read and familiarise yourselves with the fire procedures and the fire exits around Richard House. Should the fire alarm sound during your visit, leave the building by the nearest fire exit.
Please do not go through to find your child or go to your child’s bedroom, the team on duty will care for your child.

Confidentiality and Consent

Richard House regards all information shared by families as confidential. We work alongside other organisations and there may be occasions where it is necessary for us to share information.

We will ask for your written consent before we do this and you have the right to object to this disclosure however, Richard House has a duty of care to share information with statutory agencies if there are concerns around the safety or wellbeing of your child.

After we have written your child’s care plan we will ask you to sign consent that you agree with the plan. We will also ask you to consent to your child participating in certain activities and outings. We have student nurses on placement at Richard House and we will ask your written permission to allow them to participate in your child’s care.

If we wish to use any information that you provide (such as a quote or photo) we will ask you to sign a media consent form. As the majority of our funding comes from donations it is important that we share our stories. However, we will always obtain consent before any use.

Professional Boundaries

Richard House care staff are required to maintain professional relationships with the children and their families at all times and, therefore, are unable to discuss other children and families with you, accept personal invitations to family events, give families their personal telephone numbers, accept you as a friend on Facebook or accept gifts

Complaints

If you have a complaint, please see the nurse in charge personally or, if you prefer, you can request to speak or write to the Head of Care or Director of Family and Care Services. We follow up every complaint and will respond to you with a written answer within 20 working days. The Care Quality Commission inspects Richard House regularly to ensure good standards of social and health care are being provided. Our inspection report is an open document and you can ask to see it at any time.

Your Feedback

We learn how to improve our care by listening to you, so we want your feedback about your experience with us. You can leave a note in our feedback boxes around the hospice, or speak with any member of our care team.

Incidents

Richard House promotes an open and honest culture for reporting incidents. In the event of an incident such as drug error or an injury involving your child, immediate action will be taken by staff to ensure their safety and medical advice will be sought and acted on. Once your child’s safety is assured, we will contact you and fully inform you of the situation.

If you have any questions please get in touch with a member of our team on 020 7540 0242.