Rehabilitation providers offered a new code of practice for uniform self-regulation
6th, October 2008
A new set of service practice standards has been introduced to help rehabilitation providers in the UK adopt a more uniform approach to self-regulation.
The UK Rehabilitation Council was commissioned by the Department of Work and Pensions and the Scottish Executive, to draft a list of service standards to promote quality in rehabilitation across the country. The first set of standards is now available for the sector to use against their own practices.
Morag Heighway, Rehabilitation Standards Consultant for UKRC said: “The standards provide guidelines for the many and varied practitioners and agencies providing rehabilitation to define principles of best practice and business management. They also serve as a framework for customers – those purchasing or commissioning services – and consumers (the client) to check their service experiences are within the guidelines.
“Organisations offering health and vocational rehabilitation will be able to apply the series of templates for each of the five new standards created to enable providers to collate valid, reliable and consistent information which can be used to demonstrate the quality of their services,”
The five new standards have been drafted by Heighway for the government department and are currently open to public consultation. They are:
1. What the service does
2. The skills that you have to provide the service
3. How you deliver the service
4. How you protect the consumer and customer
5. How you make the service work
Heighway told Legal & Medical: “It’s been our aim to establish a set of universal standards for public, private and charitable organisations of any size – from sole entrepreneurs to corporate groups.
“The Council has created a set of easy-to-read templates for each standard, for ease of use, to encourage widespread adoption. There is also a ‘light’ version available for the consumer or injured party, so they have a clear understanding of the service standards they should be looking for.”
“It’s essential that the new standards remain proportional to give sole entrepreneurs the chance to be encompassed in the same regulations and levels of best practice that guide the corporate organisations.”
For the full set of standards and practice assessment templates visit http://www.rehabcouncil.org.uk/standards.php
To respond to the UKRC consultation email Morag Heighway at morag.heighway@rehabcouncil.org.uk
