Burton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. On: 30 January Review Date: January Corporate / Directorate. Department Responsible for Review:

Transcription

1 POLICY DOCUMENT Burton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust HANDLING LOST PROPERTY POLICY Approved by: Trust Executive Committee On: 30 January 2018 Review Date: January 2021 Corporate / Directorate Clinical / Non Clinical Department Responsible for Review: Distribution: Essential Reading for: Corporate Non Clinical Corporate Nursing All Staff Information for: Policy Number: Version Number: Signature: Chief Executive Date: 30 January 2018 Handling Lost Property Policy / v5 / January 2018

2 Burton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust POLICY INDEX SHEET Title: Handling Lost Property Original Issue Date: May 2007 Date of Last Review: January 2017 Reason for amendment: Regular review process Responsibility: Executive Chief Nurse Stored: Key words: Linked Trust Policies: Intranet Site Lost property Patient Property Procedure E & D Impact assessed EIA 023 Responsible Group / Committee None Consulted Divisional Directors Matrons Divisional Nurse Directors Senior Managers Finance Leads Legal Services Head of Governance Health & Safety Manager Handling Lost Property Policy / v5 / January 2018

3 POLICY INDEX SHEET REVIEW AND AMENDMENT LOG Version Type of change Date Description of Change 4 Review June 2014 Routine update and 5 Review Nov 2017 Update and revisions Handling Lost Property Policy / v5 / January 2018

4 HANDLING LOST PROPERTY POLICY CONTENTS Paragraph Number Subject Page Number 1 Introduction 1 2 Finding an Item Reclaiming Lost Property 3 4 Retention and Disposal of Items Implementation and Review of Procedures 4 Handling Lost Property Policy / v5 / January 2018

5 1. INTRODUCTION Burton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Procedures for Handling Lost Property 1.1. Due to the size and nature of Burton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust it is inevitable that patients, staff and the general public will, from time to time, mislay some personal belongings within both the main building and grounds. This policy aims to ensure that an effective internal control system exists for the safe handling of lost property, including cash and valuables. This policy applies to all areas of the Trust, with specific arrangements in place for our two community hospital sites. This policy applies to all staff employed by the Trust, whether they are clinical, non-clinical, contacted or bank staff, employed full time, part time or volunteers. The guidance for handling lost property should be applied in all instances Lost property is defined as any item found that cannot readily be reunited with its owner. Trust staff are expected to explore all avenues of identifying and reuniting lost goods with their rightful owners or in the case of deceased patient property to the patient s next of kin, prior to items being forwarded for retention as lost property Property left on the ward by inpatients following their discharge from hospital will be handled in accordance with the relevant ward guidelines. Every effort should be made to return any items left behind as soon as possible as this may lead to issues for the patient/family and may result in the Trust being liable for any losses. 2. FINDING AN ITEM 2.1. Items of lost property found by staff or the general public within Queen s Hospital building and grounds (excluding the Treatment Centre) should be forwarded to the Help Desk as soon as possible for safekeeping. All items will be kept securely in a locked cabinet or safe as appropriate. Any items lost belonging to patients attending the Treatment Centre will be kept in a locked cabinet or safe as appropriate; in the downstairs main Administration Office or upstairs in the Senior Staff Nurse Office for safekeeping and collection. Any items found/lost at the Treatment Centre not claimed within one month, should be sent to the Help Desk for logging, disposal or forwarding to the Finance Department Items found at the Samuel Johnson Community Hospital should be forwarded to the Cashiers Office and items found at the Sir Robert Peel Community Hospital should be forwarded to the General Office At each site an electronic register will be kept of all items deposited detailing the following: Handling Lost Property Policy / v5 / January

6 Date the item was found The location of the find Description of the item Name and contact details of the finder or individual depositing an item of potential or known value e.g. money or jewellery 2.4. All items entered in the register will be given a reference number and will be labelled accordingly At Queen s Hospital site, the Help Desk is located on the ground floor of the Hospital; The Cashiers Office at the Samuel Johnson Community Hospital and the General Office at the Sir Robert Peel Community Hospital are both located on the ground floor. Goods may be deposited during normal office hours Should an item of property be found outside of these hours, it should be retained in a secure place (e.g. locked drawer) by whoever has found the item until the Help Desk, Cashiers Office or General Office reopen. However, if the item is deemed to be of potential monetary value e.g. a piece of jewellery or wallet, it should be placed in a sealed envelope and be deposited in the ward safe or secure location. The envelope should also contain a brief note providing the details as noted in 2.3 above The finder is responsible for informing their ward/department manager of the nature of the find and its present location The ward/department manager is responsible for ensuring that item(s) of lost property are forwarded, with details of the ward/or department and date and time found, to the Help Desk at Queen s Hospital, Cashiers Office at the Samuel Johnson Community Hospital or General Office at the Sir Robert Peel Community Hospital at the earliest opportunity and ideally within 24 hours of the items being found. They will also inform the Help Desk staff at Queen s Hospital, Administration Office at the Samuel Johnson Community Hospital or the General Office at the Sir Robert Peel Community Hospital if such items have been deposited in the ward safe At Queen s Hospital, staff from the General Office Finance Department are responsible for collecting potentially valuable items of lost property deposited in the ward safe for retention in the Finance Department. Ward staff will often inform the Finance Department of any left items of value prior to taking these to the Help Desk for logging and collection. Staff should notify the Help Desk at the earliest opportunity so relevant details may be entered into the Lost Property Register. At the Community Hospitals the Cashiers Office or General Office should be informed so that Administration staff can collect items and enter them on the Lost Property Register Should a found article contain other items inside it e.g. a handbag or wallet, it should be opened by 2 members of Trust staff and a brief note made of its contents. Such information should be kept confidential. This note should then be placed inside the article and brought to the attention of staff when handing the article to the designated office for safekeeping. Handling Lost Property Policy / v5 / January

7 3. RECLAIMING LOST PROPERTY 3.1. Individuals enquiring about items of lost property should be directed as follows:- Queen s Hospital - to the Help Desk either in person or by telephone on ext 5555 Samuel Johnson Community Hospital to the Cashiers Office either in person or by telephone on ext 3018 Sir Robert Peel Community Hospital to the General Office either in person or by telephone on ext For items of potential monetary value, claimants will be asked to provide satisfactory proof of ownership before an item is released. Where this is in dispute, staff at the designated areas will seek the advice of the a senior member of Finance staff or the Executive Director of Finance. If the issue still cannot be resolved the opinion of the local Police will be sought Details of reclaimed items will also be entered into a paper reclaimed property register against the reference number for the item concerned. These will include: Reference number of item The date the item was reclaimed The name and signature of the claimant Proof of ownership provided (where appropriate) Signature of the releasing officer. 4. RETENTION AND DISPOSAL OF ITEMS 4.1. Under no circumstances must cash or valuables be disposed of at ward/department level The length of time an item will be retained as lost property will be dependent upon its classification under the following headings: Clothing Limited monetary value e.g. umbrellas, children s toys, books Potential monetary value e.g. jewellery, purses, wallets Items will be retained for the minimum period stipulated in the table below: Handling Lost Property Policy / v5 / January

8 Type of Item Period of Retention Method of Disposal Clothing Items of limited value Items of potential or known value e.g. money or jewellery 3 months 3 months 6 months On site Charity Clothing and Shoe Bank (or disposal on site if not appropriate) Books to League of Friends Charity Shop. Other items to external Charity shop (or disposal on site if not appropriate) Finder to be contacted and asked if they wish to claim the goods or how they would like the Trust to dispose of them, any items not collected of value should be passed to the Finance Department for disposal 4.4. The Electronic Lost Property Spreadsheet will record the following details of items that have been permanently disposed of for future reference: Reference number of item Date item disposed of Method of disposal Name of disposing officer. 5. IMPLEMENTATION AND REVIEW OF PROCEDURES 5.1. Compliance with the procedures will ensure lost property found in Hospitals across the Trust are handled appropriately and facilitate the reclaiming of goods Staff are reminded that non-adherence to the procedures may result in disciplinary action Any queries regarding this procedure should be addressed to the Finance Department in the first instance. Handling Lost Property Policy / v5 / January