POLICY FOR THE RECORDING OF PATIENTS PROPERTY AND VALUABLES

POLICY FOR THE RECORDING OF PATIENTS PROPERTY AND VALUABLES

Policy Title: Executive Summary: POLICY FOR THE RECORDING OF PATIENTS PROPERTY AND VALUABLES To simplify the procedures for the management of property and valuables belonging to patients. The disclaimer form and public notices bring to the public s attention the requirement that they must take responsibility for their own belongings. There will be exceptions to this, namely those patients who are unconscious or unable to take responsibility for health reasons and this policy clarifies the arrangements under these circumstances Supersedes: Policy dated v1.6 dated August 2008 V2 dated Nov 2011 Description of Designations, various job titles, retention period for property. Amendment(s): This policy will impact on: Inpatients and day case patients, Customer Care Department, Legal Services, Cash office/finance, All wards and departments. Financial Implications: Cost to Trust for lost property Policy Area: Adult Safeguarding Document ECT002881 Reference: Version V3 Effective Date: 14/11/2017 Number: Issued By: Review Date: November 2020 Author: Legal Services Manager Impact Assessment Date: 17/10/2017 APPROVAL RECORD Committees / Group Consultation: Risk Management Sub- Committee Approved: Risk Management Sub- Committee Received for Clinical Administration Manager information: Legal Services Team Leader Date October 2017 14/11/2017 November 2017 November 2017 2

Table of Contents 1. Introduction Page 4 2. Purpose Page 4 3. Roles and responsibilities Page 4 4. Processes and Procedures Page 5 5. Monitoring Compliance with the Document Page 9 6. References 7. Communication Page 11 Page 12 Appendix: Equality Analysis (Impact Assessment) 3

1.0 Introduction 1.1 This policy relates to the management of property and valuables belonging to patients in the Emergency Department and wards/ departments within the acute setting at East Cheshire Trust. 1.2 Disclaimer forms and public notices bring to patients and visitors attention the requirement that they must take responsibility for their own belongings. There will be exceptions to this, for example patients who are unconscious or unable to take responsibility for health reasons or lack of mental capacity, and this policy further details the arrangements under these circumstances. 2.0 Purpose 2.1 This policy sets out the procedures for the management of property and valuables belonging to patients in the Emergency Department and/or ward/ departments within the acute setting at East Cheshire Trust 3.0 Roles and responsibilities 3.1 Chief Executive The Chief Executive has overall responsibility for all Trust polices and ensuring an appropriate process for the production, management and monitoring of polices is in place. 3.2 Director of Nursing, Performance and Quality The Director of Nursing, Performance and Quality is the executive director responsible for ensuring that all appropriate policies and procedures are in place and actioned appropriately in relation to patient s property and valuables. 3.3 Director of Finance The Director of Finance is the executive director responsible for ensuring systems and processes are in place for the provision of ex-gratia payments related to claims for lost/damaged patient s property. 3.4 Deputy Director of Nursing and Quality The Deputy Director of Nursing and Quality is the senior nurse responsible for safeguarding of patient s property and/or valuables and will ensure that this policy is implemented and used appropriately across the organisation. 3.5 Associate Directors and General Managers Associated Directors and General Managers will be responsible for implementing this policy at local level. 3.6 Matrons The Matrons across the Trust will support the Deputy Director of Nursing and Quality in the operational implementation of this policy and support the process of incident reviews related to lost/damaged patient s property and/or valuables. 4

3.7 Clinical Managers Familiarise themselves with this Policy and supporting procedures, and ensure that the contents are brought to the attention of employees within their sphere of responsibility. 3.8 All staff All staff will ensure that they adhere to this policy. 4.0 Processes and Procedures 4.1 Patient Information 4.1.2 All patients coming into hospital for planned operations, procedures or investigations are provided with a hospital information leaflet prior to admission. This states: Disclaimer The trust accepts no responsibility for the loss of, or damage to, personal property of any kind, in whatever way the loss or damage may occur, unless deposited for safe custody. Please leave valuables at home. If you need to bring personal items that are expensive, for example micro hearing aids, please be aware that you do so at your own risk 4.1.3 A disclaimer sign must be displayed in all patient areas including individual patient lockers. 4.2 General Property, e.g. clothing, dentures, hearing aids 4.2.1 Patients in the Emergency Department able to take full responsibility for their belongings are asked to sign a disclaimer form on ED card or AAU documentation. 4.2.2 Following the decision to admit, all patients able to take full responsibility for their belongings are asked to sign a disclaimer form as part of their admission documentation. 4.2.3 Staff should explain the disclaimer to patients and countersign the disclaimer to indicate that an explanation has been given. 4.2.4 If the patient requests a copy of the form, a photocopy of the disclaimer form should be given to the patient. 4.2.5 On arrival in a bedded area the property should be stored in the patient s locker at the earliest opportunity. What to do if a patient refuses to sign 4.2.6 If a patient refuses to sign the disclaimer, and insists on keeping his/her property, in place of the patient s signature on the disclaimer, the nurse responsible must write, Patient refuses to sign. A second trained member of staff must also act as witness and sign the form. 5

4.3 Patients who are unable to sign 4.3.1 In the event that a patient is: brought into ED or admitted to a ward unconscious unable to take full responsibility for their own belongings deceased Then the standard Trust Property Book must be used, (WAC002) to record the property in triplicate on pages of the same number. Any valuables should be sent home with next of kin where possible and a record made in the patient s notes. 4.3.2 The top copy should be kept with the patient or handed to their next of kin and the second copy retained in the patient s medical or nursing notes. The bottom copy of the triplicate pages must always be retained in the book. 4.3.3 In Emergency Department and AAU, if clothing or footwear is removed, these should be placed in a white property bag which is clearly labelled with the patient s name, date of birth and hospital number. This bag should remain with the patient. 4.4 Items of value 4.4.1 Green envelopes are available in three sizes for storage of property and valuables In the Trust safe. These are heavy duty envelopes clearly designated Patients Property. The patient s name, number and ward are written on the front and the nurse accepting and placing the property in the envelope signs over the seal. 4.4.2 Patients must be advised not to bring into hospital items of value, cash, jewellery, keys and credit cards. If they do so and wish to keep them in hospital, then the nurse must advise the patient of the Trust safe facility. Patients should be encouraged to send effects home or use the safe. The Cash and Valuables Book (WMD648) should be used to record these items. 4.4.3 Valuables, keys, wallets, jewellery etc must NOT be stored in POM boxes or medication drawer lockers. 4.4.4 A ward safe is only suitable for short- term storage of valuables whilst the patient is off the ward for treatment, investigations etc. These items to be placed in a green envelope, recorded in Trust patient property book (WAC 002) on receipt and return the white copy of the form should be handed to the patient. 4.4.5 Valuables kept for safe keeping out of office hours should be put into a green envelope with a yellow cash and valuables form (WMD648) inside and posted into the Trust safe on the main hospital corridor. The white copy should be handed to the patient. 4.4.6 When describing jewellery/watches use the prescribed format of yellow metal for gold, white metal for silver/platinum and.. coloured stones for gemstones, e.g. blue coloured. 6

4.4.7 Only one Cash and Valuables Book should be in use in the ward at any one time. Details of a patient s property should be recorded in triplicate, on pages of the same number, in the Cash and Valuables Book. 4.4.8 Completed books will be retained on the ward for a period of 3 months, following this they will be sent to Deep Store where they will be stored for a period of 6 years. 4.5 Transfer of patient within the hospital 4.5.1 All personal belongings to be taken with patients at the time of transfer. It is essential for all staff to check with every patient that they have items such as hearing aid, false teeth and glasses in their possession on transfer. 4.5.2 In the event that a patient is unable to take full responsibility for their own belongings, then the standard Trust Property Book must be used,.(wac002) The property is recorded in triplicate on pages of the same number. Any valuables should be sent home with next of kin where possible and a record made in the patient s notes. 4.6 Discharge of patient 4.6.1 Staff must ensure that all personal belongings, including hearing aids, teeth and glasses are with the patient at time of discharge. 4.6.2 All returns of cash and valuables, to the patients or their appropriately authorised representatives, should be planned, arranged with the cash office and correctly signed for and witnessed. Please note: always ask the patient whether return of cash can be made by cheque, which is hospital standard practice. If a patient requires the return of money as cash, this should be noted on the form so that the Cash Office may be forewarned. Return of cash is not possible outside office hours. 4.6.3 Deceased Patients Please refer to Post Death Policy. 4.7 Patients with communication difficulties 4.7.1 For patients that have communication difficulties due to a language barrier, Trust s interpreter policy must be followed. 4.7.2 Use communication aids as appropriate in particular for those with learning difficulties, dementia. 4.7.3 Liaise with carer or next of kin 4.8 Reporting and escalation of incidents 4.8.1 In the event of a patient s property going missing, the senior nurse or manager in charge of the area must be informed at the earliest opportunity 4.8.2 A thorough search must be carried out to ascertain the whereabouts of the lost item. 4.8.3 If it is thought that the item has been stolen during core hours, the LSMS must be informed who will instigate an investigation. Out of core hours, the site manager/ night sister must be informed. It is the responsibility of the patient or their representative to report the loss to the police if it seems to have resulted from criminal action 7

4.8.4 The incident must be recorded via Datix. 4.8.5 If a patients property is reported as damaged, staff responsible for its storage must make enquiries as soon as reasonably practicable to ascertain the cause and the incident recorded via Datix. 4.8.6 A patient or their representative can lodge a complaint and make a claim for compensation via the Legal Services Department. 4.9 Retention and destruction of Patients Property 4.9.1 When a patient leaves hospital, every effort should be made to return money and valuables held in custody to the patient directly or their next of kin. Wards should inform the Cash office when a patient is due to be discharged. 4.9.2 If this is not possible, then the patient or their next of kin will be contacted in writing by the ward, asking them to pick up the property and informing them that if it has not been claimed then the property will be destroyed / disposed of. 4.9.3 Low value items, such as clothing etc, will be kept for 2 weeks from the date of discharge. These should be taken to the General Office who will store within a secure area. The General Office will contact the patient or their representatives, either by phone or in writing. If these items are not claimed within the 2 week period they will be sent for disposal. 4.9.4 Items of value will need to be kept for 2 years. Patients or their next of kin will be written to on two occasions by General Office asking them to claim the property. The letter must state a given date for disposal. If they have not been claimed by the given date, then they can be disposed of. 4.9.5 Unclaimed cash and the proceeds of the sale of abandoned or unclaimed property should be credited to the exchequer account. 4.10 Soiled Property 4.10.1 If left behind after discharge by the patient/ representative, these may be disposed of immediately. The management of soiled patient clothing whilst an inpatient 4.10.2 Every effort should be made to remove solid matter from the clothing. 4.10.3 Place soiled clothing in disposable patient clothing bag, seal with pink tie tape and then place into patient property bag. 4.10.4 Inform relatives of soiled patient property at the earliest opportunity and explain process for washing as stated on the bag. Offer relatives/carer the opportunity for clothing to be destroyed at ward level and document in the Nursing evaluation notes. 8

5.0 Monitoring Compliance with the Document 5.2 Details of the number and value of ex-gratia payments made in relation to lost/damaged patient s property and/or valuables, and an analysis of how the incident arose (was there compliance with this policy, e.g. was a Datix incident report completed), will be reported to the Risk Management Sub-Committee on a bi-monthly basis. 5.2 Details of the number and value of ex-gratia payments made in any quarter relating to lost property and valuables are published in the Quarterly Governance Report. 9

Appendix 1 : Equality Analysis (Impact Assessment) Equality Analysis (Impact assessment) Please START this assessment BEFORE writing your policy, procedure, proposal, strategy or service so that you can identify any adverse impacts and include action to mitigate these in your finished policy, procedure, proposal, strategy or service. Use it to help you develop fair and equal services. Eg. If there is an impact on Deaf people, then include in the policy how Deaf people will have equal access. 1. What is being assessed? Policy for the Recording of Patient s Property and Valuables. Details of person responsible for completing the assessment: Name: John Glynn Position: Legal Services Manager Team/service: Governance State main purpose or aim of the policy, procedure, proposal, strategy or service: (usually the first paragraph of what you are writing. Also include details of legislation, guidance, regulations etc which have shaped or informed the document) This Policy relates to the management of property and valuables belonging to ED attenders, inpatients and day cases. 2. Consideration of Data and Research To carry out the equality analysis you will need to consider information about the people who use the service and the staff that provide it. Think about the information below how does this apply to your policy, procedure, proposal, strategy or service 2.1 Give details of RELEVANT information available that gives you an understanding of who will be affected by this document This Policy is intended for managers, staff and security contractors in relation to the nature, circumstances and use of approved restraint techniques currently adopted by the Trust. Cheshire East (CE) covers Eastern Cheshire CCG and South Cheshire CCG. Cheshire West & Chester (CWAC) covers Vale Royal CCG and Cheshire West CCG. In 2011, 370,100 people resided in CE and 329,608 people resided in CWAC. Age: East Cheshire and South Cheshire CCG s serve a predominantly older population than the national average, with 19.3% aged over 65 (71,400 people) and 2.6% aged over 85 (9,700 people). Vale Royal CCGs registered population in general has a younger age profile compared to the CWAC average, with 14% aged over 65 (14,561 people) and 2% aged over 85 (2,111 people). Since the 2001 census the number of over 65s has increased by 26% compared with 20% nationally. The number of over 85s has increased by 35% compared with 24% nationally. Race: In 2011, 93.6% of CE residents, and 94.7% of CWAC residents were White British 5.1% of CE residents, and 4.9% of CWAC residents were born outside the UK Poland and India being the most common 10

3% of CE households have members for whom English is not the main language (11,103 people) and 1.2% of CWAC households have no people for whom English is their main language. Gypsies & travellers estimated 18,600 in England in 2011. Gender: In 2011, c. 49% of the population in both CE and CWAC were male and 51% female. For CE, the assumption from national figures is that 20 per 100,000 are likely to be transgender and for CWAC 1,500 transgender people will be living in the CWAC area. Disability: In 2011, 7.9% of the population in CE and 8.7% in CWAC had a long term health problem or disability In CE, there are c.4500 people aged 65+ with dementia, and c.1430 aged 65+ with dementia in CWAC. 1 in 20 people over 65 has a form of dementia Over 10 million (c. 1 in 6) people in the UK have a degree of hearing impairment or deafness. C. 2 million people in the UK have visual impairment, of these around 365,000 are registered as blind or partially sighted. In CE, it is estimated that around 7000 people have learning disabilities and 6500 people in CWAC. Mental health 1 in 4 will have mental health problems at some time in their lives. Sexual Orientation: CE - In 2011, the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) population in CE was estimated at18,700, based on assumptions that 5-7% of the population are likely to be lesbian, gay or bisexual and 20 per 100,000 are likely to be transgender (The Lesbian & Gay Foundation). CWAC - In 2011, the LGBT population in CWAC is unknown, but in 2010 there were c. 20,000 LGB people in the area and as many as 1,500 transgender people residing in CWAC. Religion/Belief: The proportion of CE people classing themselves as Christian has fallen from 80.3% in 2001 to 68.9% In 2011 and in CWAC a similar picture from 80.7% to 70.1%, the proportion saying they had no religion doubled in both areas from around 11%-22%. Christian: 68.9% of Cheshire East and 70.1% of Cheshire West & Chester Sikh: 0.07% of Cheshire East and 0.1% of Cheshire West & Chester Buddhist: 0.24% of Cheshire East and 0.2% of Cheshire West & Chester Hindu: 0.36% of Cheshire East and 0.2% of Cheshire West & Chester Jewish: 0.16% of Cheshire East and 0.1% of Cheshire West & Chester Muslim: 0.66% of Cheshire East and 0.5% of Cheshire West & Chester Other: 0.29% of Cheshire East and 0.3% of Cheshire West & Chester None: 22.69%of Cheshire East and 22.0% of Cheshire West & Chester Not stated: 6.66% of Cheshire East and 6.5% of Cheshire West & Chester Carers: In 2011, nearly 11% (40,000) of the population in CE are unpaid carers and just over 11% (37,000) of the population in CWAC. 2.2 Evidence of complaints on grounds of discrimination: (Are there any complaints or concerns raised either from patients or staff (grievance) relating to the policy, procedure, proposal, strategy or service or its effects on different groups?) None 11

2.3 Does the information gathered from 2.1 2.3 indicate any negative impact as a result of this document? No 3. Assessment of Impact Now that you have looked at the purpose, etc. of the policy, procedure, proposal, strategy or service (part 1) and looked at the data and research you have (part 2), this section asks you to assess the impact of the policy, procedure, proposal, strategy or service on each of the strands listed below. RACE: From the evidence available does the policy, procedure, proposal, strategy or service affect, or have the potential to affect, racial groups differently? Yes No X Where a patient s first language is not English, the trust Interpretation and Translation policy will be followed. Where carers need to be informed the same applies. GENDER (INCLUDING TRANSGENDER): From the evidence available does the policy, procedure, proposal, strategy or service affect, or have the potential to affect, different gender groups differently? Yes No X The Policy for the Recording of Patient s Property and Valuables is totally non-gender specific. DISABILITY From the evidence available does the policy, procedure, proposal, strategy or service affect, or have the potential to affect, disabled people differently? Yes X The policy takes into account issues around mental capacity, health issues and special needs related to individual patients. For example, where a competent patient would be expected to take responsibility for their own property if they chose to retain it, individual property claims related to patients with the aforementioned issues would be considered on their individual merit. AGE: From the evidence available does the policy, procedure, proposal, strategy or service, affect, or have the potential to affect, age groups differently? Yes No X The Policy for the Recording of Patient s Property and Valuables relates to all patients and visitors. LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL: From the evidence available does the policy, procedure, proposal, strategy or service affect, or have the potential to affect, lesbian, gay or bisexual groups differently? Yes No X The Policy for the Recording of Patient s Property and Valuables relates to all patients and visitors. RELIGION/BELIEF: From the evidence available does the policy, procedure, proposal, strategy or service affect, or have the potential to affect, religious belief groups differently? Yes No X 12

The Policy for the Recording of Patient s Property and Valuables relates to all patients and visitors. CARERS: From the evidence available does the policy, procedure, proposal, strategy or service affect, or have the potential to affect, carers differently? Yes No X The Policy for the Recording of Patient s Property and Valuables relates to all patients and visitors. Clearly, many visitors may be carers but the policy applies equally to all. OTHER: EG Pregnant women, people in civil partnerships, human rights issues. From the evidence available does the policy, procedure, proposal, strategy or service affect, or have the potential to affect any other groups differently? Yes No X The Policy for the Recording of Patient s Property and Valuables relates to all patients and visitors. 4. Safeguarding Assessment - CHILDREN a. Is there a direct or indirect impact upon children? Yes No X b. If yes please describe the nature and level of the impact (consideration to be given to all children; children in a specific group or area, or individual children. As well as consideration of impact now or in the future; competing / conflicting impact between different groups of children and young people: c. If no please describe why there is considered to be no impact / significant impact on children It is not envisaged that any child will be adversely affected by this Policy. 5. Relevant consultation Having identified key groups, how have you consulted with them to find out their views and that the made sure that the policy, procedure, proposal, strategy or service will affect them in the way that you intend? Have you spoken to staff groups, charities, national organisations etc? Deputy Director of Corporate Affairs & Governance; Governance Managers, and Risk Management Sub-Committee. 6. Date completed: October 2017 Review Date: October 2020 7. Any actions identified: Have you identified any work which you will need to do in the future to ensure that the document has no adverse impact? Action Lead Date to be Achieved 8. Approval At this point, you should forward the template to the Trust Equality and Diversity Lead lynbailey@nhs.net Approved by Trust Equality and Diversity Lead: Date:17.10.17th and Safety Process Flow Chart 13