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Unable to Gain Access Policy

Version: V5

Ratified by:

Quality Reference Group

Date ratified: 28/04/2026

Job Title of author:

Reviewed by Committee or Expert Group

Equality Impact Assessed by:

1. Introduction

Provide requires all staff who undertake domiciliary/home visits in the community to take all reasonable measures to ensure their own and the service user’s safety.

This policy has been developed to promote safe and effective practice for all community support staff, hereafter termed “practitioners”, when they are unable to gain access to a service user’s home.

Practitioners must:

• Make the care of people their first concern, treating them as individuals and respecting their dignity

• Work with others to protect and promote the health and wellbeing of those in your care, their families and carers, and the wider community

• Provide a high standard of practice and care at all times

• Be open and honest, act with integrity and uphold the reputation of your profession

This is as important to consider when practitioners fail to gain access as when they succeed and are able to deliver care.

2. Definitions

If practitioners are unable to gain access to provide the care or services that have been arranged with the service user and are further unable to establish contact with the service user as a result of this, then the visit will be classed as ‘failed/no access’ to the home.

Practitioners have a duty of care to all service users, but it should also be remembered that service users also have a responsibility to inform practitioners if they will be unavailable to receive care or services in their own home wherever possible.

3. Aim

This policy will guide and support safe practice and decision making when the practitioner is unable to gain access to a service user’s home.

The policy will ensure practitioners are adequately supported and that their practice follows a consistent process when they are unable to gain access to a service user’s home.

4. Scope

This policy applies to community support staff employed by Provide, to also include staff on temporary, bank and agency contracts who may visit people at home.

5. Responsibilities

It is the responsibility of all managers employed by the organisation to ensure that practitioners are made aware of this policy and that all practitioners, including agency staff have read it and are in position to act in line with the contents.

It is also the responsibility of each practitioner to read and incorporate the policy into professional practice. Practitioners should not be undertaking home visits without being conversant with this policy.

Provide is responsible for ensuring that training and supervision are made available to staff to support use of the policy in practice.

Practitioners have a responsibility to each service user by making prior contact over the phone or in a letter to establish a time of visit or provide a likely time band. During any contact, practitioners should ensure they have the correct address and telephone number of the service user they are visiting. The visiting practitioner should check whether or not the service has access to a key for self-admission.

6. Procedure to Follow in the Event of a No Access Visit to an Adult

All service users, their carers or relatives should expect that if a practitioner from Provide arrives on a pre-arranged home visit and is unable to gain access they will follow the procedure stated within this policy. The practitioner should use their knowledge of the service user and all information available to them (including relevant policies and procedures) to consider the best path to follow. This will ensure service user safety.

Where there are no known concerns about the safety of the patient

• If there is no reply on arrival, contact should be attempted by phone to the service user at the location of the visit

• Where possible the practitioner should look or call through the letterbox and check garden outside areas to see if there is any indication that the patient may have fallen or for some reason is unable to come to the door, and take appropriate action if necessary

• If there is no answer at the address of the service user, and there are no further known concerns, leave a card and ask the service user to make contact as soon as is possible, the practitioner should offer a further appointment at a suitable time (following service response-time criteria) and ensure the service user has the team contact details.

• If the service user declines, and there are no further known concerns, the practitioner should offer a further appointment at a suitable time (following service response-time criteria) and ensure the service user has the team contact details

• Should the second visit prove to be unsuccessful a card should be left asking the service user to contact the practitioner for further care. The practitioner should also check with the service user’s GP, next of kin, local hospitals, adult social services and emergency services such as the police as appropriate

• All actions taken, outcomes and decisions relating to future actions should be recorded in the service user’s records in line with Provide IGPOL63 Health Record Keeping Policy

Where the patient or client is immobile

• If there is no reply on arrival, contact should be attempted by phone to the service user at the location of the visit either by the practitioner or via the branch office.

• Where possible the practitioner should look or call through the letterbox and check outside areas to see if there is any indication that the patient may have fallen or for some reason is unable to come to the door, and take appropriate action if necessary

• Any other contact numbers available in the records should be used such as next of kin, friends, GP, hospital admissions, any other relevant agencies or ask neighbours have they seen service user.

• The practitioner should not leave the location until every possible avenue of enquiry at the location has been tried. This includes contacting the next of kin, police, accident and emergency department

• The practitioner should also liaise with the Care Coordinators or Team Leaders Registered managers for support

• All actions taken, outcomes and decisions relating to future actions should be recorded in the service user’s records

Where there is concern about the safety or wellbeing of the client or patient:

• A professional judgement based on knowledge and available information of the service user should be used to inform decision making. It may be considered necessary to contact next of kin, friends, GP, hospital admissions, any other relevant agencies.

• There is no specific advice in the Adult Safeguarding Procedures in the event of a no access visit. However, all practitioners are responsible for reporting instances of alleged, suspected or actual adult abuse to Adult Social Services. Where the practitioner is concerned that this may be an incident of adult abuse he/she should discuss this with the Lead Professional for Safeguarding (Adults and Families) & Learning Disability.

• If the practitioner is concerned that the no access is of a suspicious nature it should be treated as a Serious and Untoward Incident and the procedure followed as in QSPOL01- Incident Reporting and Management Policy

• All actions taken, outcomes and decisions relating to future actions should be recorded in the service user’s records

7. Supervision

All practitioners will supervision and use it as a forum to reflect decision making.

Practitioners should contact the safeguarding team for further case specific safeguarding advice.

8. Dissemination and Implementation

The lead author and the Quality and Safety Team will distribute this policy to the relevant leads in the commissioner and provider organisations.

The Quality and Safety team will retain a master copy, update MyCompliance and, if applicable, the publication scheme.

9. Monitoring and Compliance

This policy will be monitored by all areas that are affected by this policy. Responsibilities of departments will be monitored at managerial supervision.

Registered Managers and direct line managers will be required to provide a supporting / guidance role to ensure compliance with this policy.

10.Review

This policy will be reviewed within three years or sooner if required. The formal review date may be brought forward as a result of:

• changes in service needs / provision

• following a critical incident, to include the learning from such incidents

• significant change in legislation or best practice

• changes in organisational structure or management arrangements

EQUALITY IMPACT ASSESSMENT TEMPLATE

Stage 1: ‘Screening’

The Equality Impact Assessment needs to be completed so that any decisions made are compliant with the aims of the Public Sector Equality Duty – and that any adverse impact for any protected characteristics are identified and resolved.

Policy Title

CPOL23 Unable to Gain Access Policy – PCS/REACT

Provide a brief summary (bullet points) of the aims of the Policy

Ensure a standard process to assess the risk of not finding a patient at home or answering the door when expecting a visit from a domiciliary care provider from Provide

EQIA Assessor Name and Job Title Date of Assessment

Programme Director, Social Care and Governance April 2026

This stage establishes whether a proposed initiative will have an impact from an equality perspective on any particular group of people or community or whether it is “equality neutral” (i.e. have no effect either positive or negative)

Q1. Will this policy affect one of the following groups more or Less favourably than another?

Details

Group

Age

Consider impact and detail across age ranges on old and younger people. This can include safeguarding, consent and child welfare

Disability

Consider and detail impact on attitudinal, physical, and social barriers.

Sex

Consider and detail impact on men and women (potential to link to carers)

Gender reassignment (including transgender)

Consider and detail impact on transgender and transsexual people. This can include issues such as privacy of data and harassment.

Pregnancy and maternity

Consider and detail impact on working arrangements, part-time working, infant caring responsibilities.

Race

Consider and detail impact on different ethnic groups, nationalities, Roma

If more or less, explain impact and any valid legal and/or justifiable exception. Include the source of any evidence

gypsies, Irish travellers, language and communication barriers.

Religion or belief

Consider and detail impact on people with different religions, beliefs or no belief.

Sexual orientation

Consider and detail impact on heterosexual people as well as lesbian, gay and bi-sexual people

Carers

Consider and detail impact on part-time working, shift-patterns, general caring responsibilities

Other identified groups

Consider and detail on different socioeconomic groups, area inequality, income, resident status (migrants) and other groups experiencing disadvantage and barriers to access.

Is the impact of the initiative – whether positive or negativesignificant enough to warrant a more detailed Stage 2 assessment?

Yes X No

Guidelines: Things to consider

Equality impact assessments at Provide take account of relevant equality legislation and include age, (i.e. young and old,); race and ethnicity, gender, disability, religion and faith, and sexual orientation.

The initiative may have a positive, negative or neutral impact, i.e. have no particular effect on the group/community.

Where a negative (i.e. adverse) impact is identified, it may be appropriate to make a more detailed EIA (see Stage 2), or, as important, take early action to redress this – e.g. by abandoning or modifying the initiative. NB: If the initiative contravenes equality legislation, it must be abandoned or modified.

Where an initiative has a positive impact on groups/community relations, the EIA should make this explicit, to enable the outcomes to be monitored over its lifespan.

Where there is a positive impact on particular groups does this mean there could be an adverse impact on others, and if so can this be justified? - e.g. are there other existing or planned initiatives which redress this?

It may not be possible to provide detailed answers to some of these questions at the start of the initiative. The EIA may identify a lack of relevant data, and that data-gathering is a specific action required to inform the initiative as it develops, and also to form part of a continuing evaluation and review process.

It is envisaged that it will be relatively rare for full impact assessments to be carried out at Provide. Usually, where there are particular problems identified in the screening stage, it is envisaged that the approach will be amended at this stage, and/or setting up a monitoring/evaluation system to review a policy’s impact over time.

QUALITY IMPACT ASSESSMENT TEMPLATE

Stage 2

To be used where the ‘screening phase has identified a substantial problem/concern)

This stage examines the initiative in more detail in order to obtain further information where required about its potential adverse or positive impact from an equality perspective. It will help inform whether any action needs to be taken and may form part of a continuing assessment framework as the initiative develops.

Policy/ Project Title

EIA Assessor Name and Job Title Date of Assessment

EIA Review by Chief Officer name and Job Title Date Of Review

Outcome of Chief Officer Review

Q1. What data/information is there on the target beneficiary groups/communities?

Are any of these groups under- or over-represented?  Yes  No

Do they have access to the same resources?  Yes  No

What are your sources of data and are there any gaps?

Q2. Is there a potential for this initiative to have a positive impact, such as tackling discrimination, promoting equality of opportunity and good community relations?  Yes  No

If yes, how? Which are the main groups it will have an impact on?

Q3. Will the initiative have an adverse impact on any particular group or community/community relations?  Yes

If yes, in what way? Will the impact be different for different groups – e.g. men and women?

Q4. Has there been consultation/is consultation planned with stakeholders/ beneficiaries/ staff who will be affected by the initiative?  Yes

Summarise (bullet points) any important issues arising from the consultation

Q5. Given your answers to the previous questions, how will your plans be revised to reduce/eliminate negative impact or enhance positive impact?

Are there specific factors which need to be taken into account?  Yes  No

Q6. How will the initiative continue to be monitored and evaluated, including its impact on particular groups/ improving community relations? Where appropriate, identify any additional data that will be required

Guidelines: Things to consider

An initiative may have a positive impact on some sectors of the community but leave others excluded or feeling they are excluded. Consideration should be given to how this can be tackled or minimised.

It is important to ensure that relevant groups/communities are identified who should be consulted. This may require taking positive action to engage with those groups who are traditionally less likely to respond to consultations, and could form a specific part of the initiative.

The consultation process should form a meaningful part of the initiative as it develops, and help inform any future action.

If the EIA shows an adverse impact, is this because it contravenes any equality legislation? If so, the initiative must be modified or abandoned. There may be another way to meet the objective(s) of the initiative.