Facts for Families: Communicating with each other

Our Family Charter explains in detail how we will do this, but here we have summarised the main points:

Courtesy & respect

We expect our staff to be friendly and polite to families at all times. In return we ask that you show the same courtesy and respect to our colleagues.

Scheduled phone calls

We offer you a scheduled phone call on a regular basis, or e-mail or a text message instead. Let us know how regularly you would like us to contact you.

Responding to your calls

We promise to respond to your calls within two working days. If there is not a colleague at your relative’s home when you call, there will be a voice message providing you with an alternative number.

Tell you when a member of staff leaves

Continuity within teams is important but in reality, colleague changes are inevitable. We will let you know when this happens and we will invite you to be involved in recruiting new colleagues for your relative.

Other staff changes

As stated in the Family Charter, we will discuss with you your preference for being notified of colleague changes, including prolonged colleague absence.

We will always inform you of any colleague changes and where possible let you know why. We do have to respect the privacy of our colleagues, who, just like us, may not want everyone knowing their personal business.

Keeping you updated about your relative’s day to day life

It’s nice to hear about the good things that happen in your relative’s life, and not just when there are difficulties. Here are some of the ways we can do this:

• e-mail updates with photos
• group e-mails (if all the families agree) updating people on everyone’s activities
• give you photos of your relative on a USB stick when you come to visit
• keep a scrap book so you can see the pictures when you come to visit.
• the Family Portal

Let us know if you have any other suggestions and tell your relative’s manager, which, if any, of the above, you’d like.

Supporting your relative to stay in touch

Family and friends are important to us all and we want to support people to keep in touch; to keep old friends and make new ones. Please tell us who the important people are in your relative’s life. We can do this by using a person-centred thinking tool called a relationship circle. You can also let us know when family or friends birthdays are and share addresses so they can send cards.