When a Canberra Health Services team member comes to your home, your home is their workplace. This means you are responsible for making sure that your home is safe for them to work in. This includes treating staff with kindness and respect, and our staff will do the same for you.

Before our team member comes to your home, we will ask you some questions to make sure it is safe for us to give you the care you need in your home.

Community duress device

Our team member will carry a community duress device. A community duress device lets our staff alert emergency services if they need urgent assistance. This could mean that they feel they are in danger, they feel that you are in danger or that your home is not safe for them to be able to give you the care you need. The community duress device can record sound.

When you consent to a visit in your home you consent to the use of a community duress device. If you do not consent, our staff will not be able to visit you in your home. We will offer you other options, such as care in a health centre.

What we need to know about your home

To keep you and our team safe during the home visit, we will ask you some questions about your home. These questions may include:

To the best of your knowledge

• Is your street number easy to see?
• Can your address be found on a GPS or Google maps?
• If you have pets, can they be kept away from where we will give you care?
• Is there enough space and good lighting in the room where we will give you care?
• Is your home free from objects that could get in the way? (like furniture blocking walkways or exits)
• Does your home have good ventilation and heating or cooling?
• Is your home free from dangerous chemicals or contaminants (like mould, human or animal waste)
• Is your home smoke and vape-free?
• Does your home have good mobile phone coverage if our team need to make phone calls?
• Is there safe street or visitor parking with enough space for staff to park their car?
• Is there easy and safe walking access to your home from where our team member will park their car?

What we need to know about the people at your home

Our team will also ask you some questions about the people who live at your home, or about people that may be at your home during the home visit. These questions may include:

To the best of your knowledge

• Do you live with other people?
• Will there be other people at your home when we do the home visit?
• Has anyone in your home been unwell in the week before the home visit? For example, flu-like symptoms or a positive COVID test.
• Does anyone, who may be at your home during the home visit, have a history of violence or aggression?
• Does anyone at your home have behavioural concerns or cognitive impairment?
• Does anyone in your home have access to dangerous weapons, like firearms?
• Is anyone in your home affected by alcohol or other substances?

What if there are risks or safety concerns in my home?

If we find that there are risks or safety concerns to our team or to you, we will talk to you about what you can do to make your home safe for us to do a home visit. If the risks cannot be changed or removed, we will talk to you about other options for your care.

When will a risk assessment need to be completed?

We will complete a full risk assessment before the first home visit, and again every six months or if anything at your home changes. For example, if you change address, have a new family member or a friend moves into your home, or there is a change to the access to your home. You need to let us know of any changes to your home, to ensure there is no risk to the health and safety of our staff.

If we visit you at home more than once, we will complete a partial risk assessment for each visit. All risk assessments will be kept in your patient record.

Where can I get more information?

You can talk to our staff if you have any questions about home visits and risk assessments:

Home visit program: ______________________________________

Contact details: ___________________________________________