Age UK’s Quality & Transformation Team regularly review areas of compliance with the I&A Quality benchmarks, so that we can share learning across the network. We have found that the most common areas identified for improvement are similar to those identified across the independent advice sector as a whole and are important elements of quality assurance. Read on to view the most recent trends.
Most common areas of non-compliance for Quality of Advice
- Lack of sufficient relevant information gathered to give correct advice
- Insufficient advice recorded or incomplete advice given e.g. no means-tested benefits check when disability benefits awarded
- Limited use of Factsheets and Information Guides to back up advice given
What can be done to avoid these?
Training in case-recording and/or the key Age UK topic areas of benefits and community care can help ensure your clients are getting the correct advice – further details can be found on the loop here.
Most common areas of non-compliance for Service Management
- Data Protection / Client confidentiality e.g. lack of consent or secure storage of client data
- Not recording sufficient client details for information enquiries (leading to under- reporting of work, clients needing to repeat their story on returning)
- Lack of Technical Supervision of advisors (usually of the Manager), including regular file checking to ensure accurate advice is given
- Lack of planning for a sustainable service
What can be done to avoid these?
- Ensure you have evidence of the clients’ consent to process their data, including to store it, share it with third parties, and share it with Age UK for quality audit. Ensure you record and date consent on the client record.
Please Note: legitimate interests as a basis for processing the data should not be used for special category data (i.e. personal sensitive data e.g. health, politics, ethnicity, religion). The ICO sets a higher bar for the way this data is handled, as it could create a higher risk of, for instance, unlawful discrimination. Consent is the best way to treat this type of data, as it is most transparent and simple.
The GDPR Toolkit on the loop can be found here.
- Ensure all staff providing I&A are aware of your procedures for recording information enquiries. This helps ensure the client does not have to keep repeating their “story”, and ensures you are not under-recording your work and reach. Enquiries should not routinely be recorded as “Anonymous” – only if consent is not given, or for very simple enquiries.
- Ensure you have procedures for both regularly checking the accuracy of advice and that your case management procedures are being followed, as well as the more in depth file reviews (IFRs) carried out less frequently. Ensure these include the advice carried out by the Supervisor or Manager). This is even more important when staff are working remotely or from home.
- Ensure the current year 12 month plan and budget is regularly reviewed. A short outline plan for the following 2 years is needed – it does not need to be in detail but should include an outline plan for a sustainable service.
