OMG - just had my manager on the phone - have to write a report for CSCI

[HRHQueenOfQuotes]

which is the Commission for Social Care Inspection. At handover this morning I reported that one resident had been complaining of her foot being painful (but she was still walking on it, and her complaints were no worse than when her arthritis plays up) - the manager was on duty this morning so got my handover.

Anyhow, apparently this resident is now in hospital with a broken heel after being found crumpled on the floor this morning after handover (she was definitely fine 20 minutes before as I'd been in and changed her trousers).

I know I've done nothing wrong, and as far as I'm aware the girl I was working with has done nothing wrong either - but it's the same resident who complained about me (vindictive and consequently discovered to be complete lies - said I'd shouted at her and pointed my finger).

Anyhow, as it was it unwitnessed (we presume) so CSCI will almost certainly want to investigate.

Horrible situation for you
I take it you work in a nursing home?
I did for 11 years and i know how vindictive some clients can be ,also remember similar situations with senior staff .

Hopefully it will be ok. You know you have done nothing wrong.

PFNM - from the way my manager spoke I think this time it's more of a "you were on duty so need to write a report" than a "well we have plenty of reason to think you were involved" - at least that's how I interepreted her tone.............

Anyhow, better get the report written while it's still fresh in my mind.

God, some people can be bloody awful, can't they? Anyone who thinks all old ladies are apple cheeked, fluffy haired bundles of loveliness should try working in a nursing home - HA!

Write down exactly what happened, giving dates, times and specific places ( At 1045 on 2nd September 2006, I was standing by the window in the big lounge, facing Mrs X, and she asked me to pull her socks up. At I did this, she complained of pain in her * heel, so when I had finished pulling her socks up I reported this to the manager on duty.)

Or however it went.

Does it matter if I can't remember all the exact times - I know most of them, but the two middle checks in the middle of the night I'm not sure about, I'm sure they were "roughly" 1.30 and 3am......but not exactly........

Thanks - I don't even know if this resident has said I was involved or not - I presume if there's a chance that CSCI are going to investigate they're not going to tell me that X said that you Y and Z.....

don't worry about why you've been asked to write a report. everyone on duty or who has had any contact with this resident will be asked. the investigating sw will have to see all in order to proceed.
just put all facts as you remember them- start off with bullet points if that's easier. go over it to make sure your time line is correct. make sure you don't discuss what you've written with anyone else

sorry, x posts.
if you can't be sure about exact time - say so and say the earliest or latest it could have been (ie say, between 1-2am)
you're right; at this stage no-one should be saying what anyone else has said (residents or workers) it's v important to the investigation that everyone tells their own version. the sw will be able to tell if everyone discusses before writing - you end up with a dozen reports all the same and tbh it makes you more suspicious

don't worry just be as honest and detailed as you can, CSCI will normally ask the home to investigate before they get invovled, a regulation 37 (CSCI notification) has to be sent when a resident is addmitted to hospital so CSCI would have been made aware anyway.

thanks everyone. I'm about 2/3 of the way through it now. Not too difficult (although not very good English - you can tell writing essays wasn't my strong point at school ) as for most of the night this resident is the only one we actively deal with. It's only some of the times I'm not sure of - and where I'm not sure I've said so.

is it ok to say things like "as this usually happens with her arthritis I didn't think more of it". or "I assume that was what it was"???

I wouldn't offer any judgements but stick rather to observations. That way you are implicating yourself at all.

So say instead "I observed that she was still able to walk on the foot. The pain she described was different to that which is caused by her arthritus, so I noted it down and discussed it with the duty manager on hand over at xpm."

thanks - have reworded that sentence......thankfully though it was actually the manager proper that was on duty this morning - and the senior supervisor - so they both heard my version of the night before the resident was even found on the floor.