Care Homes DBS Checks for Elderly Care HomesÂ
Care homes take care of people when they can no longer take care of themselves or if their needs have become too complex for family members to meet. Either way, when people enter the elderly care home system, it is critical that their care home setting takes care of safeguarding.
Almost everyone that works within an elderly care home will have contact with the residents at some point, whether as a care home assistant or a gardener that may pause for a chat as the residents take a walk in the gardens. Â
Why Do you Need a DBS check in a care home?Â
Elderly people are considered to be vulnerable and this means that an elderly care home must implement safeguarding processes and policies to ensure that the wellbeing and safety of their residents is protected. Â
The checks that should be in place at elderly care homes across England and Wales are DBS checks. If you are living and or working in Northern Ireland you will require an Access NI check. For Scotland, you will need a Disclosure Scotland check.  Â
DBS checks for care homes for the elderly are required for both new employees and existing employees. There are three different types of DBS checks, with further checks against DBS barred lists for vulnerable adults. Â
The three levels of DBS checks are:
- Basic DBS check
- Standard DBS check
- Enhanced DBS checkÂ
With the option of additional DBS barred lists for vulnerable adults.Â
What is the Adult’s Barred List?Â
The adults barred list, also known as the Adult’s Barring List, is a list, or register, of people maintained by the DBS that holds the details of individuals that are barred from working with vulnerable adults in any situation because of their criminal record and/or the nature of their convictions. Â
At MyVetting.com, we deliver quick, accurate and affordable online DBS checks at all levels.Â
Do I need a DBS check to work in a care home for the elderly?Â
Yes, it is highly likely that you will need a DBS check of some sort to work in a elderly care home. This would be the case across employees at all levels of the care home setting, from care home cleaning staff to care home management.Â
What level of DBS check is needed in a care home for the elderly?Â
That will depend on the role that the employee works in and whether it involves regulated activity or not.Â
What is Regulated Activity in a Care Home for the Elderly?Â
Regulated activity is defined in legislation – like Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 and the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 – as a role that involves close and unsupervised contact with vulnerable groups, such as children or adults at risk.
Employees or volunteers involved in regulated activity are subject to Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks as part of safeguarding measures.
An Enhanced DBS check for regulated activity is key in assessing an employee or volunteer’s suitability for a role, safeguarding the safety and wellbeing of the vulnerable individuals.   Â
How Frequent is Regulated Activity?Â
Regulated activity is classified as an activity that needs to be carried out at least once during the period of a week, or more than two times over a 30 day timeframe.Â
Care givers and healthcare assistants with elderly care homes for the elderly are some of the personnel that require an Enhanced DBS Check, because they need to carry out caring and care duties directly with and frequently with vulnerable, elderly adults.Â
A vulnerable adult is defined by the UK Government as a person over the age of 18 that needs additional help and support to take care of or protect themselves or observe their own interests because of a mental or physical disability or because of the impact of age.Â
Employees or volunteers that work within an elderly care home, working directly with elderly residents delivering personal, hands-on care will need to apply for an Enhanced DBS Check and an adult’s barred list check.Â
What Caring Tasks Need an Enhanced DBS Check?Â
In order to qualify for an adult’s barred list check and Enhanced DBS Check, the care home employee needs to be doing one of the following activities:Â
- Providing personal care, including eating, washing and toiletingÂ
- Providing transport for vulnerable and elderly adults in careÂ
All healthcare professionals that visit the care home setting to provide care or healthcare, for example physiotherapist or mental health practitioner, will also need to undertake an Enhanced DBS Check with barred list too.Â
Did you know that MyVetting.com also offers online Right to Work checks?Â
Do Non-Care Staff in Care Homes Need a DBS check?Â
Care home settings have a whole team working behind the scenes to create a caring environment for the residents.
While the cleaning team, catering staff and maintenance crews may not need an Enhanced DBS check, it can be best practice for all care home staff to have the minimum of a Basic DBS check.
At MyVetting, we offer quick and affordable online DBS checks.Â
Online Enhanced DBS Checks for Care Home StaffÂ
Applying for online Enhanced DBS Checks for Care Home Staff is quick and simple. Â
Register in seconds and send check alerts directly to your employees. They’ll be alerted instantly and can begin the check process straight away. Don’t worry – if they’re busy and forget to start their check, we’ll send them a text reminder after 24 and 48 hours. Â
When your employees upload their proof of identity, their reports will be returned within 5-10 days.  Â
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