7.6 Medicals for Adult Applicants for Fostering and Adoption |
In August 2021, this chapter was added to the manual.
Contents
1. Policy
Adult applicants for Fostering and Adoption are required to undertake a medical as part of the Assessment process. This policy addresses how the medicals will be undertaken and shared proportionately in line with GDPR and having regard to confidentiality.
2. Purpose
In accordance with the guidelines in respect of;
- Isle of Man Fostering Minimum Standards 2007 (amended 2013);
- Regulation of Care Act 2013;
- The Assessment and Approval of Mainstream Foster Carers policy;
- The Adoption, Recruitment, Training and Assessment policy;
- Data Protection Act 2018.
3. Scope
All prospective adopters and foster carers, who are subject to assessments and ongoing reviews to maintain approval and registration.
4. Procedure
As part of the assessment process each applicant will be provided with written information that explains fully why a medical is required, and will be asked to sign a consent form to undertake a medical assessment and consent to a summary of information being held on file.
The consent form will indicate where the full report will be retained and what summary information will be provided and by whom, to whom, and how it will be kept secure and confidential by the service.
The consent form advises the applicant that they can withdraw consent at any time and their allocated worker will advise what that will mean.
The applicant(s) will be requested to arrange the medical with their GP. See Appendix 1: Adult Medicals Process Map
The allocated worker must ensure that the applicant(s) arrange a GP appointment timely, to maintain the timeliness of the assessment process. If there is significant delay, the allocated worker must raise this with the Fostering Team Leader or Adoption Practice Lead, who will determine if the assessment should be closed or still proceed.
The GP will be required to securely send the full medical report directly to the Agency’s Medical Advisor.
The authorised Agency’s Medical Advisor will review the medical report from the GP information and will then complete a summary in accordance with their proforma for the purposes of the Family Placement Services and Panel.
The medical adviser will securely forward the summary to the FPS.
Upon receipt, the medical summary will be recorded and uploaded onto the applicant(s) file and the allocated worker will reference any relevant information into the assessment report for Panel.
The allocated worker will forward a copy of the summary to the applicant(s) and arrange to discuss any matters that have been identified by the medical advisor that may impact on the assessment outcome.
The allocated worker will also agree with the applicants what information will be in the assessment.
The Agency Medical Advisor will not retain the full medical information from the GP, and will confidentially dispose of this within 3 months, as per the Medical Advisor’s privacy policy, dated June 2020.
Completed by
Ramona Ward & Angela Fairbairn
Fostering & Adoption Team Leaders
March 2021
Appendix 1: Adult Medicals Process Map
Click here to view Appendix 1: Adult Medicals Process Map
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