Are bath schedules acceptable? Could they be recognised as institutional abuse for residents in a care home?

Answered by Sheila Scott

Determining when a service user has a bath or shower, has to be down to service user preference and care need, rather than by staff convenience to deliver care.  These personal preferences must be recorded within the service users care plan with evidence held in their daily records that this care has been met.  The service user needs to be provided with the opportunity every day to change their choices or mind about how they would like to get ready each morning (including how they would like to be supported with washing) and the use of a scheduler removes this demonstration that choice is available and has been offered. The use of bath schedules alone could be recognised as institutional abuse as it does not evidence choice or service user control in when they would want a bath or shower on a day-to-day basis.