Pet Therapy Policy

(Image by Ryan Stone on Unsplash)

Thank you to Lynn Hackett Voluntary Service Manager at East Lancashire University Teaching Hospital Trust for sharing this document.

Excerpt from Therapy Dogs Policy. For the full document please download the attachment.

1 SCOPE
1.1 This policy extends to cover all ELHT staff. This policy will also apply to
honorary contract holders and staff employed by other organisations who work with ELHT patients and for the Trusts’ other staff.
1.2 This policy complements professional and ethical guidelines and the Nursing
and Midwifery Council (NMC) The Code: Professional standards of practice
and behaviour for nurses, midwives and nursing associates 2018.
The Code: Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics for Nurses and

Midwives. (NMC 2018).
1.3 Infection prevention and control is the responsibility of ALL staff associated with patient care. A high standard of infection prevention and control is required on ALL wards and units, although the level of risk may vary. It is an important part of total patient care.
1.4 It is essential that infection prevention and control is seen as an organisational
responsibility and given a high priority, therefore any decisions regarding the entry of therapy dogs into the clinical area need to be fully considered.

2 ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
2.1 The Chief Executive (CEO) has overall responsibility for ensuring the Trust has appropriate strategies, policies and procedures in place to ensure the Trust continues to work to best practice and complies with all legislation.
2.2 Line managers and/or the Matrons/Ward Managers are responsible for ensuring this policy is accessible for all staff and that they have read and understood the content. Line managers are responsible for ensuring any changes in practice are implemented, and any further training needs identified and addressed. The matron/ward manager in discussion with the Infection Control team will determine the appropriate length of stay for any therapy dogs visiting the clinical area.
2.3 All staff must ensure that their practice follows the current policies. Information regarding the failure to comply with the policy (e.g. lack of training, inadequate equipment) must be reported to the line manager and the incident reporting system used where appropriate.
2.4 Infection Control Team (IC team) has a responsibility to offer advice to healthcare staff on the suitability or otherwise of therapy dog access.

Other resources you might find helpful:

• Report: Pet Therapy: Working with dogs in healthcare settings
  

If you wish to share your knowledge on the Helpforce Connect, please visit this page (please note: the button "Contribute your resource" is only visible to logged in members).