Guidance Notes for Residents

ACCOMMODATION DEPARTMENT

GUIDANCE NOTES FOR RESIDENTS

Accommodation/Revised Tenancy 2012/Residence Guidance Notes.doc September 2012 IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Any costs incurred in respect to additional cleaning or damage and vandalism will be charged to the occupant. You are responsible for your behaviour and that of your guest, and that you have a shared responsibility for communal areas in accommodation. This will include share of costs for non-attributable damage. NHS Highland has set minimum charging tariffs depending on the nature of the incident, details below. Your involvement in an incident may be reported under regulations laid down by the General Medical Council/General Dental Council/Code of Conduct including the Fitness to Practice process.

The minimum tariffs are :

Replacement key (lost / unreturned) £30 Setting off fire alarms intentionally (exc. real incidents) £50 Leaving the flat in an unacceptable state / additional cleaning required £100 Damage to any property within the flat £100 Removal or covering up smoke alarms £150 Damage to any of the structural integrity of the flat or the block £250

These costs are an additional charge, with deposit retained also

Accommodation/Revised Tenancy 2012/Residence Guidance Notes.doc September 2012

ALLOCATION OF ACCOMMODATION Rooms are allocated subject to availability and residents may be asked to move to another room or to other accommodation belonging to NHS Highland. When rooms are specifically allocated for a temporary duration, residents must make arrangements to ensure they leave within the stated period.

BOARD AND LODGING CHARGES These rates are set by NHS Highland and will be reviewed annually. Accommodation related charges are dependent on various factors as follows:

 Whether you occupy single or family accommodation.  If you are in a resident post, entitled to a relocation package and you are a householder elsewhere you will not be charged for the single rent element of the total charge. You will always be charged for council tax, water & heating. If you choose to occupy married accommodation, you will also be charged the difference between the family and single accommodation rent elements.

Houses in Woodside Terrace and the flats in Loch Court are fitted with electric meters. Electric meter cards may be purchased from the Accommodation Office in Kyle Court Monday – Friday between the hours of 8.30-12pm and 2-4pm. A copy of the current rental charges is available from the Accommodation Department.

POSTAL ADDRESS, COLLECTION AND DELIVERY OF MAIL Your postal address is

Flat ……….. ………Court Staff Residential Accommodation Raigmore Hospital Inverness IV2 3UJ

Letters are distributed to the letter racks in the various courts. Parcels and registered mail are held at the Accommodation for collection by the individual resident. The Accommodation will leave a notice to inform those concerned what times you can collect the parcel. You will need to bring this notice and proof of ID for collection at the allocated times. Outgoing mail is the responsibility of the resident. There is a post box at the main entrance of the Hospital. It is your responsibility to arrange your mail to be transferred once you leave the Accommodation by completing the necessary forms issued by Royal Mail. Accommodation will not forward any mail once you have left the Accommodation.

ACCOMMODATION DEPARTMENT The Accommodation Department is located in the Patient Lodge (Kyle Court) and is available Mon- Fri 8.30-1615. The Accommodation Department can be contacted on extension 4350. Outside of these hours in urgent situations, residents should call the hospital switchboard operator – dial 0. The Accommodation Department is responsible for the management of the staff residential accommodation. Please let them know if you have any complaints or if you require assistance or further information about your accommodation.

KEYS FOR PROPERTIES Keys will not be issued until the agreed amount of rent and deposit has been paid in full. Keys must be returned upon departure from the accommodation. If they are not returned, the deposit will be retained to pay for new keys to be cut. The cost for new keys to be cut is £30. If keys are lost a second time, the cost of fitting a new lock and keys will be charged.

Accommodation/Revised Tenancy 2012/Residence Guidance Notes.doc September 2012 CLEANLINESS OF ROOMS The cleaning of all communal areas i.e. bedrooms/kitchens/toilets/bathrooms and the care of the contents is the responsibility of the occupants. You need to ensure that you leave the shared facilities after use in an acceptable level of cleanliness. The cleaning of main stairs will be carried out once a week by the Domestic Staff All properties must be left clean with original furniture and fittings in place. Any damage must be made good before departure. The Accommodation Department will make charges for any cleaning or repairs that have to be carried out on your departure.

LAUNDRY FACILITIES Your bed linen is provided and laundered for you, but you have to make your own beds. Used bedding will be uplifted and clean linen given out weekly, Arden, Beech, Cairn, Drum, Eilean, Firth and Glen Courts are on a Monday and Heather, Juniper, Fraser Noble are on a Wednesday. Used bedding should be left outside bedroom doors. Clean bedding will be left outside your room. There is a laundry room in each Court where washing and drying facilities are available. The washing machines (with the exception of Arden court) and dryers work by tokens which may be purchased from the Accommodation Department at a cost of £1.50 each. They are available 8.30-1030 then 2.00pm - 4.00pm Monday to Friday. Residents must supply and launder their own towels.

DAMAGE TO PROPERTY, DECORATION AND ALTERATIONS Any costs incurred in respect of damage caused, other than by fair wear and tear, will be charged to the occupant. Residents must not transfer items of furniture and fitting or fabric. Any requests for changes or alterations or additional equipment must be made to the Accommodation Manager. Any requests regarding BT lines to allow internet access must be made through the Accommodation Manager and may not necessarily be approved. The request will go both to the Estates Dept regarding the fabric of the building and to Switchboard. If you need to report a repair please contact the Accommodation Department who will arrange to get the problem fixed. Repairs are normally carried our by staff form the Estates Dept.

COUNCIL TAX An amount will be included in the monthly rental charge to cover the council tax on the property. All residents will pay this charge regardless of their personal circumstances. Any queries regarding council tax exemptions for properties out with the Highlands should be made to the council in which the second residence is situated.

ENTERTAINMENT OF VISITORS AND GUESTS The residences are private and the bedrooms are for single accommodation only. Visitors may be entertained in the common rooms and sitting rooms only if accompanied by the resident of the flat between the hours of 9am and 12midnight. Overnight guests may be accommodated provided rooms are available for which there is a charge. Please contact the Accommodation Department regarding the availability of guest rooms and the current charges. Residents will be responsible for the conduct of their visitors and guest and should bring to their attention matters of concern, with particular emphasis on what to do in the event of a fire. Residents will also be responsible for the payment of guest accommodation. Any resident caught with people staying overnight in their room, may lose their accommodation.

ACCESS AND INSPECTION OF ROOMS The Accommodation Department staff has a reasonable right of access to all accommodation in the execution of their duties. This includes preparing rooms for residents and in turn the maintenance of furniture/fittings and fabrics to meet the requirements of the various service departments. The Accommodation Department will make arrangements with the occupant concerned prior to any inspection and when the resident would be requested to be present. Only in cases of repairs/emergency or urgent situation will a member of the Accommodation Department enter rooms without making these arrangements. If access is required to accommodation by maintenance staff they will be accompanied by a member of staff from the Accommodation Department. Accommodation/Revised Tenancy 2012/Residence Guidance Notes.doc September 2012 LICENCING OF TELEVISION SETS Residents must licence any privately owned or rented television set which they have been given permission to use in their residence. Sky or cable television is not permissible. Insurance of such items and other contents is the responsibility of the resident.

BEHAVIOUR AND MISCONDUCT Any breach of these guidance notes or other serious misconduct may result in the termination of the resident’s accommodation. The following are examples of such misconduct: theft, illegal possession of drugs, illegal procession of firearms or replica’s, violent behaviour and/or offensive behaviour, non payment of rent, repeated un-cleanliness of rooms, persistent noise, tampering with fire equipment etc.

NOISE Residents are required to keep noise to a minimum at all times in consideration for other who may be sleeping or studying. This includes adjoining court/accommodation and surrounding neighbourhood. Letters of warning will be issued from the accommodation department should the noise persist.

POSTERS Posters are not permitted.

SECURITY Residents are responsible for the security of their accommodation. Keys should never be given to others to gain access. All flat doors must be kept locked; the entrance door code must not be shared. When leaving a room unoccupied, lock all doors and close all windows.

LOST AND FOUND PROPERTY NHS Highland does not accept liability for goods lost or damaged on NHS premises, whatever the cause, unless negligence by NHS Highland was responsible for the loss. Any losses should be reported as soon as possible to security staff with all details given at that time. The appropriate Standing Financial Procedure will then be followed. Staff are advised not to leave bags, wallets, purses etc unattended and, if at all possible should refrain from carrying valuables or large sums of money. All residents should also ensure that they have appropriate insurance in place to cover against the loss of their belongings.

BUS SERVICE There is a frequent bus services serving the hospital. The bus bay is opposite the main entrance to the hospital. Local timetables can be viewed online

CARS AND MOTORCYCLES Residents are particularly requested to use the official parking facilities for cars and motorcycles. Cycle sheds have also been provided and a key can be purchased on a refundable basis from the Accommodation Department. Cycles must not be taken into the Courts. Please remember to lock your car or cycle as the hospital cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage.

DINING ROOM FACILITIES The staff dining room in the hospital is available at the following times. Breakfast 0800 – 1100 hours (weekdays) 0730 - 1100 hours (weekends) Lunch 1200 – 1400 hours Tea Break 1500 – 1600 hours Dinner 1700 – 1900 hours

PETS Residents are not allowed any pets in their accommodation, with the exception of guide or hearing dogs.

Accommodation/Revised Tenancy 2012/Residence Guidance Notes.doc September 2012 LEISURE AND RECREATION FACILITIES There are Recreation Halls at Raigmore Hospital which can be made available to staff. A Fitness Centre is also available and arrangements for its use should be made to Alister Dibden, ext 4351 or email [email protected]

LIBRARY The Centre for Health Science Library facilities are available to all staff and are open during the following hours :

Monday – Friday 0900 – 2100 hours Saturday 0900 - 1200 hours

FIRE PRECAUTIONS Fire is potential hazard to everybody. It is the duty of every resident to conversant with the Fire Regulations and to prevent and report any possible fire hazard. Fire Action Notices placed at various points throughout the residence should be carefully studied and procedures learnt.

You must know the exact location of the fire extinguishers which are located in your Court and Flat. Should you require to use the extinguisher you must report its use to the Accommodation Manager or outside office hours via the Duty Manager through switchboard immediately.

An in/out muster board is in operation in each court. Instructions for use are located behind each bedroom door.

Please be especially careful of candles.

Any fire, however small, must be reported.

It shall be the duty of the occupier to keep the common property and areas free from: - a Any combustible substances b Anything which might obstruct exit from and access to the property in the event of a fire

Some do’s and don’ts of fire safety ………..

DO  Report any faults with fire equipment  Open windows when you are cooking and keep kitchen doors shut  Get your own electrical equipment tested  Exit the building whenever you hear the fire alarm

DON’T  Tamper with fire safety equipment  Leave cooking food unattended  Prop/wedge open or obstruct fire doors  Burn candles, incense or joss sticks  Ignore the fire alarm

USE OF ELECTRICAL  Do not use or touch with wet hands electrical appliances that are plugged in and switched on.  Do not stretch flexes on portable electrical appliances.  Do not use adaptors unless there is now alternative. If an adaptor is used, make sure it is an approved type and is fused. Advice is available from the Estates Engineers.

Accommodation/Revised Tenancy 2012/Residence Guidance Notes.doc September 2012  Do not use plugs, sockets or adaptors that are loose, cracked or have signs of charring or overheating.  Do not use electrical appliances with frayed flexes  Do not use electrical appliance which you suspect is faulty.  Do not remove plugs by pulling flexes.  Do not insert plugs into sockets that are switched on.  Do not remove plugs from sockets that are switched on  Do not leave electrical appliances plugged into sockets when not in use.  Do not place articles of clothing, etc over convector fires.  Do not boil electric kettles near sink units, basins or pails if they have water in them.  Do not dry dish towels etc on oven doors.  Do not place electric kettles on radiant rings of electric cookers.  Do not allow patients/residents to interfere with electrical appliances no matter how well qualified they claim to be.  Do not take portable electrical appliances into bathrooms or showers.

Do not interfere with fuses inside plugs. Advice about the correct size of fuse is available from the Estates Department. PAT testing must be carried out on any electrical equipment brought in by the resident.

Accommodation/Revised Tenancy 2012/Residence Guidance Notes.doc September 2012