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Duties of Emergency Duty Team

Duties of Emergency Duty Team

1. Key Points

  1. The EDT is on duty Monday - Thursday between 5.00pm and 9.00am and all weekend commencing 4.30pm Friday until 9.00am Monday;
  2. The EDT is available to respond to emergencies out of hours across all service user groups. The model worked to is one of brief, essential intervention to safeguard the welfare and safety of vulnerable people in the community;
  3. The range of circumstances encountered in emergency duty work requires a high degree of flexibility of response, working within the boundaries established by Social Care procedures;
  4. The EDT must ensure all necessary information is made available to relevant mainstream services for any follow up the next working day;
  5. Brief intervention means that financial assessments are not a task for the EDT, but for mainstream service follow on. However staff will inform service users that there may be a cost for the emergency service offered e.g. support at home, respite care for adults;
  6. While it is not the purpose of the EDT to take over cases actively being worked on by mainstream services once 5.00pm has passed, the team is available to provide appropriate advice and support to other social care staff on request. The team will also respond to emergencies occurring in connection with children in East Riding of Yorkshire Council residential establishments, taking any necessary action to resolve or contain a situation;
  7. The EDT may provide information from the list of Children subject to a Child Protection Plan for other agencies, namely:
    • The Police;
    • Relevant hospital staff;
    • GP's;
    • Health Visitors and certain other community health staff;
    • NSPCC subject to Directorate policy on confidentiality and access to information.
  8. The EDT develop knowledge and maintain good working relationships with other social care staff and agencies which provide services to vulnerable people out of hours;
  9. The out of hours service includes the provision of Approved Mental Health Practitioners (AMHP's) who undertake emergency work in accordance with legal requirements.

2. Emergency Duty Team Procedure

  1. Contact received by telephone, or email;
  2. Check if service user known on database;
  3. Enter in EDT log;
  4. Assess necessary action:                       
    • No action required;
    • Telephone advice only;
    • Refer to other agency;
    • Refer to local social care team for follow up;
    • Refer to local social care team. No Further Action;
    • Visit required by EDT.
  5. Take action required;
  6. Case note/Assessment entered onto database. If new service user, contact sent to relevant team (and e-mail team manager/worker if urgent action needed) for action the following day.

Last Updated: December 1, 2023

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