Plan the routine around your site
Define the staff facilities and shared premises areas assigned to the person completing the routine. Access, resident needs and the actual tasks are governed by the home’s approved arrangements; a generic checklist should not set them. Review outstanding facilities actions before starting so current restrictions remain visible. Use an area or shared-asset reference without collecting resident identities, health information or care observations in a general premises report. Specialist building-system checks and resident-related assessments require their competent procedures and designated records. Record an honest access exception where work cannot be completed, then identify the responsible facilities lead and next review for unfinished operational tasks.
Agree the assigned role, due window, expected record and escalation route with the people who do and review the work. Include an honest outcome for work that could not be completed, with a reason and a next action.
What to include in the checklist
These are planning examples. Adapt the questions and timing to your approved procedures and the person’s responsibilities.
| Routine | Work to define | Useful record |
|---|---|---|
| Facilities handover | Read outstanding shared-area actions. | Area and responsible lead. |
| Assigned premises round | Complete only approved tasks within access scope. | Task and actual outcome. |
| Staff facilities | Record agreed non-clinical readiness work. | Location and exception. |
| Specialist record reference | Refer to required competent building-system checks. | Approved record and owner. |
| Maintenance finding | Report accessible premises observations within role. | Area or asset and response. |
| Team continuity | Carry unfinished facilities actions forward. | Owner and review time. |
A facilities report should not become a resident-care record
Use shared-area and asset references for operational work. Resident needs, clinical information and individual risk assessments stay in their approved specialist records and access arrangements.
Give the next shift enough context
A loose accessible storage fitting is reported in staff corridor CH-02. The premises team identifies the location and follows the home’s approved facilities response procedure. The facilities lead records the temporary arrangement and authorised assessment owner. The next team sees the premises action without resident or clinical information.
Identify the area or asset, the observation, the actual result, the immediate action and who was informed. Attach useful evidence where safe and permitted. A photograph supports a finding without establishing its cause.
- Keep the original observation and time.
- Assign a specific next action and agree when it will be reviewed.
- Record the later outcome and authorised verification beside the finding.
Read the guide to writing a useful fault report for a closer look at the evidence record.
Review the work still needing attention
Review repeated staff-facilities findings and actions carried between shifts without a next owner. Keep operational task completion separate from resident-care assessments and specialist building records. Check that any access exception explains the uncompleted premises task and that shared reports contain only the information required for facilities follow-up.
Review completion and outstanding actions together. A missing routine and a completed routine with a failure need different follow-up. The weekly manager review guide explains how to move from the summary to the source record.
For the wider workflow, explore shift handover examples and planning and manager reporting examples and planning.
Try the routine in CheckControl
Start with an existing routine, add its questions and instructions, and agree the assignment and due window. Staff can record answers and findings on their phones; managers can review the record and follow-up. Use the relevant PDF or Excel export for your authorised review. The public demo uses fictional people, findings and evidence.
Common questions
Can care homes separate facilities and resident-care records?
Yes. Assign facilities routines with an explicit premises scope and keep resident-specific information in the approved care-record system.
What is the scope of this guide?
Use the home’s competent premises arrangements and relevant care-regulator requirements. This guide does not replace resident-care plans, individual assessments, clinical records or specialist inspections.
Sources and scope
CheckControl wrote these record-design and handover examples. Use your organisation’s approved specialist procedures and the relevant authoritative guidance: HSE: sensible risk assessment in care settings. Source checked 5 October 2026.
Use the home’s competent premises arrangements and relevant care-regulator requirements. This guide does not replace resident-care plans, individual assessments, clinical records or specialist inspections.