Section 124.25. Social work services.

 

(1)   Organized service. If the hospital has an organized social work service, that service shall have written policies and procedures. If the hospital does not have an organized social work service, the services of a consultant having the qualifications set out in sub. (2) (a) shall be secured on a contractual basis. The services performed and recommendations made by the consultant shall be documented in writing.

(2)   Personnel.

(a) Direction. The social work service shall be directed by a social worker who has:

1. A master's degree in social work from a graduate school of social work accredited by the council on social work education, and one year of social work experience in a health care setting; or

2. A bachelor's degree in social work, sociology or psychology, meets the national association of social workers standards of membership and has one year of social work experience in a health care setting.

(b) Staff. The social work service staff, in addition to the director, may include social workers, case workers and social work assistants at various levels of social work training and experience.

(c) Numbers of staff. There shall be a sufficient number of social work service staff to carry out the purpose and functions of the service.

(3)   Integration of the service. The social work service shall be integrated with other services of the hospital, as follows:

(a) Staff shall participate, as appropriate, in ward rounds, medical staff seminars, nursing staff conferences and in conferences with individual physicians and nurses concerned with the care of a particular patient and the patient's family;

(b) Staff shall inform appropriate administrative and professional personnel of the hospital about community programs and developments which may affect the hospital's social work program; and

(c) Staff shall participate in appropriate continuing education and orientation programs for nurses, medical students, interns, residents, physicians and hospital administrative staff, as well as inservice training programs for staff of the service.

(4)   Functions.

(a) Social work service activities shall address the social service needs of patients, their families and others designated by the patient as these relate to the health care and health of the patients.

(b) When appropriate, planning for patient care shall include assessment by the social work staff of the need to provide services to patients, their families and others designated by the patient in order to help them adjust to illness and to plan for needed post-hospital care.

(5)   Records.

(a) Social work staff shall record their notes on intervention on behalf of a patient, the patient's family and others designated by the patient in the patient's permanent medical record.

(b) More detailed records of the interventions shall be kept by the service to meet the needs of students, training of staff, for research purposes, and to permit review by supervisors or consultants.

(6)   Environment. The facilities for social work staff shall provide privacy for interviews with patients, their family members and other persons designated by the patients.

Cr. Register, January, 1988, No. 385 , eff. 2-1-88.