1. To provide a permanent home for people with learning disabilities who require a high level of support due to physical and sensory disabilities, which could include behaviours that challenge.

2. To offer a service based on the individual needs of each person and to demonstrate this through assessment of client’s needs, which will lead to person, centered planning.

3. Offer a staffing compliment, which reflects the commitment to a high quality service. Staffing levels will be based on the needs of the client group. In addition specialist support services will be provided as required.

4. Facilitate a quality of life that enables people to feel secure whilst at the same time offering the opportunity to have choice in their daily living activities and have a valued lifestyle.

5. Enable the individual to take part in the running of the home through involvement, irrespective of the degree of disability.

6. To adhere at all times to the principles of normalisation i.e. valuing people with learning disabilities as people first.

7. To welcome and encourage close contact with relatives.

8. To provide an environment which is user friendly, irrespective of people’s disabilities.

9. To enable and support individuals in developing and maintaining links within the local community, through the use of local facilities, services and resources.

10. A commitment to equal opportunities will be demonstrated.

11. Staff will be offered training and developmental opportunities to enable
them to deliver a high standard of care.

12. The service will be adaptable to changes in the field of learning
disabilities and society in general.

Top of Page

BROADVIEW - Service User’s Guide

Who we are

Broadview is a registered residential care home for 6 adults with learning disabilities who have special needs, owned by Candour Care Services Limited, a private provider, which has two registered homes altogether. Candour Care Services Limited has a managing director, a company secretary and two other directors with specific roles.
 
The lead responsibility within Candour Care Services for Broadview lies with Rosario Fernandes, who is the managing director of the company. Mr. Fernandes is trained in the field of learning disability and mental illness having gained nursing qualifications of RNMH in 1973 and RMN in 1975, followed by a Cert. in Mngmt. Studies (2005) and  the RMA (2005)  Mr. Fernandes served in the NHS for a period of 33 years in a variety of settings and positions.

Mr. Fernandes opened Broadview as part of a resettlement project for people with learning disabilities, who were moving out of large institutions. Mr. Fernandes used to work in a large local hospital for people with learning disabilities. It was his personal experience of working in a large institution that inspired him to set up Broadview, as he became convinced of the need to find a better alternative to long term hospital care. 

With this background Mr. Fernandes is able to provide the quality leadership that is crucial to the effective and efficient operation of the home.

Our Staff

The quality of care services is a reflection of staffing quantity and quality. We are aware that the home’s staff will always play a very important role in residents’ welfare.

In total there are 10 care staff members an activity coordinator and a service and staff development facilitator.
Broadview has a joint home manager with Homeside, next door and a deputy manager who share the overall management responsibilities for the home.

The staff team consists of senior support workers, who have delegated key worker responsibilities to one or more service users and are assisted by a permanent team of support staff and there are other support staff who are employed on a casual basis on the in-house bank scheme.

The staffing levels are flexible and variable, minimum being two staff on duty during the day shift and one waking and a sleep in staff during the night.

The current manager is Mr. Rosario Fernandes who is a trained nurse RNMH; RMN; Cert. Mgmt. Studies; RMA and has had varied experiences in learning disability services. The current deputy manager is Mrs. Sarojini Casale who is a trained learning disability nurse with RNMH and EN [G]. The majority of the staff have wide and varied experience in the care sector.

The home is fully committed to staff learning and development and has a staff and service development facilitator in post. All senior support workers and support workers are Currently working towards achieving National Vocational Qualifications. The aim is to have fulfilled and to better the required standard by the end of 2006/2007.

Who are our Service Users

Broadview provides care to both men and women with special needs from age 18 upwards.

Broadview is registered to provide care for 6 service users. Currently there are three men and three women. The service users have varying degrees of learning disabilities.
The guiding principle is that there is compatibility among the occupants of the home.

What we offer

Broadview is organised to provide a specialist service geared to meet all care and development needs of people with special needs such as physical disabilities, communication difficulties which and behaviours that challenge.
The home also provides for the total life needs of service users to fulfil their potentials which include the following:

1. Physical
2. Sensory
3. Emotional
4. Clinical
5. Recreational
6. Social
7. Communicational
8. Spiritual
9. Intellectual
10. Behavioural
11. Cultural
12. Personal

How people move into Broadview

People who enquire about our accommodation and services are provided with an information pack. They may then apply directly for a place. All applications must be
accompanied by a comprehensive assessment of need, which states the reasons for referral or application.

Assessments are usually multi-disciplinary and submitted by a local authority social services care manager, specialist community learning disabilities or nominated key worker of a multi-disciplinary team. They will include a financial assessment, which will determine local authority or health service funding to which the applicant will be entitled.

Each application is given careful consideration by the directors of Candour Care Services and the care staff. Where there is a match between application and need assessment, and the availability of a suitable vacancy or a potential vacancy, a final decision is taken at an admissions meeting to which everyone involved in the application including the service user, carers and representatives are invited to attend. If agreement is reached to admit the service user an initial action plan is then drawn up to decide the next steps in the process.

Emergency admissions can only be accepted if a vacancy exists and will be monitored closely.

During this period the user’s capacities and disabilities are further assessed so that an individual plan of care can be drawn up with the full involvement of the service user, relatives, staff and other professionals. This will include discussion and assessment of any risks to which the user or staff be exposed as a result of decisions being taken.
For users who have profound communication difficulties we always endeavour to find appropriate ways and means of ensuring their involvement to the best of their abilities.

All service users who complete a satisfactory introductory visit and needs assessment and who still wish to pursue their application will have their situation discussed with the managing director and the staff team where a decision on service provision and offer of residency will be made. This should promptly be communicated to the referrer.

 Social Activities, Hobbies and Leisure Interests

Broadview believes that its service users should expect their quality of life to be enhanced by living at this home and by the provision of a safe, manageable and comfortable environment which provides the stimulation and encouragement to pursue their lives to the maximum chosen physical, intellectual, emotional and social capacity and supports their friendships and family relationships both inside and outside of the home.

This home believes that its service users should be able to maintain contacts with their families, friends, representatives and local community groups and volunteers as they wish, with no official restrictions placed on visits by the home, with appropriate support from the home and with appropriate arrangements made for privacy. This home believes that having social contacts outside of the home is a crucial part of living a fulfilled and healthy life.

For residents who prefer a quieter time there are also a range of facilities that they can enjoy. They may choose to spend time in our beautiful and peaceful gardens.

Holidays and short breaks are encouraged, as are regular outings to places of local interest and also the organising of small groups for lunch at the local pub.

How we run the home with you

Broadview believes that every service user has the right to have a say in the running of the home where they live and to have their complaints, ideas and comments listened to and respected.

It is the policy of the home that no changes will be made to the home’s statement of purpose without full consultation with existing service users where possible or, relatives, carers and user representatives.

How we meet your Cultural and Religious Needs

Broadview believes that every service user should have their individual cultural and religious needs assessed, respected and facilitated.

The service users have different cultural and spiritual backgrounds which the home is able to accommodate.

The home encourages service users to celebrate their cultural and religious festivities.
Pastoral support is facilitated by the home.

Supporting you to make Personal and Social Contacts

This home believes that its service users should expect their quality of life to be enhanced by living at this home and by the provision of a safe, manageable and comfortable environment which provides the stimulation and encouragement to pursue their lives to the maximum chosen physical, intellectual, emotional and social capacity, and supports their friendships and family relationships.

This home believes that having social contacts, and developing and maintaining personal and family relationships, is a crucial part of living a fulfilled and healthy life and the home will do its best to provide ample opportunities for its service users to mix, and seek friendship and pleasure in social contacts and in the company of their friends and relatives.

Helping you to put things right

Broadview believes that if a service user wishes to make a complaint or register a concern they should find it easy to do so. It is the home’s policy to welcome complaints and look upon them as an opportunity to learn, adapt, improve and provide better services.

This policy is intended to ensure that complaints are dealt with properly and that all complaints or comments by service users and their relatives and carers are taken seriously and responded to within 28 days

There is a detailed policy regarding complaints management which is based on the following principles:            

1. Provide and, when necessary, operate a simple, clear and accessible complaints procedure.
2. Take all necessary action to protect residents’ rights.
3. Make all possible efforts to protect residents from every sort of abuse.
4. Conforms to statutory requirements.

     
      All home staff are trained in dealing with, and responding to, complaints. Complaints  
      policy training is included in the induction training for all new staff and in-house training   
      sessions on handling complaints will be conducted at least annually and all relevant staff   
      should attend.

The named complaints manager with responsibility for following through complaints for the home is:

Rosario Fernandes

The home believes that, wherever possible, complaints are best dealt with on a local level between the complainant and the home. If either of the parties is not satisfied by a local process the case should be referred to the Commission for Social Care Inspections.

The local Commission for Social Care Inspections office is:
Area Office
CPC1
Capital Park
Fulbourn
Cambridge CB21 5XE
Tel: 01223 771300

How we organize your care

Broadview believes that the key to providing high-quality person centered care is based upon individual service users’ needs being fully assessed, required actions being comprehensively planned and implemented and reviewed.

The home will therefore operate a functional service user plan for each individual. Such plans will be determined by a full needs assessment and will be drawn up in full partnership between the home, the service user, relatives, service user representatives and other professionals.

What the home is like

Broadview aims to provide high standard accommodation and care in pleasant surroundings. All the accommodation complies with the national minimum standards that came into force from April 2002.

Broadview is a large detached bungalow set in its own grounds about 3 miles from Welwyn Garden City centre. It is situated on a good bus route and visitors have easy access to Broadview.

There are four bedrooms with sizes within the minimum statutory requirement of 12sq. m
There is one large bathroom with a shower facility. There is a living room and a dining room. There is a well-equipped kitchen.
The home also includes a laundry room and a cloakroom.
There is an office and staff sleep in room.

Therapies

Broadview believes that the service users can benefit from a variety of therapeutic activities, techniques and inputs to facilitate their physical, emotional, social well-being and general development.
Therapeutic inputs from specialist therapist who are part of the local community learning disability team for service users include:

1. Physiotherapy
2. Occupational therapy
3. Dietetics
4. Psychology
5. Speech and language therapy

Other therapists provide independent therapeutic services such as aromatherapy to service users. Such therapists are verified to be appropriately qualified, insured and accredited.

Broadview places the rights of service users at the forefront of our philosophy of care. We seek to advance these rights in all aspects of the environment and the services we provide and to encourage our service users to exercise their rights to the full.

Broadview operates a service users charter and bill of rights based on the following principles:

Independence, Security, Civil rights, Choice, Personalised care, Lifestyle, Privacy and Dignity.

How we continue to care better for you

We are committed to maintaining and improving the quality of our service. We have a comprehensive Quality Policies and Procedures Manual, which is constantly under review and revision. All important policies are contained here including our complaints procedure.

An important part of our approach to quality assurance is to obtain views of all our stakeholders, particularly those of relatives and their representatives. We do this by our regular reviews with individual residents and on more general matters through separate meetings with relatives and representatives. 

We are aiming for a progressive improvement in the standards of training at all levels of our staff and management.

Review of this document

We keep this document under regular review and would welcome comments from others.

top of page

HOMESIDE - Service User’s Guide

Who we are

Homeside is a registered residential care home for 4 adults with learning disabilities who have autistic spectrum disorders, owned by Candour Care Services Limited, a private provider, which has two registered homes altogether. Candour Care Services Limited has a managing director, a company secretary and two other directors with specific roles.
 
The lead responsibility within Candour Care Services for Homeside lies with Rosario Fernandes, who is  the managing director of the company. Mr. Fernandes is trained in the field of learning disability and mental illness having gained nursing qualifications of RNMH in 1973 and RMN in 1975, followed by a Cert. in Mngmt. Studies (2005) and  the RMA (2005)  Mr. Fernandes served in the NHS for a period of 33 years in a variety of settings and positions.

Mr. Fernandes opened Homeside as part of a resettlement project for people with learning disabilities, who were moving out of large institutions. Mr. Fernandes used to work in a large local hospital for people with learning disabilities. It was his personal experience of working in a large institution that inspired him to set up Homeside, as he became convinced of the need to find a better alternative to long term hospital care. 

With this background Mr. Fernandes is able to provide the quality leadership that is crucial to the effective and efficient operation of the home.

Our Staff

The quality of care services is a reflection of staffing quantity and quality. We are aware that the home’s staff will always play a very important role in residents’ welfare.

In total there are 10 care staff members an activity coordinator and a service and staff development facilitator.
Homeside has a joint home manager with Broadview, next door and a deputy manager who share the overall management responsibilities for the home.

The staff team consists of senior support workers, who have delegated key worker responsibilities to one or more service users and are assisted by a permanent team of support staff and there are other support staff who are employed on a casual basis on the in-house bank scheme.

The staffing levels are flexible and variable, minimum being two staff on duty during the day shift and one waking and a sleep in staff during the night.

The current manager is Mr. Rosario Fernandes who is a trained nurse RNMH; RMN; Cert. Mgmt. Studies; RMA and has had varied experiences in learning disability services. The current deputy manager is Mr. Joseph Ngugi  who is undertaking NVQ level 3. The majority of the staff have wide and varied experience in the care sector.

The home is fully committed to staff learning and development and has a staff and service development facilitator in post. All senior support workers and support workers are Currently working towards achieving National Vocational Qualifications. The aim is to have fulfilled and to better the required standard by the end of 2006/2007.

Who are  our Service Users

Homeside provides care to both men and women with autistic spectrum disorders from age 18 upwards.

Homeside is registered to provide care for 4 service users. Currently there are four men. The service users have varying degrees of learning disabilities.
The guiding principle is that there is compatibility among the occupants of the home.

What we offer

Homeside is organised to provide a specialist service geared to meet all care and development needs of people with autistic spectrum disorders which includes behaviours that challenge. The home is in the process of working towards accreditation with The National Autistic Society.
The home also provides for the total life needs of  service users to fulfil their potentials which include the following:

1. Physical
2. Sensory
3. Emotional
4. Clinical
5. Recreational
6. Social
7. Communicational
8. Spiritual
9. Intellectual
10. Behavioural
11. Cultural
12. Personal

How people move into Homeside

People who enquire about our accommodation and services are provided with an information pack. They may then apply directly for a place. All applications must be

accompanied by a comprehensive assessment of need, which states the reasons for referral or application.

Assessments are usually multi-disciplinary and submitted by a local authority social services care manager, specialist community learning disabilities or nominated key worker of a multi-disciplinary team. They will include a financial assessment, which will determine local authority or health service funding to which the applicant will be entitled.

Each application is given careful consideration by the directors of Candour Care Services and the care staff. Where there is a match between application and need assessment, and the availability of a suitable vacancy or a potential vacancy, a final decision is taken at an admissions meeting to which everyone involved in the application including the service user, carers and representatives are invited to attend. If agreement is reached to admit the service user an initial action plan is then drawn up to decide the next steps in the process.

Emergency admissions can only be accepted if a vacancy exists and will be monitored closely.

During this period the user’s capacities and disabilities are further assessed so that an individual plan of care can be drawn up with the full involvement of the service user, relatives, staff and other professionals. This will include discussion and assessment of any risks to which the user or staff be exposed as a result of decisions being taken.
For users who have profound communication difficulties we always endeavour to find appropriate ways and means of ensuring their involvement to the best of their abilities.

All service users who complete a satisfactory introductory visit and needs assessment and who still wish to pursue their application will have their situation discussed with the managing director and the staff team where a decision on service provision and offer of residency will be made. This should promptly be communicated to the referrer.

Social Activities, Hobbies and Leisure Interests

Homeside believes that its service users should expect their quality of life to be enhanced by living at this home and by the provision of a safe, manageable and comfortable environment which provides the stimulation and encouragement to pursue their lives to the maximum chosen physical, intellectual, emotional and social capacity and supports their friendships and family relationships both inside and outside of the home.

This home believes that its service users should be able to maintain contacts with their families, friends, representatives and local community groups and volunteers as they wish, with no official restrictions placed on visits by the home, with appropriate support from the home and with appropriate arrangements made for privacy. This home believes that having social contacts outside of the home is a crucial part of living a fulfilled and healthy life.

For residents who prefer a quieter time there are also a range of facilities that they can enjoy. They may choose to spend time in our beautiful and peaceful gardens.

Holidays and short breaks are encouraged, as are regular outings to places of local interest and also the organising of small groups for lunch at the local pub.

How we run the home with you

Homeside believes that every service user has the right to have a say in the running of the home where they live and to have their complaints, ideas and comments listened to and respected.

It is the policy of the home that no changes will be made to the home’s statement of purpose without full consultation with existing service users where possible or, relatives, carers and user representatives.

All service users do require and are given  communication support in order to understand the information issued.

How we meet your Cultural and Religious Needs

Homeside believes that every service user should have their individual cultural and religious needs assessed, respected and facilitated.

The service users have different cultural and spiritual backgrounds which the home is able to accommodate.

The home encourages service users to celebrate their cultural and religious festivities.
Pastoral support is facilitated by the home.

Supporting you to make Personal and Social Contacts

This home believes that its service users should expect their quality of life to be enhanced by living at this home and by the provision of a safe, manageable and comfortable environment which provides the stimulation and encouragement to pursue their lives to the maximum chosen physical, intellectual, emotional and social capacity, and supports their friendships and family relationships.

This home believes that having social contacts, and developing and maintaining personal and family relationships, is a crucial part of living a fulfilled and healthy life and the home will do its best to provide ample opportunities for its service users to mix, and seek friendship and pleasure in social contacts and in the company of their friends and relatives.

Helping you to put things right

Homeside believes that if a service user wishes to make a complaint or register a concern they should find it easy to do so. It is the home’s policy to welcome complaints and look upon them as an opportunity to learn, adapt, improve and provide better services.

This policy is intended to ensure that complaints are dealt with properly and that all complaints or comments by service users and their relatives and carers are taken seriously and responded to within 28 days

There is a detailed policy regarding complaints management which is based on the following principles:            

1. Provide and, when necessary, operate a simple, clear and accessible complaints procedure.
2. Take all necessary action to protect residents’ rights.
3. Make all possible efforts to protect residents from every sort of abuse.
4. Conforms with statutory requirements.

     
      All home staff are trained in dealing with, and responding to, complaints. Complaints  
      policy training is included in the induction training for all new staff and in-house training   
      sessions on handling complaints will be conducted at least annually and all relevant staff   
      should attend.

The named complaints manager with responsibility for following through complaints for the home is:

Rosario Fernandes

The home believes that, wherever possible, complaints are best dealt with on a local level between the complainant and the home. If either of the parties is not satisfied by a local process the case should be referred to the Commission for Social Care Inspections.

The local Commission for Social Care Inspections office is:
Area Office
CPC1
Capital Park
Fulbourn
Cambridge CB21 5XE
Tel: 01223 771300

How we organize your care

Homeside believes that the key to providing high-quality person centered care is based upon individual service users’ needs being fully assessed, required actions being comprehensively planned and implemented and reviewed.

The home will therefore operate a functional service user plan for each individual. Such plans will be determined by a full needs assessment and will be drawn up in full partnership between the home, the service user, relatives, service user representatives and other professionals.

What the home is like

Homeside aims to provide high standard accommodation and care in pleasant surroundings. All the accommodation complies with the national minimum standards that came into force from April 2002.

Homeside is a large detached bungalow set in its own grounds about 3 miles from Welwyn Garden City centre. It is situated on a good bus route and visitors have easy access to Homeside.

There are four bedrooms with sizes within the minimum statutory requirement of 12sq. m
There is one large bathroom with a shower facility.There is a living room and a dining room. There is a well-equipped kitchen.
The home also includes a laundry room and a cloakroom.
There is a office and staff sleep in room.

Therapies

Homeside believes that the service users can benefit from a variety of therapeutic activities, techniques and inputs to facilitate their physical, emotional, social well-being and general development.
Therapeutic inputs from specialist therapist who are part of the local community learning disability team for service users include:

1. Physiotherapy
2. Occupational therapy
3. Dietetics
4. Psychology
5. Speech and language therapy

Other therapists provide independent therapeutic services such as aromatherapy to service users. Such therapists are verified to be appropriately qualified, insured and accredited.

Providing for your Dignity and Privacy

Homeside places the rights of service users at the forefront of our philosophy of care. We seek to advance these rights in all aspects of the environment and the services we provide and to encourage our service users to exercise their rights to the full.

Homeside operates a service users charter and bill of rights based on the following principles:

Independence, Security, Civil rights, Choice, Personalised care, Lifestyle, Privacy  and Dignity.

How we continue to care better for you

We are committed to maintaining and improving the quality of our service. We have a comprehensive Quality Policies and Procedures Manual, which is constantly under review and revision. All important policies are contained here including our complaints procedure.

An important part of our approach to quality assurance is to obtain views of all our stakeholders, particularly those of relatives and their representatives. We do this by our regular reviews with individual residents and on more general matters through separate meetings with relatives and representatives. 

We are aiming for a progressive improvement in the standards of training at all levels of our staff and management.

Review of this document

We keep this document under regular review and would welcome comments from others.

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Broadview - Statement of Purpose

Provider Details

Broadview is a registered residential care home for 6 adults with learning disabilities, owned by Candour Care Services Limited, a private provider, which has two registered homes altogether. Candour Care Services Limited has a managing director, a company secretary and two other directors with specific roles.
 The company office is:

Wren House
68 London Road
St. Albans
Herts
AL1 1NG

Qualifications and experience of provider/Manager

The registered manager is Rosario Fernandes who also manages Homeside which is next door. He is also the managing director of the company. Mr. Fernandes is trained in the field of learning disability and mental illness having gained nursing qualifications of RNMH in 1973 and RMN in 1975, and went on to undertake a Cert. in Management Studies following this with the Registered Managers Award in 2005. Mr. Fernandes served in the NHS for a period of 33 years in a variety of settings and positions.

Mr. Fernandes opened Broadview as part of a resettlement project for people with learning disabilities, who were moving out of large institutions. Mr. Fernandes used to work in a large local hospital for people with learning disabilities. It was his personal experience of working in a large institution that inspired him to set up Broadview, as he became convinced of the need to find a better alternative to long term hospital care. 

With this background Mr. Fernandes is able to provide the quality leadership that is crucial to the effective and efficient operation of the two homes on a daily basis.
The leadership of the organisation and the team are able to provide top quality service by doing the following:

• Always engage as registered manager a person who is qualified, competent and experienced for the task.
• Aim for a management approach, which creates an open, positive and inclusive atmosphere.
• Install and operate effective quality assurance and quality monitoring systems.
• Work to accounting and financial procedures those safeguard residents’ interests.
• Offer residents appropriate assistance in the management of their personal finances.
• Supervise all staff regularly.
• Keep up-to-date and accurate records on all aspects of the home and its residents.
• Ensure that the health, safety and welfare of residents and staff are promoted and protected.

Staffing

The quality of care services are a reflection of staffing quantity and quality. We are aware that the home’s staff will always play a very important role in residents’ welfare. To maximise this contribution, we will do the following:

• Employ staff in sufficient numbers and with the relevant mix of skills to meet residents’ needs.
• Observe recruitment policies and practices, which both respect equal opportunities and protect residents’ safety and welfare.
• Offer our staff a range of training, which is relevant to their induction, foundation experience and further development.

In total there are 10 whole time equivalent care staff members, a service and staff development facilitator and an activity co-ordinator.
Broadview has a home manager and a deputy manager who share the overall management responsibilities for the home, reporting directly to the directors of Candour Care Services Limited.
The staff team consists of senior support workers, who have delegated key worker responsibilities to one or more service users and are assisted by a permanent team of support staff and there are other support staff who are employed on a casual basis on the in-house bank scheme.
The staffing levels are flexible and variable, minimum being two staff on duty during the day shift and one waking and a sleep in staff during the night.
The current manager is Mr. Rosario Fernandes who has a RNMH (1973); RMN (1975); Cert. in Mngmt. Studies (2005); RMA (2005) and has had varied experience in learning disability services. The current deputy manager is Sarojini Casale who is a trained learning disability nurse RNMH (1973) and an enrolled general nurse EN (1975).
The home is fully committed to staff learning and development and has in post a dedicated service and staff development facilitator. Both the manager and deputy are appropriately qualified as RNMH. All senior support workers and support workers are Currently working towards achieving National Vocational Qualifications. The aim is to have fulfilled and to better the required standard by the end of 2006/2007.

Service Users

Broadview provides care to both men and women with different kinds and levels of learning disabilities from age 18 upwards.
Broadview is registered to provide care for 6 service users. Currently there are three men and three women.
The service users have additional physical and sensory disabilities
Range of Needs
Broadview is organised to provide a specialist service geared to meet all care and development needs of the service users including the following:

• Physical
• Sensory
• Emotional
• Clinical
• Recreational
• Social
• Communicational
• Spiritual
• Intellectual
• Behavioural
• Cultural
• Personal

Nursing Needs

Although service user’s health needs can be met in the home, however if a multidisciplinary decision is made that the service user may need alternative nursing care provision, the necessary arrangements will be made to support the service users in the process.
Broadview is not registered to provide nursing care but relies on the local Community Learning Disability Team for meeting service user’s needs.

Referral and Admission

People who enquire about our accommodation and services are provided with an information pack. They may then apply directly for a place. All applications must be accompanied by a comprehensive assessment of need, which states the reasons for referral or application.

Assessments are usually multi-disciplinary and submitted by a local authority social services care manager, specialist community learning disabilities or nominated key worker of a multi-disciplinary team. They will include a financial assessment, which will determine local authority or health service funding to which the applicant will be entitled.

Each application is given careful consideration by the directors of Candour Care Services and the care staff. Where there is a match between application and need assessment, and the availability of a suitable vacancy or a potential vacancy, a final decision is taken at an admissions meeting to which everyone involved in the application including the service user, carers and representatives are invited to attend. If agreement is reached to admit the service user an initial action plan is then drawn up to decide the next steps in the process.

Emergency admissions can only be accepted if a vacancy exists and will be monitored closely.

Transition

During this period the user’s capacities and disabilities are further assessed so that an individual plan of care can be drawn up with the full involvement of the service user, relatives, staff and other professionals. This will include discussion and assessment of any risks to which the user or staff be exposed as a result of decisions being taken.
For users who have profound communication difficulties we always endeavour to find appropriate ways and means of ensuring their involvement to the best of their abilities.

All service users who complete a satisfactory introductory visit and needs assessment and who still wish to pursue their application will have their situation discussed with the managing director and the staff team where a decision on service provision and offer of residency will be made. This should promptly be communicated to the referrer.

Social Activities, Hobbies and Leisure Interests

Broadview believes that its service users should expect their quality of life to be enhanced by living at this home and by the provision of a safe, manageable and comfortable environment which provides the stimulation and encouragement to pursue their lives to the maximum chosen physical, intellectual, emotional and social capacity and supports their friendships and family relationships both inside and outside of the home.

This home believes that its service users should be able to maintain contacts with their families, friends, representatives and local community groups and volunteers as they wish, with no official restrictions placed on visits by the home, with appropriate support from the home and with appropriate arrangements made for privacy. This home believes that having social contacts outside of the home is a crucial part of living a fulfilled and healthy life.

The home will do its best to provide ample opportunities for its service users to mix, and seek friendship and pleasure in social contacts and in the company of their friends and relatives, periodically according to individual care plans.

In line with  the home’s social activities  policy:

• Staff do as far as possible support service users to become part of, and participate in, the local 
  community in accordance with their assessed needs and their individual service user plans.
• Every new service user’s representative will be given information about local leisure services,
  facilities and activities including shops, clubs, libraries, cinemas, pubs, leisure centres, places of 
  worship, cultural centers and day centres.
• The home maintains a neighbourly and friendly relationship with the community around it.
• Transport is provided for service users to attend community events if local public transport
  is unavailable or inappropriate.
• Time for staff to be with, and provide support for, service users outside the home will be provided on a flexible basis including 1:1 or 2:1.
• The home values and seeks to reflect, the racial and cultural diversity of its service users and of the community in which it is located.

The management team of the home will make a positive effort to fostering good working relationships with the local community as a whole. This home believes that taking an active and high profile role in the local community is the best way to serve its service users. To this end the home will:
continue to work with its community contacts to strengthen the position of the home in the local
community with service user involvement and support put on the following community and family events:

• a Christmas party, Birthday parties and regular events. encourage involvement in the home by local community groups and/or volunteers according to the wishes of residents
• continually review its policy according to service users’ wishes as expressed by individual or  groups of residents or as expressed in regular meetings or surveys of residents’ opinions

This home believes that every service user has the right to leisure time and resources which they should be able to utilise as they wish, doing things that they enjoy.

Leisure activities in this home are arranged by the activities manager and staff.

Current activities at the home are composed of both indoor and outdoor pursuits and include arts and crafts, gardening, table games, social skills, cookery skills and countryside exploration. At Christmas and New Year, relatives and friends are invited to join in festivities.

For residents who prefer a quieter time there are also a range of facilities that they can enjoy. They may choose to spend time in the gardens, or read the newspapers, magazines and books.

Holidays and short breaks are encouraged, as are regular outings to places of local interest and also the organising of small groups for lunch at the local pub.

Service User Involvement

Broadview believes that every service user has the right to have a say in the running of the home where they live and to have their complaints, ideas and comments listened to and respected.
It is the policy of the home that no changes will be made to the home’s statement of purpose without full consultation with existing service users where possible, relatives, carers and user representatives.
The home further agrees that all service users of this home will:

• be provided with comprehensive, accessible, understandable and up-to-date information, in suitable formats, about its policies, procedures, activities and services
• be given opportunities to participate in activities which enable them to influence key decisions in the home
• receive feedback about the outcomes of their involvement and participation.

At this home the following applies.

• The views, suggestions and comments of all service users, their families and their friends will be listened to with respect, and their active participation in the running of the home sought. All reasonable help will be given in the way of support and communication aid to enable those with physical, sensory or communication impairments to participate fully.
• A user representative will be invited to attend monthly staff and management meetings. The representative will be elected by the service users on an annual basis.
• A user representative will be invited to be involved in the selection of staff at interview and of other potential service users applying for residence in the home. Appropriate interview training will be provided to service users performing such a role.
• A user satisfaction survey will be carried out with service user representatives and relatives on a 6 monthly basis. Summaries of the results of each survey will be collated and published and discussed at annual review meetings.
• All complaints will be taken seriously and acted upon without exception. All complaints will be logged and recorded and the complainant contacted and informed of action to be taken.
• Full co-operation and support will be given to advocacy workers chosen to represent or help service users to participate in the daily running of the home.

Emergency/Crisis

Broadview believes that staff and service users within the home should be as safe as possible from the threat of fire or from injury in the case of an outbreak of fire. The home believes that the best way to ensure this state of safety exists is to have robust fire policies and procedures in place, to ensure that staff are well trained to cope with an outbreak of fire.
Also if there is any crisis or emergency there is a call system to summon assistance.
In the event of the home becoming unsafe for service users, the contingency plan for a suitable temporary accommodation nearby will be implemented. 

Cultural and Religious Needs

Broadview believes that every service user should have their individual cultural and religious needs assessed, respected and facilitated.
The service users have different cultural and spiritual backgrounds which the home is able to accommodate.
The home encourages service users to celebrate their cultural and religious festivities.
Pastoral support is facilitated by the home.

Contact between service users and their relatives, friends and representatives

This home believes that its service users should expect their quality of life to be enhanced by living at this home and by the provision of a safe, manageable and comfortable environment which provides the stimulation and encouragement to pursue their lives to the maximum chosen physical, intellectual, emotional and social capacity, and supports their friendships and family relationships.

This home believes that having social contacts, and developing and maintaining personal and family relationships, is a crucial part of living a fulfilled and healthy life and the home will do its best to provide ample opportunities for its service users to mix, and seek friendship and pleasure in social contacts and in the company of their friends and relatives.

Complaints

Broadview believes that if a service user wishes to make a complaint or register a concern they should find it easy to do so. It is the home’s policy to welcome complaints and look upon them as an opportunity to learn, adapt, improve and provide better services. This policy is intended to ensure that complaints are dealt with properly and that all complaints or comments by service users and their relatives and carers are taken seriously and responded to within 28 days.
There is a detailed policy regarding complaints management which is based on the following principles:            

• Provide and, when necessary, operate a simple, clear and accessible complaints procedure.
• Take all necessary action to protect residents’ rights.
• Make all possible efforts to protect residents from every sort of abuse and from the various possible abusers
• Conforms with statutory requirements.

      All home staff are trained in dealing with, and responding to, complaints. Complaints policy training is    
      included in the induction training for all new staff and in-house training sessions on handling complaints        
      will be conducted at least annually and all relevant staff should attend.

The named complaints manager with responsibility for following through complaints for the home is:

Rosario Fernandes

The home believes that, wherever possible, complaints are best dealt with on a local level between the complainant and the home. If either of the parties is not satisfied by a local process the case should be referred to the Commission for Social Care Inspections.

The local Commission for Social Care Inspections office is:
Area Office
CPC1
Capital Park
Fulbourn
Cambridge CB21 5XE
Tel: 01223 771300

Service User Plans

Broadview believes that the key to providing high-quality person centered care is based upon individual service users’ needs being fully assessed, required actions being comprehensively planned and implemented and reviewed. The home will therefore operate a functional service user plan for each individual. Such plans will be determined by a full needs assessment and will be drawn up in full partnership between the home, the service user, relatives, service user representatives and other professionals.

They should:

• reflect the needs, aspirations and goals of the individual
• set out the services to be provided by the care home to meet those needs and achieve the
  service user’s goals.

 The individual resident’s agreed plan of care provides the basis on which Broadview’s care service is delivered. Each resident is allocated a member of the care staff to act as a key worker. The key workers are responsible for monitoring and reviewing the care plans for all of their residents. Their duties include preparing residents and gathering information for their reviews. Formal multi-disciplinary reviews are held annually but care is reviewed on a regular and frequent basis by the staff team.

Each person’s plan includes a description of their preferred daily routines, their likes and dislikes in relation to food and any specific dietary requirements etc. The service plan also includes details of resident’s social interests and activities, and how these are met, and for contact with relatives, friends and representatives.
Each service user will have an annual multi-disciplinary Whole of Life care plan meeting. The service user plan will be reviewed with the service user (involving significant
professionals, and family, friends and advocates as agreed with the service user) at the
request of the service user or at least six monthly and updated to reflect changing needs.
Agreed changes should be recorded and actioned.

All new staff should be encouraged to read the policy on personal support and service user plans as part of their induction process. Existing staff will be offered training to National Training Organisation standards covering basic information about personal care of service users including sessions on care planning and on the recording of notes.

Environment

Broadview aims to provide high standard accommodation and care in pleasant surroundings. All the accommodation complies with the national minimum standards that came into force from April 2002.

Broadview is a large detached bungalow set in its own grounds about 3 miles from Welwyn Garden City centre. It is situated on a good bus route and visitors have easy access to Broadview.

The physical environment of the home is designed for residents’ convenience and comfort. In particular, we will do the following:

• Maintain the buildings and grounds in a safe condition.
• Make arrangements for the communal areas of the home to be safe and comfortable.
• Supply toilet, washing and bathing facilities suitable for the residents for whom we care.
• Arrange for specialist equipment to be available to maximise residents’ independence.
• Provide individual accommodation, which at least meets the National Minimum Standards.
• See that residents have safe, comfortable bedrooms, with their own possessions around them.
• Ensure that premises are kept clean, hygienic and free from unpleasant odours.

There are six large bedrooms with sizes exceeding the minimum statutory requirement of 12sq. m
There are two large bathrooms with easy access, adaptations and equipment for physically disabled service users.
There is a large living room and a large dining room. There is a large well-equipped kitchen.
The home also includes a laundry room and a cloakroom.
There is a office and a staff sleep in room.

Room Schedule

Fire and Emergency Procedures

The home has a quality assured fire and call systems.
The staff regularly receive fire and emergency procedures training and supervision.

Therapies

Broadview believes that the service users can benefit from a variety of therapeutic activities, techniques and inputs to facilitate their physical, emotional, social well-being and general development.
Therapeutic inputs from specialist therapist who are part of the local community learning disability team for service users include:

• Physiotherapy
• Occupational therapy
• Dietetics
• Psychology
• Speech and language therapy

Other therapists provide independent therapeutic services such as aromatherapy to service users. Such therapists are verified to be appropriately qualified, insured and accredited.

Service Users Dignity and Privacy

Broadview places the rights of service users at the forefront of our philosophy of care. We seek to advance these rights in all aspects of the environment and the services we provide and to encourage our service users to exercise their rights to the full.

Broadview operates a service users charter and bill of rights based on the following principles:

Independence, Security, Civil rights, Choice, Personalised care, Lifestyle, Privacy  and Dignity.

Privacy

We recognise that life in a communal setting and the need to accept help with personal tasks are inherently invasive of a resident’s ability to enjoy the pleasure of being alone and undisturbed. We, therefore, strive to retain as much privacy as possible for our service users in the following ways:

• Giving help in intimate situations as discreetly as possible.
• Helping residents to furnish and equip their rooms in their own style and to use them as much as they wish to for leisure and entertainment.
• Offering a range of locations around the home for residents to be alone or with selected others.
• Providing locks on residents’ storage space, bedrooms and other rooms.
• Ensuring the confidentiality of information the home holds about residents.

Dignity

Disabilities quickly undermine dignity, so we try to preserve respect for our service users’ intrinsic value in the following ways:

• Treating each resident as a special and valued individual.
• Helping residents to present themselves to others, as they would wish through their own clothing, their personal appearance and their behaviour in public.
• Offering a range of activities, which enables each resident to express himself or herself as a unique individual.
• Tackling the stigma from which residents may suffer through age, disability or status.
• Compensating for the effects of disabilities which residents may experience on their communication, physical functioning, mobility or appearance.

Quality services

We are committed to maintaining and improving the quality of our service. We have a comprehensive Quality Policies and Procedures Manual, which is constantly under review and revision. All important policies are contained here including our complaints procedure. An important part of our approach to quality assurance is to obtain views of all our stakeholders, particularly those of relatives and their representatives. We do this by our regular reviews with individual residents and on more general matters through separate meetings with relatives and representatives. 

We are aiming for a progressive improvement in the standards of training at all levels of our staff and management. To this and we have assessed for and awarded an ISO 9000:2001, the international quality standard, in 2004.

Review of this document

We keep this document under regular review and would welcome comments from others.

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Homeside - Statement of Purpose

Provider Details

Homeside is a registered residential care home for 4 adults with learning disabilities who have autistic spectrum disorders, owned by Candour Care Services Limited, a private provider, which has two registered homes altogether. Candour Care Services Limited has a managing director, a company secretary and two other directors with specific roles.
 The company office is:

Wren House
68 London Road
St. Albans
Herts
AL1 1NG

Qualifications and experience of provider/Manager

The registered manager is Rosario Fernandes who also manages Broadview which is next door. He is also the managing director of the company. Mr. Fernandes is trained in the field of learning disability and mental illness having gained nursing qualifications of RNMH in 1973 and RMN in 1975, and went on to undertake a Cert. in Management Studies following this with the Registered Managers Award in 2005. Mr. Fernandes served in the NHS for a period of 33 years in a variety of settings and positions.

Mr. Fernandes opened Homeside as part of a resettlement project for people with learning disabilities, who were moving out of large institutions. Mr. Fernandes used to work in a large local hospital for people with learning disabilities. It was his personal experience of working in a large institution that inspired him to set up Homeside, as he became convinced of the need to find a better alternative to long term hospital care. 

With this background Mr. Fernandes is able to provide the quality leadership that is crucial to the effective and efficient operation of the two homes on a daily basis.
The leadership of the organisation and the team are able to provide top quality service by doing the following:

• Always engage as registered manager a person who is qualified, competent and experienced for the task.
• Aim for a management approach, which creates an open, positive and inclusive atmosphere.
• Install and operate effective quality assurance and quality monitoring systems.
• Work to accounting and financial procedures those safeguard residents’ interests.
• Offer residents appropriate assistance in the management of their personal finances.
• Supervise all staff regularly.
• Keep up-to-date and accurate records on all aspects of the home and its residents.
• Ensure that the health, safety and welfare of residents and staff are promoted and protected.

Staffing

The quality of care services are a reflection of staffing quantity and quality. We are aware that the home’s staff will always play a very important role in residents’ welfare. To maximise this contribution, we will do the following:

• Employ staff in sufficient numbers and with the relevant mix of skills to meet residents’ needs.
• Observe recruitment policies and practices, which both respect equal opportunities and protect residents’ safety and welfare.
• Offer our staff a range of training, which is relevant to their induction, foundation experience and further development.

In total there are 10 whole time equivalent care staff members, a service and staff development facilitator and an activity co-ordinator.
Broadview has a home manager and a deputy manager who share the overall management responsibilities for the home, reporting directly to the directors of Candour Care Services Limited.
The staff team consists of senior support workers, who have delegated key worker responsibilities to one or more service users and are assisted by a permanent team of support staff and there are other support staff who are employed on a casual basis on the in-house bank scheme.
The staffing levels are flexible and variable, minimum being two staff on duty during the day shift and one waking and a sleep in staff during the night.
The current manager is Mr. Rosario Fernandes who has a RNMH (1973); RMN (1975); Cert. in Mngmt. Studies (2005); RMA (2005) and has had varied experience in learning disability services. The current deputy manager is Joseph Ngugi who is undertaking NVQ level 3 and had been a Senior Support Worker for two years.
The home is fully committed to staff learning and development and has a staff and service development facilitator in post. All senior support workers and support workers are Currently working towards achieving National Vocational Qualifications. The aim is to have fulfilled and to better the required standard by the end of 2006/2007.

Service Users

Homeside provides care to both men and women with autistic spectrum disorders from age 18 upwards.
Homeside is registered to provide care for 4 service users. Currently there are four men. The service users have varying degrees of learning disabilities.

Range of Needs

Homeside is organised to provide a specialist service geared to meet all care and development needs of people with autistic spectrum disorders which includes behaviours that challenge. The home is in the process of working towards accreditation with The National Autistic Society.
The home also provides for the total life needs of  service users to fulfil their potentials which include the following:

• Physical
• Sensory
• Emotional
• Clinical
• Recreational
• Social
• Communicational
• Spiritual
• Intellectual
• Behavioural
• Cultural
• Personal

Nursing Needs

Although service user’s basic health needs can be met in the home, however if a multidisciplinary decision is made that the service user may need alternative nursing care provision, the necessary arrangements will be made to support the service users in the process.
The home is not registered to provide nursing care but relies on the local Community Learning Disability Team for meeting service user’s nursing needs.

Referral and Admission

People who enquire about our accommodation and services are provided with an information pack. They may then apply directly for a place. All applications must be accompanied by a comprehensive assessment of need, which states the reasons for referral or application.

Assessments are usually multi-disciplinary and submitted by a local authority social services care manager, specialist community learning disabilities or nominated key worker of a multi-disciplinary team. They will include a financial assessment, which will determine local authority or health service funding to which the applicant will be entitled.

Each application is given careful consideration by the directors of Candour Care Services and the care staff. Where there is a match between application and need assessment, and the availability of a suitable vacancy or a potential vacancy, a final decision is taken at an admissions meeting to which everyone involved in the application including the service user, carers and representatives are invited to attend. If agreement is reached to admit the service user an initial action plan is then drawn up to decide the next steps in the process.

Emergency admissions can only be accepted if a vacancy exists and will be monitored closely.

Transition

During this period the user’s capacities and disabilities are further assessed so that an individual plan of care can be drawn up with the full involvement of the service user, relatives, staff and other professionals. This will include discussion and assessment of any risks to which the user or staff be exposed as a result of decisions being taken.
For users who have profound communication difficulties we always endeavour to find appropriate ways and means of ensuring their involvement to the best of their abilities.

All service users who complete a satisfactory introductory visit and needs assessment and who still wish to pursue their application will have their situation discussed with the managing director and the staff team where a decision on service provision and offer of residency will be made. This should promptly be communicated to the referrer.

This home believes that every service user has the right to leisure time and resources which they should be able to utilise as they wish, doing things that they enjoy.

Leisure activities in this home are arranged by the activities manager and staff.

Current activities at the home are composed of both indoor and outdoor pursuits and include arts and crafts, gardening, table games, social skills, cookery skills and countryside exploration. At Christmas and New Year, relatives and friends are invited to join in festivities.

For residents who prefer a quieter time there are also a range of facilities that they can enjoy. They may choose to spend time in the gardens, or read the newspapers, magazines and books.

Holidays and short breaks are encouraged, as are regular outings to places of local interest and also the organising of small groups for lunch at the local pub.

Service User Involvement

Homeside believes that every service user has the right to have a say in the running of the home where they live and to have their complaints, ideas and comments listened to and respected.
It is the policy of the home that no changes will be made to the home’s statement of purpose without full consultation with existing service users where possible or, relatives, carers and user representatives.
The home further agrees that all service user’s represetatives of this home will:

• be provided with comprehensive, accessible, understandable and up-to-date information, in suitable formats, about its policies, procedures, activities and services
• be given opportunities to participate in activities which enable them to influence key decisions in the home
• receive feedback about the outcomes of their involvement and participation.
• All service users do require and are given communication support in order to understand the information issued.

At this home the following applies.

• The views, suggestions and comments of all service user’s representatives, their families and their friends will be listened to with respect, and their active participation in the running of the home sought.
• A user representative will be invited to attend regular meetings.
• A user representative will be invited to be involved in the selection of staff at interview and of other potential service users applying for residence in the home. Appropriate interview training will be provided to service users performing such a role.
• A user satisfaction survey will be carried out with service user representatives and relatives on a 6 monthly basis. Summaries of the results of each survey will be collated and published and discussed at annual review meetings.
• All complaints will be taken seriously and acted upon without exception. All complaints will be logged and recorded and the complainant contacted and informed of action to be taken.
• Full co-operation and support will be given to advocacy workers chosen to represent or help service users to participate in the daily running of the home.

Emergency/Crisis

Homeside believes that staff and service users within the home should be as safe as possible from the threat of fire or from injury in the case of an outbreak of fire. The home believes that the best way to ensure this state of safety exists is to have robust fire policies and procedures in place, to ensure that staff are well trained to cope with an outbreak of fire.
Also if there is any crisis or emergency there is a call system to summon assistance.
In the event of the home becoming unsafe for service users, the contingency plan for a suitable temporary accommodation nearby will be implemented. 

Cultural and Religious Needs

Homeside believes that every service user should have their individual cultural and religious needs assessed, respected and facilitated.
The service users have different cultural and spiritual backgrounds which the home is able to accommodate.
The home encourages service users to celebrate their cultural and religious festivities.
Pastoral support is facilitated by the home.

Contact between service users and their relatives, friends and representatives

This home believes that its service users should expect their quality of life to be enhanced by living at this home and by the provision of a safe, manageable and comfortable environment which provides the stimulation and encouragement to pursue their lives to the maximum chosen physical, intellectual, emotional and social capacity, and supports their friendships and family relationships.

This home believes that having social contacts, and developing and maintaining personal and family relationships, is a crucial part of living a fulfilled and healthy life and the home will do its best to provide ample opportunities for its service users to mix, and seek friendship and pleasure in social contacts and in the company of their friends and relatives.

Complaints

Homeside believes that if a service user wishes to make a complaint or register a concern they should find it easy to do so. It is the home’s policy to welcome complaints and look upon them as an opportunity to learn, adapt, improve and provide better services. This policy is intended to ensure that complaints are dealt with properly and that all complaints or comments by service users and their relatives and carers are taken seriously and responded to within 28 days
There is a detailed policy regarding complaints management which is based on the following principles:            

• Provide and, when necessary, operate a simple, clear and accessible complaints procedure.
• Take all necessary action to protect residents’ rights.
• Make all possible efforts to protect residents from every sort of abuse.
• Conforms with statutory requirements.

All home staff are trained in dealing with, and responding to, complaints. Complaints policy training is    
      included in the induction training for all new staff and in-house training sessions on handling complaints        
      will be conducted at least annually and all relevant staff should attend.

The named complaints manager with responsibility for following through complaints for the home is:

Rosario Fernandes

The home believes that, wherever possible, complaints are best dealt with on a local level between the complainant and the home. If either of the parties is not satisfied by a local process the case should be referred to the Commission for Social Care Inspections.

The local Commission for Social Care Inspections office is:
Area Office
CPC1
Capital Park
Fulbourn
Cambridge CB21 5XE
Tel: 01223 771300

Service User Plans

Homeside believes that the key to providing high-quality person centered care is based upon individual service users’ needs being fully assessed, required actions being comprehensively planned and implemented and reviewed. The home will therefore operate a functional service user plan for each individual. Such plans will be determined by a full needs assessment and will be drawn up in full partnership between the home, the service user, relatives, service user representatives and other professionals.
They should:

• reflect the needs, aspirations and goals of the individual
• set out the services to be provided by the care home to meet those needs and achieve the service user’s goals.

 The individual resident’s agreed plan of care provides the basis on which Homeside’s care service is delivered. Each resident is allocated a member of the care staff to act as a key worker. The key workers are responsible for monitoring and reviewing the care plans for all of their residents. Their duties include preparing residents and gathering information for their reviews. Formal multi-disciplinary reviews are held annually but care is reviewed on a regular and frequent basis by the staff team.

Each person’s plan includes a description of their preferred daily routines, their likes and dislikes in relation to food and any specific dietary requirements etc. The service plan also includes details of resident’s social interests and activities, and how these are met, and for contact with relatives, friends and representatives.
Each service user will have an annual multi-disciplinary Whole of Life care plan meeting. The service user plan will be reviewed with the service user (involving significant
professionals, and family, friends and advocates as agreed with the service user) at the
request of the service user or at least six monthly and updated to reflect changing needs.
Agreed changes should be recorded and actioned.

All new staff should be encouraged to read the policy on personal support and service user plans as part of their induction process. Existing staff will be offered training to National Training Organisation standards covering basic information about personal care of service users including sessions on care planning and on the recording of notes.

Environment

Homeside aims to provide high standard accommodation and care in pleasant surroundings. All the accommodation complies with the national minimum standards that came into force from April 2002.

Homeside is a large detached bungalow set in its own grounds about 3 miles from Welwyn Garden City centre. It is situated on a good bus route and visitors have easy access to Homeside.

The physical environment of the home is designed for residents’ convenience and comfort. In particular, we will do the following:
Maintain the buildings and grounds in a safe condition.
Make arrangements for the communal areas of the home to be safe and comfortable.
Supply toilet, washing and bathing facilities suitable for the residents for whom we care.
Arrange for specialist equipment to be available to maximise residents’ independence.
Provide individual accommodation, which at least meets the National Minimum Standards.
See that residents have safe, comfortable bedrooms, with their own possessions around them.
Ensure that premises are kept clean, hygienic and free from unpleasant odours.
There are four bedrooms with sizes within the minimum statutory requirement of 12sq. m
There is one large bathroom with a shower facility. There is a living room and a dining room. There is a well-equipped kitchen.
The home also includes a laundry room and a cloakroom.
There is an office and staff sleep in room.

Room Schedule:

Fire and Emergency Procedures
The home has a quality assured fire and call systems.
The staff regularly receive fire and emergency procedures training and supervision.

Therapies

Homeside believes that the service users can benefit from a variety of therapeutic activities, techniques and inputs to facilitate their physical, emotional, social well-being and general development.
Therapeutic inputs from specialist therapist who are part of the local community learning disability team for service users include:
Physiotherapy
Occupational therapy
Dietetics
Psychology
Speech and language therapy

Other therapists provide independent therapeutic services such as aromatherapy to service users. Such therapists are verified to be appropriately qualified, insured and accredited.

Service Users Dignity and Privacy

Homeside places the rights of service users at the forefront of our philosophy of care. We seek to advance these rights in all aspects of the environment and the services we provide and to encourage our service users to exercise their rights to the full.

Homeside operates a service users charter and bill of rights based on the following principles:

Independence, Security, Civil rights, Choice, Personalised care, Lifestyle, Privacy  and Dignity.

Privacy

We recognise that life in a communal setting and the need to accept help with personal tasks are inherently invasive of a resident’s ability to enjoy the pleasure of being alone and undisturbed. We, therefore, strive to retain as much privacy as possible for our service users in the following ways:
Giving help in intimate situations as discreetly as possible.
Helping residents to furnish and equip their rooms in their own style and to use them as much as they wish to for leisure and entertainment.
Offering a range of locations around the home for residents to be alone or with selected others.
Providing locks on residents’ storage space, bedrooms and other rooms.
Ensuring the confidentiality of information the home holds about residents.

Dignity

Disabilities quickly undermine dignity, so we try to preserve respect for our service users’ intrinsic value in the following ways:
Treating each resident as a special and valued individual.
Helping residents to present themselves to others, as they would wish through their own clothing, their personal appearance and their behaviour in public.
Offering a range of activities, which enables each resident to express himself or herself as a unique individual.
Tackling the stigma from which residents may suffer through age, disability or status.
Compensating for the effects of disabilities which residents may experience on their communication, physical functioning, mobility or appearance.

Quality services

We are committed to maintaining and improving the quality of our service. We have a comprehensive Quality Policies and Procedures Manual, which is constantly under review and revision. All important policies are contained here including our complaints procedure. An important part of our approach to quality assurance is to obtain views of all our stakeholders, particularly those of relatives and their representatives. We do this by our regular reviews with individual residents and on more general matters through separate meetings with relatives and representatives. 

We are aiming for a progressive improvement in the standards of training at all levels of our staff and management. To this and we have assessed for and awarded an ISO 9000:2001, the international quality standard, in 2004.

Review of this document

We keep this document under regular review and would welcome comments from others.