RESIDENTS

HANDBOOK

(Incorporating Statement of Purpose)

WELLINGTONand Longforth House

Longforth Road, Wellington

Somerset, TA21 8RH

Telephone: 01823 663667

Fax: 01823 665917

Email:

SPECIALISTS IN DEMENTIA CARE FOR PEOPLE FROM THE AGE OF 40 YEARS

CONTENTS P A G E - 2

Registered Provider- 3

Management and Staffing- 3

Fees and Services Provided- 3, 4

Key Terms of Contract - 4

Our Philosophy of Care- 4

Confidentiality- 4, 5

Our Client Group and Range of Needs Met- 5, 6

Residents’ Rights- 6, 7, 8

Privacy

Dignity

Independence

Security

Choice

Accommodation - 8, 9,10

Home Life- 11, 12

Personal and health care

Social Activities hobbies and Leisure

Smoking and alcohol

Consultation/Contact with family and friends

Safety and Emergency procedures

Concerns and complaints

Compliments, Complaints, Comments, Concerns Policy- 13

Important Addresses- 15

Registered Provider:

The Registered Provider of Care is: Wellington Care (Somerset) Limited.

The registered company address is: 3 Redwoods

Benger

Hertford

Hertfordshire

SG14 3BT

Management and Staffing:

Responsibility for the care of the residents and the staff within the home is with Registered Manager Maggie Miltonwho has many years of experience together with the Registered Manager Award and Level 4 in Care.

The ten bedded Longforth Unit is managed by Chris Church who has worked on the unit since its inception in 2006 and also have his Registered Manager’s Award. Chris is also a Care Ambassador.

Maggie is supported by Pat Smith our Administrator who isavailable from 9am – 3pm each weekday.

A Senior Care Assistant or Senior Support Worker is on duty at all times and is responsible for the smooth running of the house, reporting to Maggie. Senior workers have a N.V.Q Level III qualification or are working towards one.

All our staff are highly trained in a wide variety of skills and disciplines which include health and safety, first aid, manual handling, fire safety and dementia care. All staff are invited to do N.V.Q training and, in addition, attend courses relevant to our client group.

Fees Charged/Services Provided:

Our fees are discussed with Somerset County Council for Wellington House and the Somerset Partnership for Longforth House.

The fee charged will be dependent on the care needed and the accommodation offered. Rates start at the level agreed with Somerset County Council for a fully funded resident (available on our website).

Our fees include:

  • Accommodation
  • Meals, snacks and beverages
  • Personal care 24 hours/day 7 days/week
  • Fully trained staff
  • Activities within the home and some external activities
  • All laundry except dry cleaning

Key Terms of Contract:

Please ask Pat, our Administrator, for a copy of our Terms and Conditions of Admission

Inspection Reports / User Surveys:

Copies are available on request.

Reports are available on line at

Philosophy of Care:

‘Something to do, someone to do it with and something to look forward to’

Quality of Life is the key to enabling our residents to enjoy their time with us. We will encourage our residents be involved in all the activities of daily living, to make decisions about the running of the house and the service they receive. Our aim is to provide a stimulating environment and care which is centered around the person, their wishes, aspirations and needs.

Confidentiality:

To help us make an assessment of your needs, we will need to ask you for personal information about your circumstances and to record this information. We will not share this information with anyone, including friends and relatives, without your agreement or that of your representative (unless they have legal authority as Guardian or Attorney) and it will be kept in a confidential file.

Only Care staff with permission to see the file will be able to access it. Care staff will record in the file on adaily basis information relevant to your care and will pass information relevant to your day-to-day care to your key worker or to whoever is in charge of each shift.

You may have access to your notes at any time to see what is actually being recorded. It is the home’s policy that all the information we receive about or from service users is confidential and that only those people who need to know the information have access to it.

The home will always ask your permission before we share with anyone else the information you have given us. In certain circumstances however, we may need to share information in your best interests and may do so to fulfil our duty of care to you to keep you safe from risk or harm following the procedures that are set out in the service’s safeguarding policy.

Our Client Group:

In general it is not our intention to extend the care at Wellington House to those people who have mental health problems as experience tells us that these two groups of people find it very difficult to live comfortably together.

However, at Longforth House we welcome people with low level mental health needs who are usually aged 65 years and below.

Wellington House

At Wellington House the care is provided for people over the age of 65 years who have a dementia but who do not need nursing care.

Admission to the home is by referral from our Specialist Care Development Nurse Jacqui Cridge, who can be contacted at Foundation House on 01823 368468. Herrole is to work with our staff in an advisory capacity to meet the residents mental health needs.

When a referral is made one of our management team will visit to discuss whether the home can meet the person’s needs and aspirations.

At Wellington House we aim to provide a home for as long as is practical and we are able to meet the needs of a person.

We do not have the skills to meet the needs of those people who require nursing care.

Longforth House

At Longforth House we will provide care and support for men and women from the age of 40 years who have early onset dementia and/or a low level mental health need.

To maximise the quality of life for those who live at Longforth House we will aim to admit people with different types and degrees of dementia who will be able to live in harmony with each other. With this in mind we do not see any one type of dementia or mental health challenges dominating the client group of the Home.

Range of Needs Met:

Our Service will primarily aim to meet the needs of those people with:

Alzheimer’s disease

Vascular dementia

Frontotemporal dementia

Alcohol related dementia

Dementia with Lewy bodies

This will not exclude other types of dementia where we have the appropriate skills to offer.

Regular reviews of care are held to which the resident, their relative or advocate, a representative from Wellington House and healthcare professionals may be invited.

The ‘Gold Standards Framework’

The Gold Standards Framework is a programme to enable a ‘Gold Standard of Care’ for all our residents nearing the end of life. The programme has 3 aims:

  • To improve the quality of care provided for all residents.
  • To improve collaboration with G.P’s, Primary Care Teams and Specialists.
  • To reduce inappropriate hospital admissions in the final stages of Life.

Introductory Visits:

We offer prospective residents the opportunity to spend the day with us, to meet and chat to the residents and staff and enjoy a meal and view the home.

We also offer short visits for coffee, lunch etc. for those people who do not wish to stay all day but would like to see the home.

Respite Care:

Respite Care is available all year round and can be booked through our Specialist Care Development Nurse Jacqui Cridge at Foundation House – 01823 368468.

Jacqui will discuss the length of stay and dates. The Home has a separate booklet for people coming in for respite.

Respite Care is charged at the local authority fee rate.

Residents’ Rights:

The move into residential accommodation should not, in any way, compromise the rights of our residents. We recognise and wish to emphasis the following points:

The need to live in a communal setting and accept help with personal care is inherently invasive of a person’s ability to enjoy the pleasure of being alone and undisturbed. In order to retain as much privacy as possible we will:

  • Provide and encourage people to use their rooms as their own personal space, to furnish them in their own style and use them as much as they wish for entertaining, meals and leisure.
  • Provide a lock on the bedroom door and also lockable space in the room for private possessions
  • Give personal and intimate help as discreetly as possible
  • Ensure confidentiality of any information that the home holds about the resident

Disability quickly undermines dignity so we will make every effort to treat each resident as a respected and valued individual and help them to express themselves through their clothing, personal appearance and their activities.

It is important that people are able to retain their independence and:

  • Take reasonable risks
  • Carry out the tasks of daily living with minimal assistance
  • Contribute and have access to their care records.
  • Explore possibilities to establish and retain contacts outside the home
  • Only use any form of restraint when it is essential for the safety of the resident or others.

Those who live at the Home have the rights of all citizens and we will ensure that residents have the opportunity to:

  • Vote in elections
  • Have full and equal access to all elements of the NHS
  • Get assistance in claiming appropriate welfare benefits and social services
  • Have access to public services such as libraries, swimming pools, further education and learning opportunities
  • Contribute to society by taking on responsibilities within and beyond the home

Residents will get everyassistance to exercise their right to choose in the following ways by:

  • Being consulted in decisions being made about way in which the house is run by way of regular meetings between staff and residents
  • Providing a choice of where, when and with whom they consume the food and drink they have chosen
  • Offering a wide range of activities from which to choose
  • Minimising the use of timetables in the House and retain maximum flexibility in the routines of daily life.
  • Enabling residents to manage their own time

In addition to the above we want to help our residents to realise their personal aspirations and abilities in all aspects of their lives by respecting their religious, ethnic and cultural diversity, helping to maintain existing contacts and establish new ones and, above all, to listen and respond to any residents desire to communicate at whatever level.

We will undertake to write down the life history of every resident to help us to gain an understanding of that person.

OUR EXPECTATION OF OUR RESIDENTS

We will always strive to achieve the highest levels of support and care. However, in order to do this we must also look after those who chose to work here.

With this in mind we have a policy of non-tolerance of violent or aggressive behaviour towards staff by residents or their relatives/friends.

ACCOMMODATION

Wellington House:

Accommodation provided is in 33 single rooms all but one of which have en-suite facilities. The majority of rooms are on the ground and first floor with two large rooms on the second floor. All the rooms arespacious and residentsare encouraged to bring along items of their own furniture and other personal effects.

Room Sizes are attached at the back of this document (page 14)

The home benefits from large communal space and offers two lounges both with sitting and dining areas.

The South Lounge has a television for theenjoyment of those who like to watch it.

The South garden can be accessed from this lounge and is a safe, sunny area where residents can enjoy the outdoors.

Off the south lounge is our new hairdressing salon, designed to make a visit to the hairdresser a pleasant experience.

The North lounge is used very much as the main social hub of the house and is where most of the activities take place as we feel that it is important to offer our residents a busy and interesting environment. There is a sunny patio off this lounge for use by the residents.

There is also a small quiet room near to the reception area for use by visiting relatives and friends and for some activities.

WELLINGTON HOUSE ROOM NUMBER AND SIZE

Ground Floor:

Bedroom No: 215.56 sq m813.20 sq m

313.92 sq m913.9 sq m

412.00 sq m1014.64 sq m

511.80 sq m1114.00 sq m

615.10 sq m1213.09 sq m

715.00 sq m

First Floor:

Bedroom No:1413.20 sq m2515.08 sq m

1515.4 sq m2612.40 sq m

1612.2 sq m2715.32 sq m

1712.66 sq m2813.5 sq m

1811.25 sq m2913.6 sq m

1912.40 sq m3013.5 sq m

2014.00 sq m3114.3 sq m

2115.99 sq m3213.30 sq m

2213.00 sq m3312.20 sq m

2312.39 sq m

2412.35 sq m

Second Floor:

Bedroom No.3419.00 sq m

3513.8 sq m

Longforth House:

We offer a homely environment where ten people can be accommodated in single en-suite bedrooms.

Each bedroom will have its own walk in shower and, in addition, there is an assisted bath on the first floor for those residents who need a little more help or feel that they would prefer a bath.

All rooms are furnished to a high standard and have the benefit of a work desk, telephone/computer point, flat screen TV and easy chair in addition to the usual bedroom furniture

Rooms Sizes are as follows: Ground Floor:Room 115.97sq m

Room 216 sq m

Room 316 sq m

First Floor:Room 415.4 sq m

Room 515.9 sq m

Room 616.03 sq m

Room 713.8 sq m

Room 815.9 sq m

Room 916.13 sq m

Room 1016.13 sq m

All room sizes exclude the en-suite facilities

The main lounge has comfortable chairs and settees, a large flat screen TV and games area. Leading from this is a sunny dining room where residents can take their meals, sit and chat or do activities as they wish.

A separate conservatory area may be used as a quiet room where residents can receive visitors.

Smoking is only allowed outside in the facility provided. This is for the benefit of those residents who do not smoke.

There is also an Activity Room situated on the back patio for use by residents.

The house has a fully fitted kitchen which the residents will use under supervision and help to prepare meals and snacks. There is a fully equipped laundry where residents will be encouraged to do their own washing.

We comply with all the requirements of the National Minimum Standards for the physical environment of the home.

HOME LIFE

Personal and Healthcare

We aim to provide all personal care and in addition we are fortunate to have the services of a Specialist Care Development Nurse available to us through the N.H.S. Somerset Partnership.

Residents will be registered with a local GP and they will provide the same service that you would expect in your own home. We can arrange this for you on arrival at the home.

The district nurse visits on a regular basis and again provides the same service that you would get in your own home.

In addition we have regular visits from the optician, dentist and chiropodist. There is a charge for these services.

The new hairdressing salon in Wellington House is available at a cost to residents or appointments can be made in the town for haircuts.

If a resident wants to self-medicate and is safe to do so, then all help and advice will be given. Otherwise all drugs will be managed by senior staff and dispensed and ordered as instructed by the GP.

Social Activities and Leisure

We aim to help residents to continue to enjoy as wide a range of activities and interests as possible both inside and outside the home, to carry on existing hobbies, pursuits and perhaps try some new ones!

We encourage our residents to do many of the daily living tasks in the home, assisted by our support workers when needed.

We recognize that not all activities can be risk free. Therefore we do not aim to provide a totally risk free environment but will undertake risk assessments as necessary to minimize unnecessary hazards. These assessments will involve the resident, their relative or advocate and health professionals as required.

Our proximity to the town enables us to include many simple pleasures such as going for a cup of coffee, to buy a newspaper or just a walk to the park.

Residents are welcome to attend religious services, either within or outside the home as they desire.

If the service is outside the home we may ask that a relative or friend accompanies the resident if they are not able to attend on their own. A member of staff may accompany residents on occasion if staffing levels permit.

Smoking and Alcohol

The home has a ‘Smoke Free’policy which is available to all residents and is in line with the Government’s Health Act 2006.However there are designated areas where residents may smoke under supervision.

Alcohol is permitted at the Home by agreement with the manager

Consultation/Contact with Family and Friends

We want our residents to treat Wellington House as their home and, as at home, visitors are welcome at any time.