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Sheltered housing

Residents in a sheltered housing scheme live independently in a flat, bed sit or bungalow with the added security of having a Housing Support Officer on site during the day and 24-hour emergency alarm cover when the officer is not on duty.

This type of scheme, which is designed to meet the needs of older people, enables continued independence and security in a comfortable family environment.

We have eight sheltered schemes located around the district. The Housing Support Officers are on site Monday to Friday from 9am to 4.30pm.

What communal facilities are available in a sheltered housing scheme?

Communal lounge

All the sheltered schemes have a comfortable communal lounge where various social events are organised.

All the sitting rooms are well decorated and comfortably furnished and all have a television.

Private family parties can be arranged in these rooms and they are often the social centres of the scheme.

Communal kitchen

All the schemes have a communal kitchen, which are well equipped with appliances and crockery.

Disabled facilities

All the schemes have good disabled access and all have public toilets, which are adapted to accommodate a wheelchair.

All toilets have handrails and seat raisers and easy access to handwashing and drying facilities.

Laundry room

All the schemes have a communal laundry room, which has an automatic industrial washing machine, and in some cases a tumble dryer.

In the larger schemes residents on a rota system use the laundry facility.

This facility is just for the use of the residents and cannot be used by members of their family or anyone from outside the scheme.

24-hour support service via the control centre

Your Housing Support Officer

The Housing Support Officer on site visits everyone on a daily basis from Monday to Friday except bank holidays.

This will be a personal visit except for the rare occasion when the Housing Support Officer will use the call system to make sure everyone on site is well and happy.

When the Housing Support Officer is not on site, help is available from the control centre, which is open 24-hours a day for any emergency which may arise.

All the Housing Support Officers are highly-trained individuals, who are equipped to either deal with an emergency themselves or refer to another agency who can deal with any matter, which may cause a resident concern.

The Housing Support Officers do not provide personal care and medical or domestic help but can refer to an agency who will deal with these issues should they arise.

In the event of the need to refer a resident to another agency, this will only be done with full consultation and permission of the resident and their family members or friends.

Hours of duty

Monday to Friday 9am - 4.30pm.

Out of hours response

24 x 7 Care line - 24 hours a day 365 days a year.

Control centre

The control centre will have all of the personal details  which your Housing Support Officer has and these are kept confidential except in an emergency when it may be necessary to tell the emergency services about a medical condition or medication being taken.

In the event of an emergency when your Housing Support Officer is off site, the control centre will contact your nominated emergency key holder or the emergency services should the need arise.

In an emergency, out-of-hours repairs can also be reported to the control centre.

How do you contact the control centre?

Each housing unit has a system of cords in every room which when pulled, automatically alert the Housing Support Officer or the Control Centre.

Seven of the schemes also have pendants, which can be used to contact the Housing Support Officer or control centre.

Personal information

When you move into a sheltered housing scheme, your Housing Support Officer will sit down with you and produce a support plan with you.

When this is done certain personal information will be required from you such as your doctor's details, next of kin details and any relevant medical or personal information which you feel will help in case of an emergency.

This support plan also helps the Housing Support Officer to assess whether your care needs are being met and if you feel there are areas where you need help, these can also be dealt with.

These are the details which are also held at the control centre, and as they operate within the Data Protection Act, will be kept confidential unless it is necessary to pass them on in an emergency to the ambulance service or the police.

The Housing Support Officer on site also holds a key to all properties on site, in the event that the property has to be entered in an emergency.

This also minimises damage to the property should the occasion arise where the resident loses a key or the emergency services have to gain access.

These keys are locked in the Housing Support Officer's key safe and are not accessed by anyone other than this officer or a relief officer on the site.

Explaining your alarm call system

All flats, bungalows and bedsits are fitted with an emergency alarm call system.

In each property there will be either a pendant, which you wear around your neck, pull cords in each room and a speech unit usually located in the lounge.

This speech unit will pick up your voice wherever you are within the confines of your home. All communal areas also have pull cords and speech units.

To make a call either press your pendant or pull one of the cords located in each room.

This call will then either connect you to the control centre or your Housing Support Officer.

Each unit has a dedicated number so the Housing Support Officer will know exactly where the call is coming from.

Out of hours, when the call goes to the control centre, all your personal details will be displayed on a screen and they will then answer you by name.

In the event that you do not answer, the control centre will then immediately put in place a no speech call out.

This means that someone, either a relative or key holder will be alerted to the fact that there is a problem.

The control centre then stays on the call until they know you are safe. If you are able to answer the control centre you will be able to tell them what help you need and they will respond immediately by calling a doctor, by contacting a relative or calling an ambulance.

If the Housing Support Officer is off site they will deal with any emergency for you. If the Housing Support Officer is off site either on leave or lunch, one of our mobile Housing Support Officers will deal wih your call.

If you have had a fall and are unable to get up, a Housing Support Officer will carry out basic first aid, make you comfortable and call the appropriate medical services.

Housing Support Officers are not allowed to lift you, so if this happens you will have to be patient until help arrives.

Housing Support Officers Dos and Don'ts

Dos

• When you move into your new home, your Housing Support Officer will welcome you to the scheme and show you around the communal facilities. They will also show you how to use the laundry facilities and show you where all the bathrooms and other facilities are.
• They will visit and talk to you about your personal support plan. They will then visit you daily to make sure that you are well and happy.
• If you have an emergency they will respond and get you extra help if you need it.
• They will help you organise transport to hospital and arrange doctors appointments if necessary.
• They are there to take care of your needs, so if you are worried about anything or are just lonely and want a chat they will be there for you.
• If you have any repair issues they will help you to address these.
• If you have to fill in forms that can be confusing they will help you complete them.
• They will be able to help get you any extra care you need by contacting agencies, which can provide these for you.
• They will organise various social events within the scheme so that you can have social contact with your neighbours and people outside the scheme.
• The Housing Support Officer will be responsible for ensuring that all the communal areas are clean and tidy.
• They will make sure that the site is secure at all times in terms of the building and will advise on personal security.

Don'ts

• Your Housing Support Officer cannot provide nursing care or administer medication.
• They cannot deal with any resident's money.
• Unless it is an emergency the Housing Support Officer is not allowed to do shopping or collect prescriptions.
• The Housing Support Officer cannot cook for a resident, although most schemes have a lunch club once a week when the residents all eat lunch together in the communal lounge.
• The Housing Support Officer cannot do any residents cleaning.

It has to be remembered that although your Housing Support Officer will try to make your scheme as comfortable as possible, they can not take the place of family when it comes to your personal needs.

General information

Security

Residents have to make sure that if they use a fire door they close them behind them at all times. The Housing Support Officer will make sure that all communal areas are secure before they go off duty. It is the resident's responsibility to make sure that his or her own doors and windows are secure.

Although your Housing Support Officer has a key to your property for emergency use, they will not give access to anyone other than a nominated key holder or the emergency services.

It is the resident's responsibility to arrange to be in to give access for repairs. The Housing Support Officer can not give access to your property to unattended workmen.

Access to the building

If you live in a sheltered housing scheme that has a door entry system fitted; all residents are provided with an electronic key fob.

As a resident, it is your responsibility to your neighbours for aiding the security of the building.

Each flat has a door entry speech box and the main door can be opened from each flat.

• Always keep your individual door locked
• Never let anyone into the building unless you know who they are
• All Bridgnorth District Council staff carry ID cards. Please ask for these if you are unsure. If you feel there is someone in the building without authority then pull your cord and notify the Housing Support Officer or control centre of your concerns.

Remember the security of the building is your responsibility as a resident

Fire procedures

All sheltered housing schemes comply with the fire regulations appropriate for the scheme in which you live.

All properties are fitted with smoke detectors and in some schemes communal areas have emergency lighting and fire fighting equipment. Your Housing Support Officer checks them monthly.

In the dedicated schemes of which there are four, there is a full fire alarm system, which goes through to a central control. The Housing Support Officer on site tests these weekly.

When you move in, the Housing Support Officer will explain the fire procedures for your building or in the case of a non-dedicated scheme, where fire exits are located.

All schemes have fire procedures posted in all communal areas. Laid down procedures for dedicated schemes are as follows:

• When the fire alarm sounds, all the corridor doors close automatically and the main door is released to enable fire officer access.
• All flats are fitted with a fire door and in the event of the alarm sounding make sure your door is firmly closed and stay in your property until the fire officer tells you it is safe to leave. In sheltered housing schemes the fire service always respond within five minutes of the call so you won't have to wait long for the all clear.

Social activities

All of the sheltered housing schemes have a variety of social activities based on the needs of the residents.

Decisions about trips, outings and events are organised with the full input of the residents.

Your Housing Support Officer will endeavour to help organise any social activity, which you feel you would enjoy and will help with booking and organisation.

Housing Support Officers also help to arrange coffee mornings, bingo sessions, bring and buy sales and trips during their working hours.

The success of all these activities relies on a considerable input from the residents. We also advise that the residents themselves administer any residents fund.

There is no pressure on any resident to participate in any social activity but if you wish to join in and get involved you will be made very welcome. We believe everyone has something to offer our schemes.

Communal repairs

Your Housing Support Officer will deal with any repairs which are the responsibility of the council, such as under floor heating, communal lighting, fire equipment and call systems.

Refuse collection

Your scheme has various communal bin areas. Your Housing Support Officer will explain about rubbish collection dates and procedures.

If you need to dispose of large items of furniture or household effects, you will need to contact the maintenance department who will remove them for a small charge.

You will need to inform your Housing Support Officer because of site access.

Window cleaning

All windows in communal areas and buidings are the responsibility of the council.

Pets

You should ask permission of the Housing Support Officer and the Housing Department if you wish to keep a pet.

If you have a pet you are responsible for their behaviour. You must make sure that they do not cause any nuisance to any of the other residents, particularly in the communal areas and gardens.

Gardens

The communal gardens are maintained by the council and are for the use and enjoyment of all the residents.

Telephones

All schemes have a telephone in the office and this can be used by residents with permission of the Housing Support Officer on site.

Furniture

The council does not provide furniture for individual properties. However, it does provide all furniture and equipment in communal areas.

Contact details

Housing Support Officers - sheletered schemes

Mrs Gill Jones	Arden Way, Alveley	01746 780995
Mr Tim White	Ash/Beech Road, Bridgnorth	01746 762411
Mrs Sharon Beddow	Greenfields Court, Bridgnorth	01746 761104
Mrs Margaret Round	High Causeway, Much Wenlock	01952 727641
Mrs Julie Randall	Rhea Hall, Highley	01746 861336
Mrs Tracy Hopkins	Sheldon Court, Albrighton	01902 372901
Mrs Helen Crompton	Wilkinson Avenue, Broseley	01952 884235
Mrs Iris Dodd	Yew Tree Court, Shifnal	01952 462044

 

Housing Support Officers - floating support

Mrs Helen Ford	01746 713238
Mrs Michelle Curtis	01746 713238
Mrs Christine Speke	01746 713238
Mrs Rosemary Adnett	01746 713238
Mrs Vicki Gunn	01746 713238

Other queries about the Supporting People Service:

Thomas Field (Senior Resident Involvement and Support Officer), Bridgnorth District Council) 01746 713202.

To apply for sheltered housing accommodation contact one of our Housing Officers on 01746 713205.

Repairs Service 01746 713200

For out of hours emergencies, pull the cord in your room and you will be connected to our call centre who will respond to any emergency you may have.