Statement of Purpose

Statement of Purpose

Philosophy

At Downside House we place the rights of residents at the forefront of our philosophy of care. We seek to advance these rights in all aspects of the environment and the services that we provide and to encourage our residents to exercise their rights in full.

Care Provided and Providers :-

Downside House can provide care for up to 21 residents with old age and or Dementia.

The Company is owned by 3 directors:-

  • Mr David Shoulder
  • Mrs Keeley Groundsell
  • Mr Roy Churchill

The Home is registered by The Care Quality Commission: –

South East Region, Care Quality Commission
Citygate, Gallowgate
Newcastle –upon – Tyne
NE1 4PA
Tel: 03000  616 161

The home’s Manager is Mrs Alison Overton and she and the directors can be contacted on the Home’s phone 01983 854525 or on email

The aim of the Home is to provide a high standard of Care under the following diversities, and in the following ways: –

Privacy:

The staff and management at Downside House 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 – giving assistance for intimate situations as discreetly as possible. By Assisting residents to furnish and equip their rooms in their own style and to use them as much as they wish for leisure, entertainment and meals. Guaranteeing that resident’s privacy when using the telephone, opening and reading post and communicating with friends, relatives or advisors. Providing locks for resident storage space and bedrooms. Ensuring confidentiality of information the home holds regarding the resident.

Dignity:

Disabilities can quickly undermine dignity, so we try to preserve respect for our service user’s intrinsic in the following: –

  • Treating each resident as a special and valued individual.
  • Assisting residents to present themselves to others as they would wish to be seen through their own clothing, style and personal choice in appearance.
  • Offering activities which enable each client to express themselves as a unique individual.
  • Tackling the stigma from which our 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.

Independence

At Downside House we are aware that our service users have probably given up a good deal of their independence upon entering a group living situation. We regard it as all the more important to foster our service users remaining opportunities to think and act without reference to another person in the following ways: –

  • Providing as tactfully as possible human or technical assistance when needed.
  • Maximising the abilities our residents retain for self-care, for independent interaction with others, and for carrying out the tasks of daily living unaided where possible.
  • Helping residents to take reasonable and fully thought out risks.
  • Promoting possibilities for residents to establish and retain contacts beyond the home.
  • Using any form of restraint on residents only in situations of urgency when it is essential for their own safety or the safety of others.
  • Encouraging residents to have access to and contribute to their own plan of care.

Security

Many service users have been admitted to the home because elements in their previous living arrangements may have threatened their safety or caused them fear. Staff at Downside, therefore aim to provide an environment and structure of support which responds to this need in the following ways: –

  • Offering assistance with tasks and in situations which would otherwise be perilous for the residents.
  • Avoiding as far as reasonably possible the dangers especially common among older people, notably the risks of falling.
  • Identifying Hazards and implementing agreed Risk Assessments.
  • Protecting residents from all forms of abuse and from all possible abusers as far as possible.
  • Providing readily accessible channels for dealing with complaints by residents.
  • Creating an atmosphere in the home which residents experience as open and inclusive.

Civil Rights

Being older, having disabilities and residing in a care home can act to deprive our service users of their rights as citizens. We therefore, work to maintain our service users place in society as a fully participating and benefiting citizens in the following ways: –

  • Ensuring that the residents have the opportunity to vote in elections and to brief themselves fully on the democratic options.
  • Preserving for residents full and equal access to all elements of the National Health Service.
  • Helping residents to claim all appropriate welfare benefits and social services by introduction to field experts.
  • Assisting residents to access public services, such as libraries, further education and lifelong learning.

Choice

At Downside we aim to assist service users to exercise the opportunity to select from a range of options in all aspects of their lives in the following ways: –

  • Providing meals which enable the residents to decide for themselves as far as possible where, when and with whom they consume food and drinks of their choice.
  • Offering residents a range of leisure activities from which to choose.
  • Enabling residents to manage their own time and not dictating to by timetables set communally.
  • Avoiding where possible treating residents as a homogenous group.
  • Accepting unusual or eccentric behaviour in residents.
  • Retaining maximum flexibility in the routines of daily life of the home.

Fulfillment

At Downside our staff team would like to help our residents to realise personal aspirations and abilities in all aspects of their lives. We seek to assist this in all the following ways:-

  • Informing ourselves as fully as each resident wishes about histories and characteristics
  • Providing a range of leisure and recreational activities to suit the tastes and abilities of all of the residents and to stimulate participation.
  • Responding appropriately to the personal, intellectual, artistic and spiritual values and practices of every resident.
  • Respecting our clients religious, ethics and cultural diversity.
  • Helping our residents to maintain existing contacts and to make new liaisons, friendships and personal or sexual relationships if they so wish.
  • Attempting always to listen and attend promptly to any residents’ desire to communicate at whatever level.

Aim to provide Quality Care

Downside House wish to provide the highest quality care, and to do this we give priority to a number of areas relating to the operation of the home and the services that we provide.

Choice of home

At Downside we recognise that every prospective resident should have the opportunity to choose a home that suits their individual needs and abilities. To facilitate that choice and to ensure that our residents know precisely what services we have to offer, we will do the following: –

  • Provide a detailed information pack inclusive of a statement of purpose and a service users guide.
  • Give each resident a contract or statement of terms and conditions specifying the details of the relationship.
  • Ensure that every prospective client about to be admitted to the home has their needs assessed before a decision on admission is taken.
  • Demonstrate to every person about to be admitted to the home that we are confident that we can meet their needs as assessed.
  • Offer trial visits to prospective residents and avoid unplanned admissions except in cases of emergency.

Health and personal care

We draw on expert professional guidelines for the services the home provides. In pursuit of the best possible care we will do the following: –

  • Produce with each resident, regularly update and thoroughly implement a service user plan of care, based on an initial and then continuing assessment.
  • Seek to meet or arrange for appropriate professionals to meet the health care needs of residents.

Should Downside staff have to take a resident to a hospital or dental or Doctor’s appointment then a fee of .50pence per mile will be charged and £15.75 per hour for the carer’s time as staff will have to be drafted in to cover.

  • Establish and carry out procedures for the administration of any prescribed medication.
  • Take steps to safeguard resident’s privacy and dignity in all aspects of the delivery of health and personal care.
  • Treat with special care residents who are dying, and sensitively assist them and their relatives at the time of death.

Daily life and social activities.

It is clear that service users may need care and help in a range of aspects in their lives. To respond to the variety of needs and wishes of the service users, we will do the following:-

  • Aim to provide a lifestyle for residents, which will satisfy their social, cultural, religious and recreational interests and needs.
  • Help residents to exercise choice and control over their lives.
  • Provide meals which constitute a wholesome, appealing and balanced diet in pleasing surroundings and at times convenient to the residents.

Complaints and protection.

Despite everything that we do to provide a secure environment, we know that residents may become dissatisfied from time to time and may even suffer abuse inside or outside of the home. To tackle such problems we will do the following: –

  • Provide and when necessary operate a simple, clear and accessible complaints procedure.
  • Take all necessary action to protect the resident’s legal rights.
  • Make all possible efforts to protect residents from every kind of abuse and from the various possible abusers.

The environment

The physical environment of the home is designed for the resident’s convenience and comfort, we strive to

  • Maintain the building and grounds in a safe condition.
  • Make detailed arrangements for the communal areas of the home safe and comfortable.
  • Supply toilet and washing facilities suitable for residents for whom we care.
  • Arrange for specialist equipment to be available to maximise a resident’s 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 the premises are kept clean, hygienic and free from unpleasant odours, with systems in place to control the spread of infection.

Staffing

Downside House are aware that the homes staff will always play a very important role in the resident’s welfare, to maximise this contribution, we will do the following: –

  • Employ staff in sufficient numbers and with the relevant mix of skills to meet the resident’s needs.
  • Observe recruitment policies and practices which both respect equal opportunities and protect resident’s safety and welfare, and to meet all legal employment requirements.
  • Offer our staff a range of training which is relevant to their induction, foundation experience and further development.
  • Encourage Staff to obtain NVQ Qualifications in Care and support them to achieve this.

Management and administration.

We understand that the leadership of the home is critical to all of the operations. To provide leadership of the quality required, we will do the following:-

  • Always engage a Registered Manager, Alison Overton 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 management monitoring systems.
  • Work to accounting and financial procedures that safeguard the resident’s interests.
  • Supervise all staff and volunteers regularly and carefully.
  • Keep up to date and accurate records on all aspects of the home and residents.
  • Ensure that health and safety and the welfare of the residents and the staff are promoted and protected.

At Downside we want everything that we do in the home to be driven by the needs, abilities and aspirations of our residents, not by what the staff, management, or any other group would desire. We recognise how easily this focus can slip and we will remain vigilant to ensure that facilities, recourses, policies, activities and services of the home remain resident led.