Supporting People Service Review

Service: Sheltered Housing. Service Address: 6 Westbourne Avenue, Keynsham, Bristol, BS31 2JD. Service ID Number: 00019. Service Provider: The Abbeyfield Society Limited. Service Provider Address: 6 Westbourne Avenue, Keynsham, Bristol, BS31 2JD. National ID Number: 10007374. Date: August 2005. Review Officer: Amanda Burnie, On behalf of Bath & NE Somerset Supporting People Team. 

2.         Introduction to Agency

Keynsham & Saltford Abbeyfield Ltd is a member of the national Abbeyfield Society and has been awarded The Abbeyfield Standard (2003-2006). It is registered under the Industrial and Provident Societies Act 1965 to 1978 (No 23629R) and with the Housing Corporation (No H3493)

It provides a supported sheltered housing service to Older People who have a measure of independence.

The ethos of the agency is to provide care and companionship to elderly people by offering accommodation that allows them to retain their privacy and independence whilst reducing loneliness and isolation.

2.1       Brief History

Keynsham & Saltford Abbeyfield was established in 1987. It is a community-based service supported by members, volunteers, friends and staff. A Housekeeper who is line-managed by the Administrator undertakes daily operations.  The House Chairman is a volunteer who takes an active interest in the pastoral care for tenants and has a general overview of the service. The Housekeeper lives on-site.

The Keynsham & Saltford Abbeyfield service is a large detached house in Keynsham, based over 3 levels rooms for tenants are located on the ground and first floor – access to the first floor via stairs and stair lift. The third floor accommodates the office, Housekeepers flat and sleep-in room for relief staff. The property benefits from a communal garden, lounge and dining room and bathrooms. There are 9 single bedrooms with en suite facilities. Off-street parking is available but limited.

Tenants are provided with all dietary requirements, lunch and tea is served in the communal dining room, tea, coffee and cereals are provided to tenants for storage in their rooms. Tenants prepare breakfast in their rooms – there is no access to the kitchen on the ground floor for food preparation, milk can be collected from the fridge on the ground floor and stored in their rooms or in a communal kitchen area on the first floor, which appears to be underutilised by tenants.

One full-time and a relief Housekeeper are employed to manage the practical tasks associated with the house and the welfare of the tenants. A cook is employed for the weekend, along with two cleaners and a gardener.

An alarm service is provided between the hours of 10pm and 8am when the Housekeeper is off-duty – with an on-call link from the monitoring station to the Housekeepers Flat.

2.2       Capacity

                           Units:                       9

                           Total Units             9

Staff Hours:    1 x Front Line Housekeeper (35 hrs pw)

                           1 x Front Line Administrator (10hrs pw)

                           1 x Front Line Deputy Housekeeper (14 hrs pw plus sleep in)

                           2 x Cleaners (12hrs & 3 hrs pw)

                           1 x Cook (5 hrs pw)

                           Total Hours           79 per week

Of the above hours Supporting People related time is broken down as follows:

                           1 x Front Line Housekeeper (11hrs pw)

                           1 x Front Line Administrator (8hrs pw)

                           1 x Front Line Deputy Housekeeper (4 hrs pw plus sleep in)

                           1 x Cleaner (1hr pw)

                           Total Hours           24 per week

The House Chairman provides management support for the Housekeeper and spends approximately 10 hours per week in this role although this is not reflected in the current Supporting People contract for the service.

2.3       Monitoring Information

*       None provided

Key

Nr          Not required

KPI 1a     - % of client s supported to establish independent living

SPI 1a     - % Availability

SPI 2a     - % Utilisation  (housing)

SPI 3a     - % Staffing Levels

SPI 4a     - % Turnover / Throughput

From the submissions made, subject to checks for accuracy, the service is operating above the parameters set of 80%.

Recommendation Training is required to better understand the PI Workbooks, in particular the staff hours to include in them and their regular and timely submission.

2.4       Existing Funding

4.         Legal / ODPM Guidance on group and type of service 

Housing, care and support is an important part of Government's wider regeneration and social inclusion agenda. The service contributes to the wider government agenda for preventative services in relation to the strategy for Older People: Helping people sustain their tenancies and prevent homelessness. Flexible care can enable older people to remain at home in the community with dignity.

The service also meets in part the Good Practice Guide – Sheltered and Retirement Housing published by the Chartered Institute of Housing:

6. Consultation with Stakeholders

The premises were visited on 18th August, consultation was offered on a face-to-face basis with tenants in the communal lounge and on a one-to-one basis in their rooms. Five tenants were consulted in a group setting and three individually. The Housekeeper was consulted on an individual basis. The Administrator, House Chair and Treasurer were consulted together.

6.2       Consultation Findings

There was a comprehensive lack of knowledge about the Supporting People program amongst the tenants. Consequently leading to a lack of understanding as to what support is/should be available

Overall tenants find the standard of accommodation and facilities to be good. Tenants welcome the scheduled kitchen improvements, though improvement of en suite facilities would be appreciated.

The pastoral aspect of the House Committee has a positive impact on the tenants, which is welcomed.

“On the whole this is a very good place. They really look after us. We do what we like. No one worries you.”

“You’re free here. Meals are prepared. No shopping – no worrying! We’re a family with our own private quarters – so you’re alone but you’re not.”

There were no unresolved complaints at the time of the review, nor were any raised during the consultation. Tenants are comfortable with the complaints procedure and the manner in which any are resolved.

Staff are clearly committed to providing a safe, secure, caring home for tenants. However, the concept of Supporting People and the parameters in which it operates are not fully understood. 

7         Evidence and Risk Assessment

If the recommendations outlined in this report are implemented, most importantly those addressing policy and practice and Value for Money, there is every reason to believe that the risks of non-delivery of a strategically relevant service will be reduced.

8.         Value for Money

The service unit weekly cost sits between the National and Regional Quartiles based on 38 comparable regional schemes and 475 national ones.  The hourly cost per support hour is slightly higher than regional and national benchmarks however the scheme is relatively small and does not benefit from the economies of scale afforded to larger schemes.

  9.       Review Outcome / Recommendations and Impact

The service has failed the QAF-lite on three of the six standards and needs to implement policy and procedure and operational changes to remain strategically relevant. This service is likely to require sustaineded support to more fully comply with the Supporting People programme, which if delivered will enable a valuable community service make the transition to an accountable and successful partner.

1.         Training is required to better understand the PI workbooks

2.         The service needs to achieve a minimum standard (level C) against the          QAF requirements, these must include the following:

C1.1 Needs & Risk Assessment

• A complete and formal written Needs and Risk Assessment policy and procedure should be developed. 
• The policy and procedure should cover the assessment of individual tenants housing related support needs as set out in the Eligibility Criteria and how any risks relating to individuals are identified, controlled and monitored
• Risk Assessments relating to staff should also be included in the policy and procedure and should be carried out for individual members of staff as for tenants
• Copies of needs and risk assessments and reviews should be provided to tenants
• Through completion of the above staff will be able to describe and understand the rationale behind these processes

C1.2 Support Planning

• A formal written procedure for individual support planning should be developed.
• The procedure should set out how individual tenant’ needs as identified through needs and risk assessment will be met by the service
• Copies of individual support plans should be provided to tenants

C1.3 Security, Health & Safety

• A specific Lone Worker policy and procedure should be developed in addition to the detail in relation to lobe working in the Health & Safety Policy
• The risks to staff working in resident’s rooms need to be specifically assessed, highlighted and recorded as detailed above

3.         A three month extension should be made to the interim contract to       allow the provider to meet the required standards.

4.         The report is a public document and will be placed on the Bath and      North East Somerset website. The agency must share the report   recommendations and outcomes with service users and complete an action plan within 28 days of receipt of the report.