Over the past week three events have taken place to consult with equalities groups. This brings the current timetable of consultation events for both the Residential and Day Opportunities services to an end. Since the beginning of December 50 events have been held.

All the comments that have been made and the issues that have been raised are now being collated and analysed.

The consultation period continues until 29th February so there is still time for people to complete a questionnaire and contribute their views.  After this the information from the questionnaires will be combined with the analysis from the consultation events to inform the development of options for each of these two services.
Residential Services questionnaire
Day Opportunities questionnaire

To date 404 questionnaires have been submitted for the Day Opportunities consultation and 246 for the residential services.

Consultation meetings at our residential units were completed last week with visits to Redfield Lodge and Wellhay.

Redfield Lodge is a home for people with Dementia situated in St George which has capacity for 40 residents. There are currently 28 residents living there. The home was purpose built, as part of the Residential Futures project, on the site previously occupied by Vetchlea and re-opened in April 2011.

Wellhay is situated in Brentry. It’s a short stay unit for older people with mental health issues and does not have any long term residents. The site, which is owned by the Health Service, also contains a day service. A separate review will be taking place to decide the future of this service as it is jointly funded by the Health Service. Consultation was therefore only held with the staff team.

Both staff teams were keen for the Council to focus on specialist services, recognising the increasing need for Dementia and other mental health support services. They also both identified the need to provide good regular respite to support service users and their carers in their own homes.

When the Redfield Lodge first opened staff initially had reservations about the home having all rooms with en-suite facilities. They now say that it is an improvement, enabling better management of care needs and providing greater dignity to the residents.

Relatives of Redfield Lodge residents also commented positively on having en-suite facilities however the number that attended the consultation was small. This may be at least partly due to the newness of the home.

Notes from all the consultation events are being compiled and evaluated to identify key issues and themes which will inform the development of options for the report to be presented to the Council’s cabinet on 29th March.

Tell us what you think.
Fill out the questionnaire about Residential Services in Bristol.
We have received 228 questionnaires about residential services so far.

Consultation meetings over the past week were held at Maesknoll, Rockwell, St Peters and Westleigh Elderly People’s Homes.

Back in 2008, decisions were made about the future of these homes by the Residential Futures Project. Maesknoll and St Peters were identified for closure and sale, Westleigh was partly developed into a Resource Centre and Rockwell was identified for modernisation as a home for people with dementia.

As a result of the downturn in the economy these plans were put on hold in 2010 pending a review. The residential consultation is part of this review.

When the consultation ends on 29th February, Council officers will produce a report, which will include the views expressed during the consultation. The report will give possible options on how residential care in Bristol could change and make recommendations to assist Cabinet to decide on a way forward.  The Cabinet meeting will be held on March 29th 2012.

Maesknoll is a home for 40 people situated in a Hengrove housing estate. It currently has 26 residents.
Rockwell is a home for 30 people with Dementia situated in a quiet cul-de-sac in Lawrence Weston. It currently has 26 residents.
St Peters is a home for 30 people situated in a residential area of Horfield. It currently has 22 residents.
Westleigh is situated in a residential area of St George close to Troopers Hill. It has 20 long-term residents on the ground floor and 10 short-term beds on the first floor. A day centre also operates on the same site.

At meetings over the past week, families at all the homes expressed confidence in the staff considering them to be well trained and providing a good caring environment which gave security to residents and peace of mind to families. Training and a positive ethos have been highlighted as important areas to focus on when monitoring and ensuring quality.

Combating isolation was raised and a consistent view is that the residential environment provides the opportunity for good informal socialisation. As one resident put it “It’s nice to have someone to sit with and do nothing”.

Tell us what you think.

Fill out the questionnaire about Residential services in Bristol online.
We have received 174 questionnaires about residential services so far.

This blog provides weekly updates on the consultation on Day Opportunities  in Bristol for people with learning difficulties, older people and people with physical and sensory impairment. The consultation started on December 1st 2011 and closes on February 29th 2012.  You can find out more about the consultation and read related documents on our consultation finder database.
Over the past week we have been consulting with service users and their families at:

• St George Day Service for people with learning difficulties in east Bristol
• Lockleaze Day Centre – a day centre for disabled people in north Bristol
• Dovercourt – a resource and activity centre for adults with learning difficulties in Horfield.Comments and issues raised this week include:
• Staff are worried about losing their jobs
• Drop-in centres provide somewhere people can go if they have difficulties or just need a bit of support. They are an important low-level support enabling people to be as independent as possible.
• Familiarity and continuity of staff that people know and trust is important for people with complex needs

Lanercost Network Day

In response to issues and questions raised by staff during the consultation a Network Day is being held this week at Lanercost – a resource and activity centre for adults with learning difficulties.

Around 150 staff are expected to attend the event to explore ways to offer more flexible and person-centred services in the future. Workshops cover topics including employment opportunities for people with learning disabilities, community inclusion, social enterprises and advocacy services.

The day also involves a performance on service quality by the Misfits Theatre Group, media presentations on personal budgets, an open discussion on Employment and a chance to Ask the panel.

Tell us what you think

Fill out the questionnaire about Day Opportunities in Bristol online
We have received 293 questionnaires about day opportunities so far.