| A Together care-home is somewhere people with mental health needs can live while receiving support to help them participate in the community. Some Together care-homes are also suitable for people with other needs such as learning disabilities, or problems with self-harming, drugs or alcohol.
What is a registered care-home?
Most care-homes, and all those run by Together, are registered by the National Care Standards Commission (NCSC), which regulates and monitors homes to ensure they meet national standards.
|Top| Who are care-homes for?
Together's care-homes are open to men and women of all ages (residents are usually between 18 and 65), from all ethnic and religious groups.
People with mental health problems move into a care-home for various reasons:
- some have spent time in a mental health unit or hospital after a ‘breakdown’ or crisis, and need support to move back into independent living
- some cannot cope with life at home because of a deterioration in their mental health
- some have lost a carer or other source of support
- some were previously long-stay patients of the old psychiatric hospitals that closed in the 1990s.
Each care-home develops its own character, reflecting the needs of its resident group and the local community.
|Top| What happens in a care-home?
First and foremost a care-home is home to the people who live in it: a place where they can feel safe and comfortable. The usual activities you would expect take place: people sleep, eat, cook, do their laundry, watch the television, talk to their friends and so on.
In most care-homes, everyone takes part in the cooking and does a share of the housework. Larger care-homes usually employ a cook and/or cleaner to help with some of the housework.
Living with other people gives residents the chance to socialise. And in some care-homes, residents enjoy doing activities together such as playing sport, going out to the cinema or a restaurant and so on. Sometimes day-trips and short holidays are organised too.
Our main focus at Together is on supporting and encouraging people to take part in their wider local community outside the care-home, perhaps by doing a college course, playing sport, joining a social club and/or finding paid or voluntary work. We want people to regain their rightful place in society and their role as active citizens with our support.
Everyone is given the support that they need and want. This could be the chance to talk about personal matters, help with managing their medication or budget, or support with daily-living skills like cooking and shopping.
When someone first moves into a care-home they work with staff to draw up a personal plan of action setting out what they want to achieve. This takes into account the individual's skills and interests and sets agreed targets for everyday activities. It can include input from friends, family and professionals such as social workers, and is reviewed regularly. The plan forms a key element of the resident’s care programme approach (CPA) plan.
The aim is to help each individual to grow and change, to gain confidence and find healthier ways of relating to other people, as well as taking responsibility for themselves and their own actions, so that when they are ready they can move on to live more independently.
|Top| What kind of support do people receive?
A Together care-home offers a mixture of emotional and practical support that is tailored to the needs of the people who live there. Staff meet with residents individually, and sometimes in small groups, to identify how goals such as attending literacy classes, coping with stress or improving daily-living skills can be achieved. They work with each person to help them fulfil their aspirations and set realistic, achievable goals.
Each resident usually has a keyworker who gives them individual attention and supports their action plan. Day to day, this might involve accompanying a resident to the shops, or supporting them to write letters about benefits, make a housing or job application, or manage their medication.
At Together we always try to find out more about the people beyond the mental health problems, and encourage them to live fuller lives. The day-to-day focus is on getting on with life, and getting as much out of it as possible.
|Top| What are the buildings like?
Most care-homes are decorated and laid out like big family homes. Many of them are in large Victorian or Edwardian houses.
In most care-homes, each resident has their own, good-sized bedroom with their own key to it, and sometimes an en suite bathroom. Bedrooms can usually be decorated the way the resident likes.
The kitchen and lounge are usually shared, and divided into separate smoking and no-smoking areas. Some homes also have extra facilities such as a garden, piano or games room.
|Top| Who are the staff?
The social-care workers who make up the staff team at a Together care-home are often from a wide range of backgrounds. Some may have worked in care-homes for a long time, others may have previous experience of nursing or social-care work, while others may be new to the job and come from a different profession.
All Together care-home staff have an understanding of mental distress and the stigma and fears associated with it. They receive training in equal opportunities, health and safety and listening skills.
Together staff build good working relationships with other people involved in the care of those they support. So if a resident needs additional support because they are ill or having particular difficulties, staff will liaise with their GP or the local community mental health team of psychiatrists, social workers, psychologists and nurses.
|Top| How many people live in each care-home?
Care-homes vary in size. Some have five or six residents, others accommodate around 20. Some care-homes offer self-contained bedsits or flats alongside the main house where people can live more independently with support. These offer a stepping-stone for people who are feeling better, helping them to build their confidence before moving into a place of their own.
|Top| How can residents participate in the running of the care-home?
We aim to support everyone using our services to make informed choices. We believe that our residents should have all the facts, and be consulted about the support and medical treatment they receive.
Care-home residents usually get together on a regular basis – perhaps once a week or fortnight – to decide what happens in the house. The issues discussed might include things like:
- menus for group meals and rotas for cooking
- social or other activities
- other matters affecting the residents.
Staff come to the meetings too and it is a chance for everyone to raise concerns, comment or complain. We encourage residents to talk about their feelings, difficulties and hopes, and the meetings offer an opportunity to share any problems before they become serious.
Residents have a say in the recruitment of new members of staff. They may interview potential staff, and their views will be taken into account at the final discussion and selection stages.
And residents are asked for their views as part of Together’s quality-assurance process, through regular questionnaires and again at each service’s annual review. Residents may also attend meetings with the funders of the services (usually local authority or NHS managers).
|Top| How long can I stay at a care-home?
In some care-homes, people move on to more independent living (a place of their own) within 18 months to two years. Others may need to stay longer. People are encouraged to move gradually towards greater independence and no one is forced to leave before they feel ready.
Many care-homes offer a long-term home to residents who are unable to live more independently. When someone is ready to move on to supported accommodation or their own home, staff support them to find the right place, move and settle in.
Some care-homes have a ‘respite bed’, which is a room given to people in a short-term emergency. For example, a person may stay there for a few days during a mental health crisis.
|Top| How can I get a place in a care-home?
People are usually referred to a care-home by their social worker. To find out more about applying for a place, ask at the specific service you are interested in – look up a list of our care-homes on this website.
|Top| How is the service paid for?
Residential places are usually funded by your local authority or primary care trust. Some residents are able to pay their fees from private means.
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