Rights

The rights of our residents are our main priority. Those rights will be promoted through the care and services we provide. We will also work to maintain each resident’s place in society, enabling them to participate as fully as possible by:

• Ensuring they have the opportunity to vote in elections and are aware of the democratic options.
• Allowing each resident access to all elements of the National Health Service.
• Helping residents, where required, to claim appropriate benefits.
• Assisting residents to access public services e.g. libraries, further education etc.
• Enabling residents to contribute to society by helping each other and taking on other roles within and outside the home.

Privacy and Dignity

We recognise the changes residents have faced when moving into a new home. To minimise the impact of those changes we will promote the philosophy of a ‘family circle’. We will endeavour to retain as much privacy and dignity as possible by:

• Helping residents to personalise their rooms.
• Giving residents the choice of having locks to their rooms and a secure place for valuables.
• Giving residents the opportunity to have privacy when receiving visitors, making telephone calls or opening and reading mail.
• Securing and respecting the confidentiality of all residents’ records and information.
• Treating each resident as an individual and a respected member of the family circle.
• Assisting residents to maintain their dignity through personal appearance and behaviour.
• Promoting activities that encourage residents to express themselves as individuals.
• Helping residents to overcome any shortcomings they may experience through age or disability.

Independence

We recognise the importance for all our residents to retain their independence and the problems that group living can cause. We will encourage residents to think and act as individuals by:

• Maximising the opportunities for residents’ self care.
• Encouraging residents to retain financial independence.
• Ensuring residents maintain contacts outside the home.
• Giving residents the opportunity to contribute to the records of their care and to express their views on the care.

Freedom of Choice

All residents should have the opportunity to choose a home which will meet their needs and can offer the care they require. They should be given the opportunity to exercise their right of choice in all aspects of daily living. To facilitate that choice we will:

• Provide comprehensive information on the home and the quality of services and care available.
• Provide each resident with a Contact including Terms and Conditions of residency.
• Carry out a needs assessment of each resident prior to admission.
• Demonstrate to each resident that we can meet their assessed needs.
• Offer the prospective resident a trial visit or stay.
• Provide a range of meals that residents can choose from and allow them to decide when and where they consume the food of their choice.
• Continually offer a wide range of social and leisure activities.
• Although there are daily routines, we maintain flexibility in the daily life within the home.

Fulfilment

We want to help our residents make the most of their lives and abilities. We will try to assist them by:

• Learning as fully as each resident wishes us to, about their history and characteristics.
• Offering a range of recreational activities to suit the tastes and abilities of all residents and to stimulate participation.
• Appropriate response to the personal, spiritual, intellectual and artistic values of each resident.
• Respecting each resident’s religious, ethnic and cultural diversity.
• Helping our resident’s to maintain existing contacts and to form new friendships if they wish.
• Attempting to listen and respond promptly to any resident’s desire to communicate.