£178,200 funding for “Safe Haven” at Sycamore House

 Boost for mental health services in York
Sycamore House

Sycamore House

City of York Council has welcomed news that the Department of Health has awarded £178,200 to create a Safe Haven at Sycamore House to provide a place of safety ‘out of hours’ for people who are at risk of experiencing mental health crisis.

The Safe Haven will provide a place of sanctuary for people experiencing out-of-hours mental distress and will provide open access and multi-agency support for anybody who attends.   The service will not only provide an alternative to residents going to accident and emergency but will also look to help users feel able to come to seek support from the Safe Haven before their distress escalates into a crisis.

The Safe Haven will operate in addition to the support already provided by Sycamore House, which currently hosts a range of services for mental health service users to aid recovery.

As part of the project Sycamore House will be refurbished and the Safe Haven will have a relaxed, informal, non-clinical atmosphere. The design of the facility will focus on elements that can make a positive contribution to good mental health – ease of access, light, tranquillity, and a cheerful and welcoming atmosphere.

Yesterday, the Department for Health announced the funding that is being made available to improve places of safety across the country. The announcement confirmed the approval of a bid from the York and North Yorkshire Crisis Care concordat, including City of York Council, the Partnership Commissioning Unit (PCU) – an NHS shared service arrangement across the four North Yorkshire CCGs – and Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust (TEWV).  TEWV will support the Safe Haven initiative with links from its Crisis and Home Based Treatment Team and work with third sector organisations regarding the staffing of the Safe Haven.

 Once it opens in May 2017 the new service will operate seven days a week between 6pm and midnight.

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£4m project to provide more extra care at Glen Lodge gets underway

Work to extend a City of York Council sheltered accommodation scheme is starting to deliver a £4 million investment to increase and further improve care services for older people.

llr runciman and apprentice danny langdon at glen lodge webGlen Lodge Housing with Extra Care Scheme is being extended as part of the council’s plans to modernise accommodation for older people in the city with 25 new flats and two new bungalows being built.

As well as the proposed extension, the council is also working to extend the existing help and support available to residents – known as ‘extra care’ – so it is available 24 hrs a day, seven days a week. This will enable even more people with higher care and support needs to live at Glen Lodge.

The work is part of the Older People’s Accommodation Programme which aims to give older people more choice and control about the care and support they receive.

Local contractor William Birch is carrying out the works and will have a number of apprentices working on the project. Danny Langdon, David Hayes and Chris Horsley, all at various stages of their bricklaying apprenticeships with York College, are working under their mentor, Steve Bailey, a highly-skilled bricklayer. They will initially be working on the new bungalows and will then move on to the main building. (more…)

York young people in care back Care Leavers Week

New care leavers group launched
 Members of York’s Children in Care Council, Show Me That I Matter, are taking part in a national conference and will launch a care leavers group in York, both as part of Care Leavers Week. The theme of National Care Leavers’ Week 2016 is Leaving Care Around the World and runs from 20-30 October.

The council, known as SMTIM, was approached by The Prince’s Trust to speak at the London conference about the group’s poster and blog project Aspire To More, which highlights the importance of care leavers – including nationally-known authors and York residents – as role models for those in care.  (more…)

Carers asked for feedback on support services

Adult Carers receiving support services from City of York Council will be asked for their views on the services they receive over the next few weeks.

downloadThis survey, which is being run nationally, looks to find how services received by carers are helping them in their life and their view of services provided to the cared for person and where improvements can be made.

The questionnaire will be sent to over 900 carers across the city from next week and the consultation will close on 18 November. The survey will be undertaken in every local authority in England, and will result in the most significant pool of personal outcome information for those carers to date, providing an important resource for understanding services for carers and enabling them to make better choices about their support.

The survey looks to hear carer’s views on the quality of life of both themselves and the people they care for and looks to understand the impact that the services they receive have on quality of life.

Cllr Carol Runciman, Executive Member for Adult Social Care and Health said: “The information we get from this national annual survey of adult carers is incredibly useful in helping us to evaluate and improve our services for carers and cared for people in York.  As well as understanding the views of carers across the city this survey will enable us to compare the experiences of people living in York with those who live elsewhere in the country.

“I would urge everyone who receives a survey to complete it and return it as soon as possible and would like to thank carers and their families for their help with this process.”

Residents and staff at Willow House to be consulted on closure plans

“High value” elderly persons home site to be sold

Willow HouseResidents, their relatives and staff at one of City of York Council’s Older People’s Homes – Willow House – are being consulted on the option to close the home in early 2017, as part of plans to modernise accommodation for older people in the city.

The Council says that, “the plans seek to address the needs of York’s fast-growing older population, by providing modern facilities which allow high quality care and quality of life. It also aims to make the best use of the city’s existing Extra Care housing, making it more accessible for people with higher care needs by increasing the support available at each venue and by replacing the council’s five out-dated Older People’s Homes, with more modern accommodation”.

Two city centre homes (Oliver House & Grove House) have already been sold by the Council. Willow House, located within a stones throw of the City Walls is likely to command a substantial price when marketed.

There will, however, be concerns that specialist properties specifically designed for older people – and with good access to a full range of amenities – are being lost.

In Acomb, the Council faces a major backlash over its plans to build on the Lowfields school sports fields. Residents had expected that site to be allocated for older people as it is also located very close to the amenities which exist on Front Street

A Council media release goes on to say,

“Each of the council’s Older People’s Homes was assessed against a number of criteria to determine which homes should be consulted on for closure first. Two Older People’s Homes – Grove House and Oakhaven – closed earlier this year as part of the programme and this week, Executive is being asked to approve plans for the sale of Grove House to generate additional capital to support the programme.

The criteria covered:

  • Whether there were any serious physical problems with the building which could impact on the quality of care provided to residents
  • Whether the site had potential alternative uses which will support the wider Older People’s Accommodation Programme
  • Whether there were any residents living at the home who had already been moved from another CYC older person’s home which had been closed
  • The size of the home, with smaller homes struggling to provide a cost-efficient service to residents.

None of the Older People’s Homes were found to have serious physical problems with the buildings, so the decision was based on the other three criteria. Willow House was chosen as the next home to be consulted on re closure because:

  • Willow House is one of the smaller homes with 23 permanent residents
  • Only a very small number of residents have moved home previously as part of the programme
  • Should Willow House close, the location of the site means that it would be likely to generate a significant capital receipt if sold, helping to fund the wider Older People’s Accommodation Programme and so benefit more older people in the city.

Michael Melvin, Assistant Director, Adult Social Care, City of York Council, said: “We recognise that this consultation process can be an unsettling and upsetting one and we will be working closely with the residents, staff and their families, to make sure they have the support and advice they need. Residents and staff at Willow House are rightly proud of their home, however, it is vital that we keep the aims of the wider Older People’s Accommodation Programme in sight.

“The programme looks to ensure that we are able to help older people to remain independent in their own home as long as possible, providing them with a wide choice of accommodation to meet their needs. Our residents are of paramount importance and the actions we take now will ensure that they – and future generations – will have the best possible quality of life and ensure that we can meet the needs of York’s ageing population. This consultation is another step closer to achieving the goal of modernising accommodation for older people in York.”

Residents, their relatives and staff have already been informed of the proposals and will be consulted on their views and any preferences they have about where they would like to move to should the home be closed, over the next six weeks.

The results of the consultations will be presented to the Executive on Thursday 24 November.  Willow House also hosts day drop-in services for people with leaning disabilities in a self contained space. These service users will be consulted separately on proposed changes at Willow House”.

New way of working for Adult Social Care in York

Plans for a new way of working, helping people to enjoy healthy, active and independent lives across York, will be discussed at an Executive meeting on Thursday 29 September.

Social carePlans for a new way of working, helping people to enjoy healthy, active and independent lives across York, will be discussed at an Executive meeting on Thursday 29 September.

Executive will consider a report which provides an update on the progress made towards a new operating model for adult social care. The new approach aims to enable people in York to maximise control over how they manage their social care needs including greater use of community assets and support from a range of partners.

The proposals focus on providing the best support and advice for residents, by working with partners to improve health and wellbeing and help residents maintain their independence. The plans also look at ways to help communities to be resilient and self-supporting, rather than waiting for people to fall into crisis, then fitting them into fixed services.

The model, which is built on an early intervention approach, supports the council-wide vision of helping people enjoy healthy, active and independent lives and make best use of resources available, including savings to be achieved by 2019/20 totalling over £1.2million.

Key elements include:

  • Enhanced information, advice and guidance
  • Digital self service
  • Excellent customer service
  • Maximising independence by greater use of personal budgets and direct payments
  • The right service, at the right time
  • More use of assistive technology
  • Access to a broader range of supported accommodation

As well as considering the progress being made towards the new operating model, Executive will be asked to approve the proposal to procure additional support to implement it.
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Sale of Grove House for £1.6 million

Grove House, Penleys Grove Street

Grove House, Penleys Grove Street

The former Grove House elderly persons home is being sold for £1.6 million.

The property was the subject of an unsuccessful attempt to list it as an asset of community value earlier in the year.

The sale price is less than the slightly larger Oliver House site fetched last year.

 Members of City of York Council’s Executive will be asked to approve plans to sell the former Grove House Older People’s Home site, to generate a capital receipt to support the council’s Older Persons Accommodation Programme, at a meeting on Thursday 29 September.

The site is both financially valuable and strategically important, lying just outside the city walls in a largely residential area.

A total of eleven bids were received for the site from nine bidders, seven of which are conditional upon planning permission being obtained.

There were a range of bids for different schemes with vastly different values ranging from £600k to some £1.6m.

The Executive will be asked to approve the Norstar Real Estates proposal as the preferred bid and if approved, the council will enter into detailed commercial discussions.  Norstar Real Estates placed the highest bid of £1.6m and are proposing to convert the existing building into 29 one bedroom flats for sale or rent, including on site affordable homes.
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Mental health services in Acomb

The future of NHS services in the Acomb area may become a little clearer at a meeting scheduled to take place next week
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Acomb Gables (formerly Garth)

A Council meeting will be told that following a building programme at Acomb Gables on Oak Rise Dementia male beds will be re-provided within this unit.

Meadowfields (York) provides female dementia care.

The change will bring all dementia care within the York locality which will be important due to the connection with the acute hospital and physical healthcare. The transfer of the unit is anticipated during Winter 2016/17.

The Community Mental Health Team currently has office space and a small number of clinic rooms at Acomb Gables. Estate works have been agreed as part of the plans to bring Mental Health Older People beds into this unit. As part of these plans additional clinic space has been developed and will be available from Winter 2016/17.

However there is still no real news on the choice of location at which the City’s new mental health hospital will be built.

York supports national survey to ‘Make Safeguarding Personal’

City of York Council’s Safeguarding Adults’ Team has supported a national survey to assess how effective its safeguarding policies are.

The authority has taken part in a ‘temperature check’ by the national organisation, the Association of Directors of Adult Social Care (ADASS), to look at how effectively authorities are involving customers when making decisions about their safety and welfare.

‘Making Safeguarding Personal (MSP)’ – is a national programme which has been running since 2010. The MSP approach requires adult safeguarding practice to be person-led and outcome-focused, aiming towards resolution or recovery. It is a key part of the Care Act, new national legislation which came into force in April 2014.

City of York Council has taken part in the national ‘Making Safeguarding Personal’ pilot for the last three years.
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