Service User’s Rights

Privacy and Dignity

We recognise the changes service users face when moving into a home, to minimise the impact of those changes we will promote the philosophy of a “family atmosphere”. We will endeavour to retain as much privacy and dignity as possible by:

• Helping service users to personalise and equip their rooms as they wish.
• By providing keys to their rooms and a secure place for valuables as they wish.
• Giving service users the opportunity to have privacy when receiving guests, making telephone calls or opening and reading mail.
• Securing all service users’ records and information and respecting the confidentiality of those records.
• Treating each service user as an individual and a respected member of the “family unit”.
• Assisting service users to maintain their dignity through their personal appearance and behaviour
• Promoting activities that encourage service users to express themselves as individuals.
• Helping service users to overcome any shortcomings they may experience through age or disability.

Independence

We recognise the importance for all service users to retain their independence and the problems that group living can cause.  We will encourage service users to act and think as an individual by:

• Maximising the opportunities for service users self care.
• Encourage service users to retain financial independence.
• Helping service users to take reasonable and fully assess the risks.
• Ensuring service users maintain the links with contacts outside the home.
• Giving all service users the opportunity to contribute to the records of their own care and to express their views on the care.

Freedom of Choice

We recognise that every service user 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. Th facilitate that choice we will:

• Provide comprehensive information on the home and the quality of services and care available.
• Provide each service user with a contract or a statement of terms of conditions of residency.
• Carry out a needs assessment on each service user prior to admission if possible.
• Demonstrate to each service user that we can meet their assessed needs.
• Offer the opportunity for prospective service users to assess the home byway of a trial period.
• Provide a range of meals to choose from and allow them to decide where and when they wish to consume the food of their choice.
• Continually offer a wide range of social and leisure activities.
• Avoid strict routines and maintain maximum flexibility in the daily life in the home.