Ashlong Cottage is a residential care home for Adults with Learning and Physical Disabilities, of age range 31-73. The home is registered with the Care Quality Commission for six individuals who require 24-hour support. It has been set up specifically to accommodate six wheelchair users, and to facilitate their needs.

Ashlong Cottage is committed to:

Providing a service that respects the rights, dignity and privacy of all individuals.

Providing Staff Support level according to Service Users’ needs, including those admitted for Emergency Respite Service.  

Respecting the religious and cultural background and traditions of all those living in our care, and ensuring the provision of means to service users to maintain and build on these links.

Making every effort to achieve a better provision and greater understanding of our service users within society today and the particular problems they may face.

Showing care, consideration, courtesy and realism in our dealings with parents, relatives, neighbours and friends of our service users.

Actively promoting the belief in the unique importance of every resident and their right to control their own lives, to be respected, and have the opportunity to experience life to the full.

Enabling service users to have the opportunity to develop their own lives; where possible to participate in the local community and enjoy a wide range of daily activities within the local neighbourhood.

Providing training and support, dedicated to equal opportunities for those working within the organisation.

Maintaining and developing good professional working relationships with relevant services and professionals, thus ensuring quality multi-disciplinary working practices that will benefit both service users and employees alike.

In addition to providing residential care, Ashlong Cottage is able to provide individual weekly activity timetables. These are devised in line with service user’s wishes and needs. They are based on strengths and needs assessments and are consistent with care plan objectives.

The activities identified will draw upon internal and external resources.

Day Care involves the following:

1. Education

2. Independent skills

3. Therapy

4. Leisure

At Ashlong Cottage, we aim to involve service users in the day-to-day running of the home as much as is practicable.

Keyworker sessions and service users’ meetings will take place bi-monthly and all service users will be invited to participate. At these meetings, any issues that service users wish to see improved in relation to the house and the care we provide will be discussed. There will also be an opportunity for a delegated service user to attend the monthly staff meeting to put these views forward.

Service users who may have difficulties with communication will be offered alternative methods such as picture symbols, objects of reference, signing or Makaton, to express their wishes. We will ensure that all service users have access to advocacy services if they choose. Advocates can form an integral part of service users’ care if there are communication difficulties.

Service Users, their families and friends, advocates and care managers will be offered the opportunity to complete satisfaction surveys and questionnaires to ensure that we continue to deliver high-quality care.                            

1) The right to be called by the name of their choice.

2) The right to care for themselves as far as they are able to.

3) The right to independence.

4) The right to have their dignity respected and to be treated as an individual.

5) The right to receive an anti-discriminatory service that is responsive to race, religion, culture, language, gender, sexuality, disability and age.

6) The right of access to own personal records and information relating to decisions made with all Home Support staff that affect their life, and where necessary to be assisted with this.

7) The right to take an active part in any decisions about daily living arrangements that affect their life.

8) The right to look after their own medicines.

9) The right to control their own finances, if they are able to do so.

10) The right to make personal life choices such as what food to eat and what time to get up and go to bed within the scope of the service provision.

11) The right to be involved in the writing their own “Service users Plan” and be involved in any formal reviews of their needs, which take place at regular intervals.

12) The right to access a formal complaints procedure and to be represented by a friend, relative or advisor as necessary.