Anthony’s pathway story
Hear about Anthony's support at Riverbank, and his transition to more independent living with Priory Supported Living Hull and East Riding.
Anthony came to Priory as a resident at Riverbank, one of Priory’s residential services in Hull.
He has since progressed in his pathway and is now a tenant at Sutton House, a Priory Supported Living Hull and East Riding service.
Anthony’s journey – in his own words
"With the support of the team at Riverbank, and now Sutton House, I am working to develop my independent living skills, which will allow me to develop the skills necessary to go on an independent holiday”.
Support at Riverbank
“At the beginning I struggled with keeping my bedroom clean, cooking for myself, managing money and having safe relationships with other people. I also used to get stressed out a lot and damage property; at times, I was contacted by the police because of this. I worked with the staff a lot at Riverbank. We discussed my aims and goals and they would make care plans with me. I got to choose how staff would work with me, to help me become independent. I have always wanted my own place, so plans were set out to help me with that.
We completed a weekly planner together, which helped me understand what tasks to do and how this would help me. I still continue this daily routine now, and I am more confident carrying out tasks such as changing my bed, cleaning my clothes, and wiping surfaces. I also cooked with the staff; we cooked meals in my bedroom as I had a kitchenette. I also enjoyed going in Riverbank’s main kitchen, as I could spend time helping the chef prepare meals.
Whenever I got upset, staff spent a lot of time with me to work on how I can seek support and have therapeutic time to discuss things that worry me, rather than becoming frustrated or damaging things. We put a plan in place to help me with this, and we also agreed that staff could speak with me if they felt I was becoming agitated. This worked really well and I haven’t damaged property in a long time.
Riverbank helped me; I don’t think I would be living in my own flat now if I did not move through Riverbank and work with staff.
Transition to Sutton House
“We agreed that it was time for me to move to further independence and gain my own flat. I still require support and work with the staff here in supported living. When I got nervous about moving, the staff reassured me and supported me with each step. We did a plan and worked with my social worker. I enjoyed creating a list with the staff and treating myself to items I would need. I created a big list with staff to choose everything I wanted to furnish my new flat. We picked a nice sofa, new bed, cutlery, a nice TV, along with more stuff, to make sure I had everything I needed.
I visited Sutton House a few times before I moved, to meet the staff and spend time there. I also picked my flat, where I am now living. I am happy and carry out activities here, along with my daily living skills. I have been visiting the music nights in town and I do a weekly shop with the staff to fill my fridge and also continue with my daily routine. I feel at home and I am looking forward to the future.”
Since moving to Sutton House, I’ve come on leaps and bounds. I’ve been supported to find ways to help manage my mental health, which is now improving, and my independent living skills are really good now.
Through working with my team, I can now budget for things I never used to be able to afford, such as a new bed, clothing, phone, blinds and days out.
Since coming to us, Anthony has been able to enjoy day trips to York to look around the museums. He has also regularly attended Hull City home games with peers and writes a newsletter for all tenants following the game.
Since learning to budget, Anthony continues to spend his allowance productively, looking at activities in the community, such as attending a local curry and comedy night, and a country and western night. Around site, Anthony can be found making jokes and laughing with peers and support. More recently, he has also taken a huge step to self-medicate.