Priory Fernleigh House

We support our residents to attend family events and visit their family homes. We will work with the resident and their relatives to ensure possible risks are managed and that everyone is supported. This may mean the individual’s key worker will come along on the visit. For those who are unable to visit their family home, we can support your loved ones with video calls.

Family and friends are welcome to visit. Visits are usually planned in advance to support individual needs. Unfortunately, family members cannot stay overnight. We aim to create a homely atmosphere and encourage family to come and celebrate special occasions with us, such as birthdays and other annual events.

Yes, we strive to keep the loved ones of our residents involved in their care. Every month families are invited to a meeting at the home, where they will meet with the residents’ support team and hear about recent happenings at the home. We can also arrange more regular catch-ups either in person or via telephone, to ensure families are kept informed.

Everyone who stays with us are supported to call their loved ones any time, via phone or video call. Family and friends are also able to call as often as they like. Some people have their own mobile phones and our staff support them to use them.

Bedrooms are all furnished and residents are supported to personalise them to suit their needs and wishes. We can support people to pick their own furnishings and make their space personalised to them.

Due to our home’s location near a main road, the external front doors and garden gates are kept locked. However, every person staying with us will be individually assessed for any risks to see what security is needed. All residents are able to access our spacious garden areas whenever they please.

People staying with us are all supported to prepare their breakfast, lunch and snacks. Our evening meal is a home-cooked one, taking in to account individual needs. We support people with their sensory needs, make adaptations and offer alternatives as needed. Our team will also seek guidance from family members and nutritionists to ensure that special dietary requirements are catered for where needed.

Residents are given help to do their own laundry, as part of promoting independence, utilising our on-site laundry facilities. Our staff are on hand to offer support if and when it is required. Our team will ensure that residents always have access to clean clothes and bedding.

Staff support and encourage our residents to complete these tasks, to promote their independence. Our housekeeper also deep-cleans every room weekly, to ensure everyone has a clean living environment.

Residents are not allowed to bring illegal or harmful substances onto the premises. We would also ask that people do not bring high risk personal items into the house, although we do encourage people to personalise their spaces.

Activities are planned according to our residents’ choices and interests. Thorough risk assessments are conducted before any activity. Everyone has a tailored activities planner, which will include both in-house activities as well as visits into the community. Their key worker may use a variety of communication tools to ensure they can have an input into the planning of activities.

We use the PROACT-SCIPr-UK® framework, which means we focus on proactive strategies, rather than physical intervention. We also have support from a PBS practitioner, who works closely with residents who are displaying behaviours of concern. Our residents’ care plans detail how our team should support them when they are experiencing distress. These plans are reviewed and updated on a regular basis, enabling us to provide the most personalised support to the people who live here.

Yes, we encourage families and extended support providers to be involved with the care plans. We use a variety of communication tools to work collaboratively with the person we care for to co-produce the plans so they are tailored to their needs. We value this important input from others where appropriate.

We have some off-road parking, with a car park to the side of the property.

We don’t permit smoking inside the building, and this includes vapes. Residents can smoke outside, and would be risk assessed to decide the best place for them to go to smoke. They can also be supported to buy cigarettes and vapes at the shops, if this is what they choose. We do encourage healthy lifestyles, and can support residents with smoking cessation programmes.

Our fees can vary, and are based on an assessment of each individual's needs. Many people are eligible for financial help towards the cost of support, and this funding can be accessed by contacting your local authority. Once funding has been agreed, we will work with your local care team to put together a bespoke package of care. Please note, referrals for NHS or Local Authority funded services must come from a referring organisation.