Criteria for Care & Support

Accommodation Provided by Sunny Bank PRS

This information applies to all of Sunny Bank PRS’s clients whether they are residents, tenants or day care clients.

There are two types of client:

• Those who, due to (re)habilitation and recovery within our facilities, will be capable of moving on to more independent accommodation, whether this be provided by Sunny Bank PRS or not.
• Those who whilst they have improved through (re)habilitation, still require the level of care and support provided by ourselves, on a more long-term basis.  Also they benefit from an ongoing recovery approach of where we are helping them to achieve as much as possible.

The establishment of criteria:

• assists referring agencies in determining eligibility and suitability of possible clients, and
• helps to ensure a compatible client group within Sunny Bank PRS’s premises, and
• ensures fairness and equality of Service

The criteria have been based on the various practice guidelines and standards identified in the documents referred to in our stated philosophy and principles of care.

The Eligibility Criteria Are:

1. Adult men and women are taken from the age of eighteen upwards.
2. Clients are considered to have enduring mental health problems, (including those of an organic nature). Clients who are acutely disturbed, currently exhibits severe challenging or self-harming behaviour, or who wander away from the premises cannot be considered. Clients are likely to be experiencing secondary problems, especially deficit behaviours (e.g. living, social and personal skills), and would benefit from (re)habiltative and recovery based care programme.
3. Referrals where the primary difficulties are related to drug addiction, alcohol/solvent abuse, and learning difficulties will not be considered.
4. Referrals who do not meet our own commencement of care risk assessment, appropriate to premises and level of care to be provided, will not be pursued.
5. Emergency or short-term placements,(e.g. less than 3 months) are not accepted as this disrupts the therapeutic environment.
6. Clients require medium to long term supervised psychiatric care/support on: -
   a 24 hour basis at Sunny Bank
   a day care basis at Sunny Bank
   a regular basis during the week (supported accommodation)
7. Referrals who have guardianship or community treatment orders within their care management are considered.  At properties (Daisy Field and Greenside) provision of tasks relating to Section 117 after care are ineligible for Supporting People funding, and hence will require funding by Health and/or Social Services.  This would automatically be the case at Acres View.
8. Aspects of support which do not fall within the current eligibility criteria for Supporting People funding for Supported Accommodation at Greenside and Daisy Field (i.e. housing support) and any aspects of care can be provided by Sunny Bank PRS, but would have to be funded by Health and/or Social Services.  Currently, all aspects of support and care at Acres View would have to be funded by Health and/or Social Services.
9. Referrals who have, forensic histories are not normally considered. Due to our registration we cannot take clients on a section 37/41, and aftercare for those sections.
10. We cannot take people on a Section 3, but they are able to attend on leave (Section 17) from hospital purely for assessment purposes. We are able to take Section 117 clients.
11. Referrals with physical disabilities and problems will be considered.  The main criterion is that the nature and location of the accommodation does not restrict the quality of their life, and hence it is unlikely that clients with multiple disabilities would be accepted.
12. Couples would be considered for admission at Sunny Bank, but referring agencies should be aware that all our bedroom accommodation meets single occupancy specification. Couples are not eligible for supported accommodation
13. Pets cannot normally be accommodated at any of the properties.
14. The person themselves wishes to receive Sunny Bank PRS’s care and support, and fully appreciates its (re)habilitative nature, philosophy of care/support and maximising recovery.
15. Clients are considered able to cope with daily contact with the local community.
16. Clients are primarily Bury Metro residents or have close links (e.g. family) or desire to be within the Bury Metro area. Consideration will be given to referrals from other areas, but only if an undertaking is given that the Medical/Psychiatric and Social Services in the referring district will continue to accept responsibility for any continuing or developing psychiatric problems, or that the referring agency will arrange for suitable treatment and care/support (including Medical and Social Services input) to be given locally within Bury.
17. Day care clients must be residing in the Bury Metro area, or within easy travelling distance of Sunny Bank.  They must be able to travel independently, or arrangements made by Social Services for their transportation.  (Transport by Ambulance is not suitable).
18. That the referring agency will accept the agreed referral and introductory process. If at any time during this period the client persistently wishes to no longer receive Sunny Bank PRS’s care, or it is felt they are unsuitable, then an earlier review will be arranged for all parties involved to plan revised care arrangements.  This is usually co-ordinated by the client’s Care Co-ordinator.
19. Appropriate continuing care/support and regular follow-up must be provided by the clients’ health care professionals.  This may take the form of outpatient appointments or community visits (including whilst attending for day care).(Any agencies/professions concerned with a client are welcome to visit at any time by prior arrangement).
20. The dynamics and character of the existing client group in any of the accommodation in relation to new referrals is considered, and if it is felt that a referral would have a detrimental affect on the client group, or the existing clients themselves express their concerns, the referral will not be accepted.
21. The person is prepared to actively participate within any support/care plans provided by Sunny Bank PRS and daily life within our facilities, and is prepared to accept the “Conditions of Residence” and sign the “Contract for Residency” or “Tenancy and Support Agreement”. With regards to day care, the client must be prepared to accept the “Conditions of Day Care Attendance”, and sign “Contract For Day Care”.
22. Our concept with regards to length of stay is that “it is home”, and hence there is no pre-determined length of stay, as each client’s needs are different.  However, for those clients where the intention is to move onto a more independent setting, this ultimate goal is achieved as soon as the client is capable.
23. For day care clients the minimum attendance is for 2 days per week. (One day is acceptable if it is with a view to increasing to two in the near future).Usual full day attendance lasts for 7 hours and therefore would usually include at least one meal.  However, charges will be made on an hourly basis. The minimum time period within a day is half a day (9.30-1.30 and 1.30-5.30).