Signpost Care Partnerships provides an Assertive Outreach Housing
Service in partnership with Dorset Community NHS Trust. The service
is currently available to tenants living in Signpost Care Partnerships
homes. It has been operating since September 1998 and is based within
the Community Health Teams located in Blandford and Shaftesbury
in Dorset. Signpost is one of the first Associations in the south
west to take this concept on board.
The primary objective of Assertive Outreach and Supported Housing
is to provide people with severe and enduring mental illness with
the support they need to live in the community. This support prevents
relapse thus reducing the demand on hospital in-patient beds.
The Assertive Outreach Service was based on a model founded in
the USA, which seeks to provide a comprehensive range of treatment,
rehabilitation and support service.
The Assertive Outreach Teams are made up of a Supported Housing
Worker employed by Signpost and a Community Psychiatric Nurse employed
by the Dorset Community NHS Trust. Caseloads are smaller to reflect
the intense support offered by this service. A property is bought
for individuals specific requirements. The client plays a central
part in the decision making process of which property to purchase
/ develop. Funding, a combination of Government and private finance,
is attached to the property for a maximum of three years. The Supported
Housing Worker will have a final say in the allocation of the housing
to ensure that the tenant is capable of understanding and maintaining
their tenancy with the right support.
Once the client has moved in the Assertive Outreach Team work
together to engage the client and support them with day to day living
skills, such as applying for benefits, community care grants, budgeting,
shopping, keeping out patient appointments, etc. Visits are usually
for one hour per week and can be as little as once a month depending
on the individuals needs.
The assertive outreach service won the prestigious Beacon Award
last year in recognition of its outstanding example of good practise
within the NHS.
"The assertive outreach service is a good example of partnership
working between ourselves and the local NHS Trust. We do work with
other Local Authorities providing a similar support service to their
clients. Providing people with the right support in the community
is very important from teaching them basic living skills to ensuring
that they maintain their tenancies," says Martyn Dunleavy Group
Director of Business Development.
Ends: For further information please contact Tina Partridge, Marketing
Manager at Signpost on 01258 484884 or Sarah Turner, Divisional
Director of Signpost Care Partnerships on 01278 484885.
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