Purchased by Signpost Housing Association, specifically for this project, and leased to Dorset NHS Trust, the respite house opened in June 2000, and is intended to play a full part in providing shore term interim supported care, primarily to the Blandford catchment area.

A period in the house is seen as an alternative for people to staying in their own home, when there is an identified need for increased support during the day.

The accommodation is in a semi-detached house and comprises two reception rooms and three bedrooms, with a kitchen/diner, bathroom, walk-in shower room and utility area. The large garden contains a patio area, many shrubs and a quiet reflective area. The residents are currently in the process of helping to erect a garden shed which will be used as an activity area as well as a tool store.

The house has been fully furnished and equipped by Signpost Housing Association to a high standard, and each tenant has their own bedroom sharing the communal facilities with the other residents.

The staff support is provided by the Community Mental Health Team, and two Health Care Support Workers who are based at the house, working day shifts during the hours of 9am - 9pm.

The house is also used as a drop in facility for other clients of the Community Mental Health Team and a gardening group is also based there. Thus providing an additional valuable service to of help people to socialise and form friendships in a normal community house.

To summarise, a stay in the respite house provides:-

• Opportunities for respite care. Respite as a clinical intervention can be assessed as an appropriate need in order to support the prevention and resolution of the distress which is often an antecedent to major episodes of illness.
• An opportunity for assessment with regard to illness issues or a consequence of being ill.
• An opportunity to offer extra support, to assess any difficulties and to implement care packages with the extra support available.
• An opportunity to offer support to carers when there is an identified need for a rest for the carer and/or patient.
• An opportunity to stabilise the situation so that the individual is maintained in the locality and remains involved and supported by the local services which ensures continuity of care.
• At times there may be reasons why the patient has been unable to move on from an in-patient bed and it would be more appropriate for them to stay in the respite house.
• The person's assessed need is to meet problems with shelter, supervision, support and observation that does not need the level of supervision that an in-patient would offer.