Our statement of intent
The independent living service enables council tenants and other Harrogate district residents to live independently in their own homes for as long as possible by providing reassurance that help is always on hand, and assisting tenants and residents to access local statutory and voluntary services so they can maintain their quality of life.
Independent living supports residents in the community through the Lifeline service and provides a higher level of support to tenants in our six sheltered housing schemes.
How we aim to do this
Harrogate Lifeline Service
The Lifeline service is available to anyone in the Harrogate area including council tenants, private tenants and owner occupiers. The system operates through a telephone landline. A base unit is plugged into the telephone line and suitable power supply, then customers can press a button on the base unit or a separate personal pendant to summon help in an emergency. A 24 hour call centre answers all calls and they will arrange an appropriate response. This may be calling the emergency services; calling nominated local friends, family or other carers; calling the duty independent living officer for that area or sometimes just providing reassurance over the phone.
The Lifeline service offers two service levels. The standard service includes the installation and weekly rental of a base unit and up to two pendants, 24 hour call monitoring and a dedicated independent living officer who customers can contact during office hours if they need technical assistance. The team will also attend to emergency technical issues out of hours on a rota basis. The premium service, at a slightly higher cost, offers all of the above plus a monthly personal wellbeing visit by the dedicated independent living officer, who will test the equipment and make sure all is well. Additional linked sensors, such as falls alarms, smoke alarms or carbon monoxide detectors, can be added to either service for a further small charge.
Sheltered housing support
The council has six sheltered housing schemes for people with slightly higher support needs. These are purpose built blocks of flats with access to various communal facilities such as a laundry, hairdressing salon and guest bedroom, and community rooms or lounges for social activities. All have a built-in alarm call system so tenants can either use pull cords or their personal pendants to summon help in an emergency in the same way as Lifeline customers.
Each sheltered housing scheme also has a designated independent living officer who acts as a scheme manager. The scheme independent living officer will look after and report repairs to the building, alarm system and communal facilities; make daily welfare visits to tenants on weekdays; help to arrange social functions and activities for tenants; and liaise with tenants, their families and local statutory and voluntary agencies to ensure each tenant’s well-being.
What your housing officer will do
Your housing officer will:
- Inform you about the appropriate independent living service on offer together with your conditions of tenancy within 5 working days of notification of the start of your tenancy.
- Answer any queries you may have concerning service charges or other payments for services.
What we will do through the independent living service
Through the independent living service we will:
- Explain and demonstrate the emergency call system or Lifeline equipment.
- Show you the communal facilities in your sheltered housing scheme and tell you about regular social events and other services provided by external providers on site, for example, hairdressing and chiropody.
- Provide an emergency response service via the call centre with appropriate help being requested from the emergency services, local responders (nominated family members, friends or carers), your GP or the duty independent living officer for your area.
- Discuss your support and any other needs with you and agree how they can be met.
What the independent living team will do
On an on-going basis, the independent living team will:
- Ensure that your alarm call system or Lifeline equipment is checked on a regular basis and is working correctly.
- Monitor your health and well-being through regular visits and, with your permission, liaise with family and/or other agencies, such as Doctors, District Nurses, Home Care etc., to make sure your support needs are met.
- Check that the personal details that we hold are updated on a regular basis and any changes notified to the call centre in case we need to contact anyone on your behalf in an emergency.
- Assist you if necessary to contact the Property Services Team to report repairs or request adaptations to your home and ensure that outstanding repairs, adaptations etc., are completed within agreed timescales.
- Offer advice where required to help you access other services and speak on your behalf if you ask us to.
- In sheltered housing schemes with communal rooms, help organise and assist with social activities for all tenants and work with you to enable you to organise your own social activities if you wish.
Your responsibilities
You have a responsibility to:
- Tell your Independent Living Officer if any of your medical conditions or support needs have changed so that we can notify the call centre and help you to obtain different support if required.
- Tell your Independent Living Officer about changes to contact details for your close family members or nominated responders in case we need to contact them.
- If you are in a sheltered housing scheme, tell your scheme Independent Living Officer if you plan to be away overnight, or if you are a Lifeline customer tell your Independent Living Officer or the call centre (by pressing the button) if you plan to be away from your home for any lengthy periods.
- Report any incidents of suspicious callers to your home either directly to your Independent Living Officer or by pressing the button/pendant and telling the call centre.
- Report any repairs to your own house, flat or bungalow to us. Contact us .
- Let your Independent Living Officer know if you need assistance – you don’t have to wait to be asked if you need help.
Contact us
If you have queries regarding this standard or feel something has not been done as you would wish, please contact us.