Special Needs

Adaptations for tenants with special needs

We want to help and assist our tenants with special needs by adapting their homes. If you have difficulty completing day-to-day tasks in your home because of long-term illness or disability, we may be able to help you.

First we need to find out what adaptations will meet your needs. Our housing staff, the Occupational Therapy teams employed by the Health Service, and the Social Care and Hospice Care teams will consider which adaptations will suit you best.

The Occupational Therapy teams offer a specialist assessment service and are qualified to make recommendations for you. They will visit you in your home and complete a comprehensive assessment covering all identified difficulties and daily living tasks. If the adaptation is to be a permanent secured fixture, they will send their recommendations to our Special Needs officer.

How do I apply for help with major adaptations?

You should first contact the Social Services Occupational Therapy Department (0845 603 7627). If you have carers from a care agency or receive Direct Payments for formal care, contact the Social Work team who arranged your care. They will refer your needs to the relevant Occupational Therapy team. The Occupational Therapy team will complete an assessment and tell us their recommendations.

We will look carefully at any recommendations we receive to ensure that they are reasonable and practical.

For major adaptations to your home contact:

Social Care Direct (Occupational Therapy) on 0845 6037627

For minor adaptations to your home contact:

Tracie Barry, Special Needs officer, on 01245 613022 or email: tracie.barry@chelmerhp.org.uk

Social Services/Social Care Direct on 0845 6037627

Discretionary Decorations Service

We will decorate 250 rooms each year. Customers who are entitled to this include those aged 70 or over, disabled or blind. Each eligible person is entitled to have one room decorated every three years. We will give priority to the disabled, the blind and those over 80.

All applications will be added to a list. The list will be held open from 1 January to 31 March each year. All applications received between 1 April and 31 December will be held until the next list opens.

Further information and an application form is available in the Discretionary Decorations Leaflet. Alternatively contact Natalie Blackburn on: 01245 615026 or email natalie.blackburn@chelmerhp.org.uk

Chelmer Telecare

Chelmer Telecare is an emergency alarm service designed to increased independence and freedom for the vulnerable within a home environment.

How does the system work?

The system includes a lightweight pendant alarm button and a Telecare alarm unit that requires a push-in telephone socket and mains power. By pressing the button on the pendant you will automatically make a call to the Telecare centre. The pendant will work anywhere in your home and in the garden up to 250 metres away from where the Telecare alarm unit is plugged in. There is also a large red button on the Telecare unit that you can press for help. Your call will be answered promptly by one of our trained operators, who are on call 24 hours a day. They can contact your relatives, friends or neighbours for minor problems. In emergencies we will also contact the emergency services on your behalf and stay on the line until help or family arrives.

Our Telecare Centre

The centre is staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Our operators are fully trained in handling a wide range of calls, that can include anything from a false alarm to a major emergency involving the police, fire and ambulance services.

The Chelmer Telecare Customer Charter

Our commitment to you:

Provide a 24 hour call-answering and emergency response service every day of the year.
Answer your calls efficiently and politely.
Respond to your calls in the most appropriate way.
Maintain your Telecare equipment in good working order.

View a copy of the Chelmer Telecare leaflet.

To ask for the Chelmer Telecare leaflet to be posted to you, or for further information, contact Chelmer Telecare on 01245 613131 or 01245 613132 or e-mail: chelmertelecare@chelmerhp.org.uk