Individual Solutions SK - A Stockport Council Company

Q. Who can receive services?
A. Services are available for adults of all ages who need support in order to develop and keep their ability to live at home, whether living alone, or with a carer. Many older people are offered support following an accident or period of illness, which may have included a stay in hospital. Some people will need a service over a long period while others may only need a service for a short time. Support will also be given to offer respite to carers. If the service we offer you is being on behalf of Stockport Council this will happen following an assessment of your needs.

Home support

Q. How are services provided?
A. For those in greatest need, some services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The amount of support you receive will depend on your assessment and what is agreed in your personal support plan. The aims of the services are to respect your dignity and increase your independence by helping you to keep doing things for yourself wherever possible. We will review the services at regular intervals, to see whether you still need them, if they are best meeting your needs and those of your carers, or if they need to be changed.

Q. What standards can I expect?
A. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) registers and inspects all Home Support Services to ensure they meet National Minimum Standards. If you receive Home Support Services we will make sure that you have a copy of the Service User Guide from the organisation providing your support. This will help you understand your rights and what standards you can expect.

The Home Support Service currently holds a 3 star “excellent “ rating with the Commission.

Community meals

Q. What is Community Meals?
A. Community Meals, also known as ‘meals-on-wheels’, are available for older people who are unable to obtain at least one cooked meal each day. This may be because you are unable to prepare your own meals due to disability or illness or you are recovering from an operation or illness and need temporary help.

Q. What will the meals be like?
A. The meals are prepared locally and delivered hot, served in foil trays. A typical meal consists of beef, chicken or fish, potatoes and seasonal vegetables. Sweets are usually hot, although cold choices such as trifle and cheesecake are available. You should eat your hot meal straight away. You must never leave it to cool and then reheat it.

All meals are nutritionally balanced but you need to eat well the rest of the day to make sure you meet all of your daily requirements. If you do not like a certain food, please let us know and we will be able to provide an alternative.

Q. What happens if I am on a special diet for medical reasons?
A. As well as a wide range of standard meals, we cater for diabetic, low carbohydrate, low fat, soft diet, gluten free and low sodium diets.

If you have very specific diet requirements, for instance if you have to have dialysis, we can still provide an appropriate meal for you. It is important, therefore, that we have full information about what you are able to eat.

Q. Can you cater for people's religious and cultural dietary needs?
A. To ensure that we meet everyone’s needs we can provide vegetarian, Halal, Kosher, Asian Vegetarian and Afro-Caribbean meals, so please let us know if you have any special requirements.

Q. What happens if I am not going to be at home?
A. If you are not going to be home when your meal is due, for example if you have a hospital appointment or you go to day care, please telephone the Community Meals Office as soon as you know on 0161 474 3711 to cancel the meal for that day. We cannot leave the meal if you are not at home. We may have to charge for meals if you do not cancel them beforehand. We would talk to you or your carer if this happens.

If you normally receive meals at weekends, we will also provide you with a meal on Bank Holidays.

Day centres and luncheon clubs

Q. What happens at a Day Centre?
A. Various activities take place which aim to reflect members’ interests. These may include:

Games, such as dominoes, draughts and playing cards (including large print cards for people with poor sight)
Guest speakers on topics such as healthy diets, home safety and homewatch schemes
Advice on home safety and fire prevention from Greater Manchester Police and the Fire Brigade
Holiday slide shows or a sing-along of favourite old tunes or a talk about past times and local history
Book sessions, where you can enjoy reading
Gentle exercise sessions at some day centres.

Q. What is a Luncheon Club?
A. A luncheon club usually meets for 1 - 2 hours. It is somewhere that you can go to receive a hot meal, to save you cooking your own. It is also a way of having social contact and making new friends or of meeting old friends you may not have seen for a long time.

Q. How can I get there?
A. We will encourage you to arrange your own transport but we may be able to help you find suitable transport. This may be volunteer drivers, Council or voluntary minibuses, taxis contracted by the Local Authority (for day centres only) or Ring and Ride schemes. However, there is a charge for transport provided by the Council.

Resource Centres

Q. What happens at a Resource Centre?
A. The centres have a pleasant friendly social club atmosphere with many activities similar to day centres such as:

Guest speakers, advice on home safety, healthy eating etc
Board games and cards, arts and crafts
Reminiscence sessions and slide shows
Aromatherapy and gentle exercise
Short courses such as pottery, flower arranging, numeracy and literacy skills
Visits from GPs, District Nurses and other professionals
Hairdressers.

Q. What about my personal care?
A. The staff at the resource centres are committed to providing quality services and they are professional, caring, well trained and competent. We can provide support with personal care at the resource centres to help you to use the toilet, bath or shower and also to dress and to take your medication.

Q. What is the Asian Heritage Centre?
A. The Asian Heritage Centre currently operates on Tuesdays and Thursdays with plans to increase this in the future. The centre has been developed to meet the needs of Asian elders living in the Stockport area. Many of the services available at the Resource Centres are also provided here. The centre also has a dedicated Asian Community Service Worker who can provide interpreter services if they are needed.

Q. Help and support for carers
A. Informal carers can also access the resource centres. We offer information, advice and support and somewhere welcoming to drop in for a cup of tea and friendly chat. If you are experiencing problems in your caring role we will be able to signpost you to services that can help such as respite care, short breaks or help with equipment, adaptations or housing.

Charges

Q. How much will I pay?

A. If you are referred to our services by Stockport Council, the amount you will pay for services depends upon what services you receive and how much you can afford to pay. In order to assess this, you will be asked to complete a form, which asks for basic details of your financial circumstances. You will be given as much information as possible about how the charges are worked out and what this means for you.

Fuller details of how the Council works out the amount you will pay for services are covered in the leaflet ‘Paying for services provided in the community’. We can send you a copy and it is also available on the Stockport Council website. Please call the number below or email us to request a leaflet.

Private customers will receive information which confirms the rates and charges with them and arranges how this will be paid.

Customer care

Q. What can I do if I’m not happy?
A. We welcome compliments and suggestions and will deal quickly with any complaints. In the first instance, please contact your worker or their Manager based at our local office. If you are not satisfied with the response you get, you can contact:

The Customer Care Manager
Adults & Communities,
Stopford House
Stockport SK1 3XE
Phone: 0845 124 9461

The Customer Care team will be able to provide further assistance and advice on how to take your complaint further if necessary.

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