Archers Court

Housing-with-care / Close care housing
Elmside Walk, Bedford Road, Hitchin, Hertfordshire, SG5 1HD
Elmside Walk, Bedford Road, Hitchin, Hertfordshire, SG5 1HD

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Info
Aims
Buildings
Services
Residents
Management / Costs
Managed by
MHA
Live Later Life Well

As the UK's largest charity care provider, our mission is to inspire the best care and wellbeing at every stage of later life.

Manager's Description

"Situated in the historic Hertfordshire market town of Hitchin, midway between Luton and Stevenage, Archer’s Court is a development of 24 purpose-built apartments adjacent to MHA’s existing Elmside..." Show more "Situated in the historic Hertfordshire market town of Hitchin, midway between Luton and Stevenage, Archer’s Court is a development of 24 purpose-built apartments adjacent to MHA’s existing Elmside Care Home. With a church, health centre and supermarket at the end of the road, the apartments are just five minutes’ walk away from the town centre.

Archer’s Court is surrounded by attractive and well-maintained gardens and offers a reassuring combination of independent living together with a dedicated care team available to residents round the clock.

The apartments have been arranged on three levels with lift and wheelchair access throughout. The fully equipped one and two-bedroom apartments are all suitable for individuals or couples. Archer’s Court shares facilities with Elmside, including a communal lounge, en suite guest room and IT suite, as well as a hairdressing and therapy suite.

In addition, if you don’t feel like cooking at home, a choice of freshly prepared meals is available at Elmside’s restaurant. And if you feel like joining in activities and outings, there are plenty to choose from." Show less

Main Facts

Housing-with-care / Close care housing
Tenure(s): Leasehold
Care provider: Methodist Homes
24 flats. Built in 2008. Sizes 1 bedroom, 2 bedroom. Includes mobility and wheelchair standard properties.
Housing With Care scheme with on-site care staff (24 hours / 7 days), Non-resident management staff (24 hours, 7 days)
Lift, Lounge, Guest facilities, Garden, Assisted bathing facility
Whole site accessible by wheelchair. Access to site easy. Distances: bus stop 0.25 mile(s); shop 0.25 mile(s); post office 0.5 mile(s); town centre 0.5 mile(s); GP 0.5 mile(s); social centre 0.25 mile(s).
Regular Social activities include: Whatever our residents choose or arrange!, organised by residents and staff. New residents accepted from 65 years of age. Both cats & dogs generally accepted, but not to be replaced (risk assessments to be completed + pet passport).
Housing Authority: North Hertfordshire
Social Care Authority: Hertfordshire
Architects: Tooley & Foster Partnership

Ethos / Lifestyle

Community interaction
  • The scheme is located within an existing active community
  • The scheme is within easy reach of an existing active community
  • The scheme relies on itself for community /neighbourhood interaction
Cultural
  • We facilitate spiritual and religious observance
  • Staff can speak languages other than English
Social Activities
  • There are regular social activities
    Including: Whatever our residents choose or arrange!
  • Entertainment
  • Outings
  • Regular activities programme
    • Daily activities
    • Weekly activities
    • Monthly activities
  • Facilities for residents to garden or assist with gardening
  • Own minibus
  • Other transport for residents
Pets
New residents are allowed to bring pets:
  • a cat
  • a dog
  • If yes, pets can be replaced
    risk assessments to be completed + pet passport
Statement of purpose
(the ethos and purpose of the scheme as described to a potential resident)
We put people at the heart of everything we do, treating people as individuals, respecting and honouring their wishes and providing care and wellbeing services in a way that’s best suited to each person’s specific needs, enabling them to live later life well. We place great importance on nurturing the mind, body and spirit of those we care for, their families and our colleagues regardless of faith, background or belief.
Assessment of outcomes
(to help assess the quality of service and the well-being of residents)
- Regular comprehensive survey of all residents, results, action plans agreed, and reviewed with residents. - Individual meetings with residents to agree their wellbeing or care outcomes which are reviewed 6 monthly. - CQC inspection and report. - Quality Assurance inspection and report. - Area Manager audit. - Capita Health and Safety audits. - ARCO registered. - Local Authority Food and Hygiene rating. All staff receive comprehensive induction. They Undertake core training to include safeguarding, fire safety, health & safety, infection control, emergency first aid, confidentiality and the management of information – all are refreshed on an annual basis.

Buildings

The buildings and the environment
Year built: 2008
Number of stories: 3
  • Lift(s). Number of Lifts: 1
  • Stair lift(s)
  • The location is generally regarded as:
    • Desirable
    • Average
    • Not so desirable
Distances to external facilities:
Bus stop 0.3 mile
Local shop 0.3 mile
Post office 0.5 mile
GP surgery 0.5 mile
Social/day centre 0.3 mile
Town/shop centre 0.5 mile

Individual properties
24 properties
Property details:
1-bedroom apartments: 15
2-bedroom apartments: 9
Including:
extra care or housing with care properties: 24
limited mobility properties: 24
wheelchair properties: 24
Other details:
  • If there are studios/bedsits
    • They have a kitchen
    • They have a wc
    • They have a bathroom
  • Some properties have a private balcony
  • Some properties have a private garden or patio
  • Properties are served by a communal satellite tv aerial
  • Properties are wired for cable tv
  • Dementia unit
  • Intermediate care suite or similar
  • Respite care accommodation
Communal facilities Indoors
  • Lounge
  • Restaurant (open to public)
  • Dining room (residents only)
  • Community/day centre
  • Laundry
  • Guest suite
  • Conservatory
  • Activities room(s)
  • Hobby room(s)
  • More than one lounge
  • TV lounge
  • Café
  • Bar/pub
  • Fitness gym
  • Arts and craft centre
  • Storage for wheelchairs/electric scooters
  • Library
  • Shop
  • Treatment room
  • Computer/IT room
  • Payphone
  • WC's
  • Hairdressing salon
  • Jacuzzi
  • Pool
  • Assisted bathroom(s)
  • Other communal facilities
Communal facilities Outdoors
  • Garden
  • Total number of parking spaces: 8
Technology and design
  • Communal facilities are designed for sensory impairment
  • Wired for telecare
  • Telecare installed
  • Smart Home
  • CCTV
  • Others
  • Facility security features: Alarmed doors, key fob entry
  • Security features for individual properties: Alarms, telephones, window locks
Accessibility
  • All communal spaces are accessible by wheelchair users
  • Most residents find getting to the site:
    • easy
    • manageable
    • difficult
  • Less mobile people find getting to the site:
    • easy
    • manageable
    • difficult

Services

Support services
  • Community alarm service
  • Alarm to call on-site staff
  • Housing support service (SP tasks)
  • Domestic assistance
  • Light domestic cleaning
  • Shopping
  • Housework
  • Personal laundry service
  • Hairdressing on site
  • Chiropody
  • Physiotherapy
  • Sensors (detectors) and monitors
  • Personal sensors
  • Property-based sensors
Meals
  • Meals are available on a regular basis
  • A daily meal is available
  • Breakfast always available in restaurant/dining room
  • Lunch always available in restaurant/dining room
  • Dinner always available in restaurant/dining room
  • Breakfast can be delivered to individual homes
  • Lunch can be delivered to individual homes
  • Dinner can be delivered to individual homes
  • Restaurant is open to outsiders
  • There is generally a choice of menu
  • Residents are consulted on menus
  • All meals are prepared on the scheme
  • Vegetarians are specifically catered for
  • Special diets can usually be provided for
  • We can meet cultural dietary preferences
Care services
  • Personal care services
  • Dementia care
  • Care for people with learning disabilities
  • Nursing care
  • Intermediate care
  • Respite care
  • Mental frailty
  • Physical disabilities
  • Behavioural problems
  • Terminal illness
  • Our scheme is best suited to care for:
  • People who need minimal help
  • People who need moderate help
  • People who need a high level of help

Eligibility / Admission

User profile
  • 65 is the lower age limits for new residents
  • We cater for people with no/low level care needs
  • We are aiming at a mixed care levels population
  • Admission criteria are similar to residential care
  • Residents will not need to move except to hospital
  • The scheme is intended or specially suited to a specific religious, ethnic, profession or other group
  • The scheme is restricted to a specific group
Applicants must:
  • Be self-funders
  • Be on state benefits
  • Have local connections
  • Have a housing needs assessment
  • Have a community care assessment
  • Have a risk assessment
  • Have a health assessment
  • Have minimum housing support need
  • Have minimum personal care need
  • Have less than a maximum personal care need
For couples, both partners must:
  • Have minimum housing support need
  • Have minimum personal care need
We accept people with:
  • Visual impairment
  • Deafness
  • Urinary incontinence
  • Faecal incontinence
We would normally accept people with:
  • Memory problems - moderate
  • Memory problems - severe
  • Challenging behaviour - disruptive
  • Challenging behaviour - physically violent
  • Mobility problems - frame
  • Mobility problems - wheelchair
  • Mobility problems - bedfast
  • Wandering problems - inside home
  • Wandering problems - outside home

Management / costs

Management
  • Compared to our other schemes, this one is:
    • Popular
    • Average
    • Not so popular
    • Slow to let/sell
  • There is a tenants/residents association
  • Residents are involved in running the scheme through: Newsletters, meetings, reivews, involvement in changes
Housing staff
  • Resident scheme manager
  • Non-resident manager
  • Housing staff on duty:
    • part time
    • normal hours
    • 24 hours
    • 7 days
Care staff
  • Site-based care staff
  • On-site care staff 24/7
Staff facilities
  • Manager's office
  • Care staff office
  • Staff overnight room with en-suite
  • Staff rest room with kitchenette
  • Staff locker and changing room
  • Main catering kitchen
Costs

Info updated: 02/11/2020
If you are the manager of Archers Court and want to update your information, please click here.

Availability

Check with MHA - none notified to EAC - Advertise vacancies / sales.
Managed by
MHA
Live Later Life Well

As the UK's largest charity care provider, our mission is to inspire the best care and wellbeing at every stage of later life.

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