Church Court

Retirement housing
Midsomer Norton, Radstock, Somerset, BA3 2JA
Midsomer Norton, Radstock, Somerset, BA3 2JA

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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

"Church Court in Midsomer Norton was MHA's first housing scheme, opened formally in October 1978. The flats are situated in a peaceful, landscaped area but, importantly, are within comfortable walking..." Show more "Church Court in Midsomer Norton was MHA's first housing scheme, opened formally in October 1978. The flats are situated in a peaceful, landscaped area but, importantly, are within comfortable walking distance of local shops and amenities.

A good bus service provides access to Bath and Bristol or to the coast, and a local Ring and Ride service can be used for nearer at hand trips. The flats themselves, all of which are two-bedroomed, are laid out over three floors and there is an additional guest flat for visiting relatives.

A couple of Church Court’s early tenants, a retired minister and his wife, helped to forge close links with the local Methodist Church. Nowadays, with the Scheme facilities occasionally used by the church and regular services held for tenants, it’s a relationship that still stands." Show less

Main Facts

Retirement housing
Tenure(s): Rent (social landlord)
20 flats. Built in 1978. Sizes 2 bedroom. Includes mobility and wheelchair standard properties.
Non-resident management staff (part time) and Careline alarm service
Lounge, Laundry, Guest facilities, Garden
Whole site accessible by wheelchair. Access to site easy, but less so for less mobile people. Distances: bus stop 0.2 mile(s); shop 0.2 mile(s); post office 0.3 mile(s); town centre 0.3 mile(s); GP 0.3 mile(s); social centre 2.8 mile(s).
Weekly Social activities include: Coffee mornings and fish & chips meals, organised by residents. New residents accepted from 65 years of age. Both cats & dogs generally accepted, but not to be replaced (subject to permission and risk assessment).
Housing Authority: Bath & North East Somerset
Social Care Authority: Bath & North East Somerset

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: Coffee mornings and fish & chips meals
  • 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
    subject to permission and risk assessment
Statement of purpose
(the ethos and purpose of the scheme as described to a potential resident)
No purpose
Assessment of outcomes
(to help assess the quality of service and the well-being of residents)
No outcomes

Buildings

The buildings and the environment
Year built: 1978
Number of stories: 3
  • Lift(s)
  • Stair lift(s)
  • The location is generally regarded as:
    • Desirable
    • Average
    • Not so desirable
Distances to external facilities:
Bus stop 0.2 mile
Local shop 0.2 mile
Post office 0.3 mile
GP surgery 0.3 mile
Social/day centre 2.8 miles
Town/shop centre 0.3 mile

Individual properties
20 properties
Property details:
2-bedroom apartments: 20
Including:
limited mobility properties: 8
wheelchair properties: 8
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: 16
Technology and design
  • Communal facilities are designed for sensory impairment
  • Wired for telecare
  • Telecare installed
  • Smart Home
  • CCTV
  • Others
  • Facility security features: secure door entry
  • Security features for individual properties: pull cord system
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
  • Provided by: Astra Line
  • 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
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
Average new let rents excluding all charges:
2 bedroom £145.27 per week

Info updated: 03/11/2020
If you are the manager of Church Court and want to update your information, please click here.

Availability

Many council and housing association lettings in this area are made through a 'Choice Based Lettings' system called Homesearch. See how to register and then bid for properties at: https://www.homesearchbathnes.org.uk/

Residents' views

A number of residents have used EAC's resident consultation card game to give their views on aspects of where they live. They gave top marks to this scheme for:
Convenience of the location
Number / size of facilities
Quality of the garden

Comments made in nominations for the EAC National Housing for Older People Awards

"The location is excellent, close to bus stops and the shops, also doctors surgeries. There are activities for those who want them, ie: coffee mornings..." Show more
"The location is excellent, close to bus stops and the shops, also doctors surgeries. There are activities for those who want them, ie: coffee mornings, lunches plus trips out." Show less

Made by a resident in 2017

"It has a brilliant community feel, a lot of the younger residents are always helping the older ones. There is lots of activites and people often say ..." Show more
"It has a brilliant community feel, a lot of the younger residents are always helping the older ones. There is lots of activites and people often say they couldn't think of a better place to live. I am lucky to be the Manager here." Show less

Made by a staff member in 2017
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.

National Housing for Older People Awards
National commended award winner
in the EAC Housing for Older People Awards 2014.
Category: Retirement housing under 24 units.
Sponsor: ERoSH.
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