New Build News

Here are some pictures of the site taken in June.  The first is the installation of a   kitchen in one of the flats in the second building.  The next is the third building which was started later than the others due to the need to move some drains.  Time is moving quickly and there is still much more to do.  Fittings and decor has to be decided upon.  There is much communication which needs to occur with staff and the people who will live there.  This has to be measured and discussed at a pace which is appropriate to peoples needs.  The work and effort should be worth it and the end result will be so much better for all involved.

We're pleased to announce that work has begun on the new build.  We'll continue to provide updates as they happen.

This is my first Blog and I am treating it as a learning experience.  There will be faults please be patient with me.

Well what a start to the year. We all seem to have hit the ground running in 2010. There are many things to update you on and a few bits of news that I hope you will be pleased about.

Care Quality Commission

As you know, we have been awarded a 3 star excellent rating after our  recent Inspection by the CQC. This places us in the top 10% of registered care providers in the country and this is a rating  that we should all be very proud of achieving.

A big Thank You goes to everyone involved in  delivering the care and support  the service users  need and anyone responsible for preparing for the Inspection. The hard work  that is undertaken behind the scenes ensures that the service is delivered as smoothly as possible.

The new development at Patchway.

The new development continues to present many challenges but at long last some excitement and even pleasure.

In an attempt to prevent unfounded rumours growing I will send out a newsletter each month which will update you on the past months progress and inform you of the work that is ongoing. I will also keep a project diary, on our new Web site, which will inform and update everyone, more of this later.

Anyone who has passed the site in Patchway recently  will have noticed how quickly our builders, Seddons, have progressed the build. They started work in November 2009 and the first and second house now have the roof trusses in place.

Unfortunately work on the third house has been delayed due to problems experienced  by Wessex Water, who are responsible for moving a very large drain that currently runs under the site. We expect to experience some movement on the completion date of August 2010, but Seddons are still hopeful that they will be able to make up lost time once they can start on the third building.

We recently held a small ?stone laying ceremony? to mark the start of the project. This was designed to acknowledge the work undertaken by a range of people who have been directly involved in bringing the project to it?s current position, predominantly professional, but it also included the Trustees and some of our generous benefactors and supporters. There are photos of the event posted on the website, please visit the relevant page and enjoy the photographs.

The new development will have provision to support and care for up to 19 people in a variety of provisions from registered care to supported living. This will offer us great flexibility of provision and opportunity for everyone who lives in and works for Chescombe Trust.    

More news on this as we move forward

Web site

We now have a website www.chescombetrust.com 
We are very excited by this newly launched development. It has taken us into  a new age of communication and presentation and it will enable us to easily maintain contact with families and friends and keep everyone informed of progress and news.

We have a link on the site to enable you to contact us and I look forward to hearing from you.  
I welcome any comments on the current site and any suggestions or advice on how to develop the site.

Please let me know what you think of the site.

Website design.
I wish to take this opportunity to say "Thank you and well done" to Emi at Siteclick who has worked hard to take our ideas and develop such an excellent website.

I am very happy to commend Siteclick to anyone who wishes to develop  a  new website or revisit their existing site.

Investors in People

As most of you will know we had our 4th assessment for the Investors in People award on Monday this week.

I am very pleased to report that we have been assessed as continuing to meet this demanding set of standards and we have retained the award.

A very big Thank You to Colin in particular who has worked very hard to prepare for this review and to everyone who spoke to the IiP Assessor Richard Knight and shared their thoughts and views with him

This award is not given lightly and it recognises the commitment of the Trust to developing it?s employees and delivering the training required to maintain high standards of care for the people we support.

We first received this Award in 1999. This is now the fourth assessment we have undertaken and it is very pleasing to have held the award for all these years. The benefits we have all received from the structure and processes the standard demands are considerable and we should all be very pleased  to work for an organisation that values its workers so highly and wants to support them in their personal development

Degree Social Work Students

We expect to welcome two Degree SW students, from UWE, into Chescombe on or around 15th March to start a 80 day work placement. The placement is an integral part of their learning and they will be expected to fulfill a number of roles within the Lodge. They will not provide personal care nor directly support episodes of challenging behaviour or fulfill any other role that they are not qualified to undertake. They will bring individual knowledge and personal experiences to the Trust and they will undertake a range of tasks that will directly benefit the residents. They are primarily here to learn and they will be supernumerary to the rota but they will also contribute positively to the ongoing work within the Lodge .

Stop Press. The first student has accepted the offer of a placement and she will be joining us on the 15th March.. Her name is Jennifer Cummings; she is 26 years old and hails from Scotland. She has been in Bristol for one and a half years and is very pleased to be coming to Chescombe Lodge for her placement..

Thank you,

Kevin

In this section you'll be able to keep up to date with the latest news about the building of our new premises.  A good place to start is by answering the question 'Why a new build?'

As individuals matured and developed and new people came to live within the Trust it became obvious that changes had to be made to meet the predicted future needs of the residents.

After considering, but having to reject, the possibility of redesigning the interior of the Lodge the decision was taken to purchase a plot of land.   We would then build a provision that would aspire to meet the residents far ranging needs and support them for many years into the future.

In 1997 we identified a plot of land in Patchway, Bristol that would be suitable for our needs. There followed many months of bureaucratic wrangling and in October 1999, with the required Planning consent in place, we purchased the land and instructed our builder to proceed.

The new development will be ready for occupation in late 2010.

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We're pleased to have been awarded the highest rating of 3-stars by the Care Quality Commission in October 2009.

The Care Quality Commission is "the new health and social care regulator for England. They look at the joined up picture of health and social care. Their aim is to ensure better care for everyone in hospital, in a care home and at home."  (excerpt taken for the CQC website)

You can read our full report by visit our page on the Care Quality Commission website - Chescombe Trust Care Quality Commission Report.

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Welcome to the new website, we hope you find it clear and easy to use.  We've taken great care to ensure that our website is accessible to the highest level.

We'd love to hear your feedback - please do let us know your thoughts by visiting our Have Your Say page.

We look forward to hearing from you!