Our proprietor and registered manager is Carol Barkwell SRN. Carol is a qualified state registered nurse, an NVQ assessor and Manual Handling Trainer, with over 25 years experience in care, over 20 of which have been spent managing Lyndridge.

Overview

Lyndridge have been providing care in Okehampton, Devon since 1990.  Over the last 10 years, they have diversified into Supported Living, which offers an alternative life style option for senior people, keen to maintain their independence and exercise real choice in the manner of their lives. They offer a range of services including personal care, housekeeping and meals on wheels, and can also provide mobility adapted transport for healthcare appointments.

Lyndridge Care offer a range of services:

• Community care services - personal care and support in the home.
• Support services including day care facilities, luncheon clubs and respite care.
• Supported Living: 24 hour Supported Living & Extra Care Supported Living
• Learning Difficulties/ Mental Health Unit that enable residents to integrate into the community 
• Training and life skills programme to help individuals lead a full and active life.
• Free benefits advice

Lyndridge is also in partnership with a not for profit Community Interest Company; Made-Well. The initiative aims to bring leisure and learning opportunities, life skills, training, jobs and volunteering opportunities to local, 'differently able' and marginalised people. The 3.5 acre site offers horticulture (growing vegetables, herbs and fruit), farm and petting animals, dedicated training and cooking facilities, a shop and a cafe to promote a better understanding and appreciation of food, healthy lifestyles, and to give local people access to affordable home-grown food. In collaboration with Made-well, Lyndridge also provide training and employment opportunities for 'differently able' individuals in a socially responsible manner.  For more information visit www.made-well.co.uk


In addition, Lyndridge feel that their help and support always goes further the 'extra mile' to ensure services are inclusive. Lyndridge are also active within their own communities and organise community events including to raise funds for charities such as Cancer Research and to increase awareness of the need for physical fitness through an annual 'Moor Walk' which also helps to bring the community together as a whole.

Aims

Lyndridge's objective is to enable all Service Users to achieve the quality of life, which is as close to their individual wishes as possible, within their own home and determined only by the limits of their personal health. They want to provide Service Users with the opportunity to live as independently as possible with dignity, and enable them to access practical and current information, so that they may make informed choices. They offer a range of personalised services, under the guidance of the government's white
paper 'Putting People First'.   These are tailored to suit individual needs which are fully discussed fully in their assessment to find out about individual preferences.

At Lyndridge they strive to foster a culture of hope not fear where the focus is on humanity not disability. Building a life on ability and normality through the adoption of a series of principles which facilitate change and include:

• Giving the freedom to help plan your daily life
• Encouraging your independence and enabling you to lead a fulfilling life
• Preserving your dignity and helping you maintain self-esteem
• Helping you to maintain continuity in your interests and desires
• Nurturing your spirit and promoting your physical and emotional well-being
• Working with you and accepting you know best
• Helping you have your say, and giving you the opportunity to say what  you want
• Valuing life and living, and respecting your wishes

Approach

The organisation shares a strong ethos of promoting choice, inclusion and raising aspirations of individuals to not just accept what they are given. As well as a strong staff training programme, the organisation also 're-trains' clients, so that they are aware of what 'poor practice' is and to expect more.

They provide care and support for people to encourage independence, and be on hand to 'do with, and not for'. They want to enable individuals to lead a full and active life according to their personal preferences, by providing the means and assistance required for individuals to make informed choices.   This underpinning value base towards a supportive and empowering approach enables individual to take more control of their lives and is written into the Job Description for support and other staff in order to help the organisation achieve this stated purpose.

Staff are encouraged to become interested in clients continuing a family ethos which started over 21 years ago. Accompanied by a 'Shall we Talk?' programme workers sit with clients to talk through their family history so that the individual is viewed as part of a broader societal structure. Both clients and families are at the centre of all decision making where options are provided and they are seen as driving the decisions.

Lyndridge does not take a complacent approach and continue to listen to their clients and develop services which exceed the expectations of individuals.

Impact on Commissioning

Lyndridge participate in committees and forums to help influence strategy and planning of services working collaboratively with commissioners to deliver a range of services that meet changing needs. Lyndridge have also organised and shared training with other local care companies helping others to set up supported living.
Lyndridge also participate in a Personal Brokerage procurement scheme. This Personal Brokerage is used to commission long term, respite and emergency care packages for service users with complex, unstable and unpredictable needs and risks. This includes the following Service User groups:-

• Physical Disability (including Acquired Brain Injury)
• Sensory Disability
• Learning Disability
• Mental Health

Personal Brokerage has a number of positive outcomes for service users, providers and commissioners. It encourages providers to develop services that respond to service users' needs and gives Service Users a wider choice of available services. In line with Putting People First (PPF), Personal Brokerage facilitates greater choice and control over the way that services are delivered for the individual.
Personal Brokerage is the process that is used to encourage the development of innovative care packages by seeking proposals from a wide range of service providers for individual cases.  The approach gives service users a wide choice of Providers and much greater involvement in the commissioning process. Service users write their outcomes which describe and prioritise their FACS eligible needs to potential Providers. They are involved in Provider selection and care packages are clearly linked to outcomes. Client choice is vastly improved by the Personal Brokerage service. Their anonymised Outcome Statement is distributed by e-mail to all Providers registered with Personal Brokerage. This gives a much larger initial pool from which the Personal Brokerage team can develop a short list based upon the client's required outcomes.

Contact: Carol Barkwell - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it