Longley Park View host first Service User Council of 2019

To kick-off 2019, Exemplar Health Care’s service user council met this week to discuss the latest developments, new ideas and initiatives on behalf of service users who live in 26 homes across the country.

Meeting at Exemplar Health Care’s specialist care home in Sheffield, Longley Park View, residents from homes including Ravensdale, Greenside Court and Dearnevale met with Service User Engagement Manager Sophia Feurtado, Senior Director of Operations Rachel Calladine and Chief Operating Operator John Whitehead for the first council of the year.

Developments from the last meeting, including accessible wi-fi, a search for a holiday home and a way for people to take part in competitions across the homes, were discussed and people added in comments and points to be considered.

A new service user mobile app, which is in early development, was presented to the council. The app will encourage communication between service users in our homes, hold latest resident good news and blogs, a contact directory for people to access and a space for people to read through minutes from previous meetings.

Anthony, who lives at Greenside Court, talked about the great work he has been doing with Rotherham-based charity JustDifferent, which sees him going out to local schools and businesses to lead on disability awareness workshops. Anthony applied for the role, went through an interview process and now has the opportunity to educate people around the misconceptions around disabilities

Anthony said: “It was good to present to the council about the work I do with JustDifferent and encourage people to work or volunteer if they can. I worked with Sophia on getting back into work – and it has really helped me in my rehabilitation – I am moving home next month and I can carry on with the work when I leave Greenside as well.

“The council is a good way of meeting people from other homes as well and listening to the different ideas people have.”

Sophia said: “It has been great to see everyone back together for the first time this year and to discuss all of the positive developments over the last year.

“We run a very open forum and it is a really positive place where people can discuss issues and ideas with us, and we work together to make a difference in the areas that are raised in the meeting.

“I am now creating sub groups for people to get together and discuss more ideas to create positive changes – this is an excellent opportunity for two-way communication and meaningful engagement.”

The Service User Council meetings are an integral part of Exemplar Health Care and add to our commitment to the high-quality, person-centred care we pride ourselves in.

For more information on the council, contact Sophia Feurtado on sfeurtado@exemplarhc.com or for information on each home, please contact the referrals team at referrals@exemplarhc.com