Healthwatch Wandsworth report on Sheltered Housing schemes in Wandsworth

What we did

This work was done to carry out a number of ‘Getting to know you’ and ‘Reminiscence Sessions’.

The schemes were a mixture of council funded schemes and Sanctuary Housing schemes.  There were visits to ten schemes and more had been planned to take place in the near future.

Previous work with sheltered schemes showed Healthwatch Wandsworth the importance of establishing a relationship with this group, to ensure they felt comfortable talking about their experience of health and social care services.

Healthwatch Wandsworth attended two sessions,

The first session to:

• Get to know the residents.
• Learn about their experience of accessing health and social care services.
• Identify any requests for information and signposting.

The second session to:

• Identify any further issues.
• Answer questions raised in the previous meeting.
• Deliver an information session on how to complain and feedback about healthcare services.

Conclusions and Recommendations:

There were lots of questions raised throughout our visit to the schemes and as part of our duty to report back to the communities, we consulted and returned to these schemes, to feedback answers to the questions asked and the responses to the issues highlighted.

We felt that the main issues were:

• The misunderstood role of SHO's 
• Special support systems should be in place if an elderly person becomes the carer for a loved one- especially with regard to support with completing paperwork and retaining the additional support from a trusted carer
• Clarification of transport services to and from hospital - especially for vulnerable older people who may have no one to meet them at home.
• Communication between the SHO and the Care Agency
• Who is responsible for informing an SHO that a resident is not home and/or has not been seen for a while?

If you need this report in a different format, please e mail

enquiries@healthwatchwandsworth.co.uk or call 020 8516 7767