Five Fields Court

Retirement housing
The Centre, Greenstead Estate, Colchester, Essex, CO4 3PX
The Centre, Greenstead Estate, Colchester, Essex, CO4 3PX

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Info
Aims
Buildings
Services
Residents
Management / Costs

Manager's Description

"Five Fields Court is an enhanced sheltered housing scheme for older people (over 55) where we offer support to maintain and enhance their independence in the community. Five Fields Court has 24 self c..." Show more "Five Fields Court is an enhanced sheltered housing scheme for older people (over 55) where we offer support to maintain and enhance their independence in the community. Five Fields Court has 24 self contained flats with kitchens and en-suite wet rooms. There are communal patios" Show less

Main Facts

Retirement housing
Tenure(s): Rent (social landlord)
24 flats. Built in 1997. Sizes studio. Includes mobility and wheelchair standard properties.
Visiting management staff (Am or Pm seven days a week - Night staff on site from 9pm -9am), Non-resident management staff (part time) and Careline alarm service
Lift, Lounge, Dining room, Laundry, Guest facilities, Garden, Activities room, Shop, Hairdressing salon, Assisted bathing facility, 2 computers & printers, snooker table, piano accordian, roof terrace garden areas
Whole site accessible by wheelchair. Access to site easy. Distances: bus stop 45 yards; shop 20 yards; post office 1 mile(s); town centre 4 mile(s); GP 40 yards; social centre 20 yards.
Regular Social activities include: Resident meetings, support groups, and coffee mornings, organised by families and volunteers. New residents accepted from 55 years of age.
Housing Authority: Colchester
Social Care Authority: Essex
Architects: Tooley & Foster Partnership

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: Resident meetings, support groups, and coffee mornings
  • 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
    small caged birds permitted
Statement of purpose
(the ethos and purpose of the scheme as described to a potential resident)
Five Fields Court supports residents to experience and enjoy independent living. Peace of mind and security are afforded by having staff on-site a day 7 days a week. A nutritious meal is provided daily at lunch time in the communal dining room where residents can interact with each other and staff on duty. Family are welcome to enjoy a meal with residents and there is a guest room if residents want family or friends to stay. On a weekly basis items from our food cupboard are ordered by residents and delivered by staff to the flats, and this includes a weekly fruit order. Social activities are discussed and arranged on a monthly basis, and include music, interesting talks, quiz, and fish & chip suppers. There is a hairdressing salon on site and the hairdresser comes on a weekly basis. The Chiropodist and hearing help use the salon too. Washing machines are available together with driers in our laundry room. Fowler Court has links with the community, e.g. Churches, and have good working relationships with the local GP surgery and Pharmacy who deliver medication on a weekly basis if required. We also work with the Care agencies and Social Services who are working with our residents. We aim to run a confidential service and to treat residents and their families with dignity and respect.
Assessment of outcomes
(to help assess the quality of service and the well-being of residents)
We hold monthly service improvement meetings, where Residents are encouraged to share ideas to improve the current working systems. There is a suggestion box in the foyer, and surveys and questionnaires are carried out from time to time.

Buildings

The buildings and the environment
Year built: 1997
Number of stories: 3
  • Lift(s). Number of Lifts: 1
  • Stair lift(s)
  • The location is generally regarded as:
    • Desirable
    • Average
    • Not so desirable
Distances to external facilities:
Bus stop 45 yards
Local shop 20 yards
Post office 1.0 mile
GP surgery 40 yards
Social/day centre 20 yards
Town/shop centre 4.0 miles

Individual properties
24 properties
Property details:
studio/bedsits flats: 24
Including:
limited mobility properties: 24
wheelchair properties: 24
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: 15
Technology and design
  • Communal facilities are designed for sensory impairment
  • Wired for telecare
  • Telecare installed
  • Smart Home
  • CCTV
  • Others
  • Facility security features: CCTV
  • Security features for individual properties: Telecare
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: Notting Hill Genesis
  • 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
  • Details: lunch every day
  • 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
  • 55 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
  • Number of on-site housing staff: 5
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

Info updated: 06/09/2024
If you are the manager of Five Fields 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 Gateway to Homechoice. See how to register and then bid for properties at: https://www.gatewaytohomechoice.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:
Consultation
Number / size of facilities
Practicality of the individual apartments
Quality of the garden
Space standards of individual apartments

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

"I am happy knowing my relative is safe and that the Warden is available should she need help. It's nice to know she has a hot meal during the day."
Made by a visitor in 2017
National Housing for Older People Awards
National commended award winner
in the EAC Housing for Older People Awards 2015.
Category: Housing-with-care 18-35 units.
Sponsor: Housing LIN.
National gold award winner
in the EAC Housing for Older People Awards 2011.
Category: Housing-with-care under 30 units.
Sponsor: The ExtraCare Charitable Trust.
National commended award winner
in the EAC Housing for Older People Awards 2014.
Category: Retirement housing 24-29 units.
Sponsor: FirstPort.
National commended award winner
in the EAC Housing for Older People Awards 2013.
Category: Under 30 units.
Sponsor: EAC.
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