The Rivercourt Project looks after people with autism or learning disabilities
Angela Mooney (far left) with members of the Rivercourt care team
March 22, 2023
The Rivercourt Project has once again been rated ‘outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission.
The pioneering care team based in Rivercourt Road in Hammersmith looks after adults with autism or learning disabilities, including those with complex care needs, to help give their family and carers a break.
The free personalised care includes overnight stays and support to learn key skills, such as using public transport and going shopping.
The support means many guests are able move on from Rivercourt into supported living, residential houses, and their own homes.
No matter how high their level of need, residents at Rivercourt also take part in day trips and holidays, including a trip to the beach on New Years Day.
The Care Quality Commission’s rigorous assessment covers everything from how well run the service is, through to the responsiveness and effectiveness of the team.
“Care was planned in a way which was exceptionally person-centred,” says the report. “The service understood how to support people to pursue interests and activities and develop their daily skills so they led as fulfilling and independent a life as possible.”
The five-bed service is run by six dedicated members of staff work up to 36 hours at a time and deliver care 365 days a year. They currently support more than 50 residents.
“We’re a close team and enjoy each other’s company,” said Rivercourt’s social care manager Angela Mooney MBE.
“They are lovely people with amazing, caring. There is no better comfort in knowing that there is a lot of love in the service.”
Paul Whittick, 28, has cerebral palsy and has visited Rivercourt for short stays since he was 25.
“Whenever they have space for him, they call us up and ask if he’d like to visit,” explained his dad, Eric.
“They help him develop skills like personal care and shopping, and they do an excellent job, I can’t fault them.
“The team are very, very caring and I know he’s well taken care of when he’s there. It’s like a family and Paul definitely views it as a second home, he loves the independence he gets.”
Paul Whittick
“Rivercourt's guests and their families clearly value the way our staff work with compassion and high standards, and it's great to have this officially recognised again,” said Cllr Ben Coleman, Deputy Leader of Hammersmith & Fulham Council.
As well as giving carers a break, Rivercourt’s teamwork with residents to help them develop and practice useful, everyday skills.
The Rivercourt Project isn’t the borough’s only ‘outstanding’ care provider. The Reablement team, who provide personalised care at home after a hospital stay or medical treatment, have also retained their ‘outstanding’ CQC rating for the third year in a row.
Value Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We've always done that and won't be changing, in fact we'd like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we'd be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you'd like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |
