Brain injury - Step-down housing

A 2-bed hospital registered residence with nursing, Berkeley Close supports men and women who are recovering from an acquired/traumatic brain injury and who require an on-going programme of care to enable their return to community.

38 Berkeley Close is a Transitional Living house, located in a quiet residential area close to Northampton town centre. We provide continuous support and interventions to address a range of behavioural and cognitive issues, and test people’s recovery in a community setting, in a group environment.

Our patients develop a framework of skills that allows them to re-integrate with their community

From the moment of admission our team focus on individual goal-planning with each patient, and agree on specific behaviours to develop or reduce.

Our community-based structure further supports patient progress by testing and consolidating their daily living skills, cognition and behavioural management in a safe environment, with the support of a full MDT. They can then continue their recovery back in their local area.

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38 is on a quiet estate next door to the hospital grounds

Comfortable homely living area

Vocational opportunities at Workbridge

A ten minute walk into Northampton town centre

We support men who are aged over 18 and have:
• a formal psychiatric or neurological diagnosis
• a history of acquired brain injury
• co-morbid physical or mental health needs
• a history of emotional and behavioural difficulties including aggression tounits others and who are considered a risk to themselves or others
• difficulties with self-regulation and control
• problems in interpersonal relationships
• a history of treatment resistance
• a history of non-compliance with prescribed medication
• been detained under either civil or criminal provisions of the Mental Health Act 1983 (amended 2007).

Preparing for the community

Programmes are focussed around community integration and building the skills necessary to support more independent community living.

Berkeley Close is ideally located to support people as they develop the essential skills necessary for out and about in the community community living. The town centre is a ten minute walk away and there is a bus stop just around the corner. Northampton is a busy town with a wide range of shops and facilities including a library, cafés, parks, colleges and health centres.

Our nursing teams facilitate people to access a number of activities in the community and the Berkeleys are also close to St Andrew's vocational pathway, Workbridge, which provides training and social opportunities supported by vocational skills instructors. Departments ranging from ceramics to woodwork, horticulture to office skills allow service users to learn both life and work skills, building confidence and social capability in the process.

The products made in the workshop sessions are sold in the public facing garden centre, charity and coffee shop where service users can also work, meeting the public and gaining retail experience.

Treatment and care

Our therapeutic programme is designed to create a reinforcing environment where individuals experience success through achievable goals and regular opportunities for learning. Within 38 Berkeley Close the emphasis is on experiencing community-based living to test recovery.

In partnership with patients our MDT construct programmes of enablement that allow progress through our system of units to a place of least restriction, and utilise a full range of psychological and occupational therapy programmes which:

test risks, develop independent living skills and prepare people for life after hospital
provide constant guidance and support to reinforce appropriate behaviour and skills
cater for those with intensive, complex acute needs, as well as those further along their
neurobehavioural recovery journey
are delivered by an extensive full-time team
offer individual and group therapy experiences
address functional and behavioural issues such as communication, movement, self-care, dis-inhibition and aggression

Goals setting at 38 Berkeley Close is focused around helping people to prepare for community re-integration and greater independence, and to:

ensure the safety of the patient and others
provide a multi-disciplinary assessment of the patient’s strengths and needs
provide a formulation of the patient’s presenting needs that will inform both risk management and care planning
create an environment and culture that will offer the maximum opportunities for positive behaviour and optimal achievement of skills
offer individual and group therapies that will ensure skill development and an enhanced quality of life
ultimately effect the changes necessary to help the patient move to a less secure setting, through the Care Pathway and where possible, to progress to an environment closer to their own home