Lansdowne Care Services works with many organisations in and around the local area and we feel that it is important to make sure that you know everything there is to know about our services and who we work with.
For that reason we have listed some useful contact information to help you on your way.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC)
The Care Quality Commission is the “independent regulator of health and social care in England”. Their “aim is to make sure better care is provided for everyone, whether that’s in hospital, in care homes, in people’s own homes, or elsewhere.” They “regulate health and adult social care services, whether provided by the NHS, local authorities, private companies or voluntary organisations”. And, they “protect the rights of people detained under the Mental Health Act.”
The Care Quality Commission also allow you to view their Inspection Reports on-line or to order a printed version by phone. This is a free service for the first ten copies that you order for print within one year. If you require more, then each report will be charged at £5 inclusive of postage and packing.
To view our inspection reports, please select the appropriate residential home below.
Borough Hall
Cauldwell Street
Bedford
MK42 9AP
Tel. 01234 267422
OR
Town Hall
St. Paul’s Square
Bedford
MK40 1SJ
Tel. 01234 267422
Email: centralp@bedford.gov.uk
Adult Services
Tel. 01234 363222
Learning Disabilities Team
Tel. 01234 228312 (Duty Desk Number)
Email: care@bedscc.gov.uk
Central Bedfordshire Council (Main)
PO Box 1395
Bedford
MK42 5AN
Tel. 0300 300 8000
Email: customer.services@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk
Cental Bedfordshire Council offers many useful contact links and documents within the Adult Services sector. To view these details please click here.
Please note that there are a total of five Customer Service Centres in the Bedfordshire area so please click here for further details.
Town Hall
George Street
Luton
Bedfordshire
LU1 2BQ,
Tel. 01582 546000
Email: feedback@luton.gov.uk
Luton Borough Council also has a very useful section on their website dedicated to Health and Social Care so for further information please click here.
The Citizens Advice service “provides free, independent, confidential and impartial advice to everyone on their rights and responsibilities. It values diversity, promotes equality and challenges discrimination.” Their aim is to:
- To provide the advice people need for the problems they face
- To improve the policies and practices that affect people’s lives
Bedfordshire & District Citizens Advice Bureau
7a St Paul’s Square
Bedford
Bedfordshire
MK40 1SQ
Tel. 01234 354384
Luton Citizens Advice Bureau
24-26 King Street
Luton
Bedfordshire
LU1 2DP
Tel. 01582 731616
Mid-Bedfordshire (Biggleswade) Citizens Advice Bureau
Century House
Market Square
Biggleswade
Bedfordshire
SG18 8UU
Tel. 08444 77 1600
Tel. 01767 601368 (Appointments line)
There are around fifty Advice Bureau Offices in and around the Bedfordshire area so to find one closer to you please click here.
“The Bedfordshire and Luton Safeguarding Adults Board raises awareness and promotes the welfare of adults. The Board is committed to having an effective protection system for safeguarding adults. Membership comes from a wide range of public and voluntary services and other organisations.”
Click here and you will find some very useful information on what the Safeguarding Adults Team is achieving and further help, support and advice on safeguarding adults.
The Bedfordshire Safeguarding Adults Team is based at:
Houghton Lodge
Houghton Close
off Oliver Street
Ampthill
Beds
MK45 2TG
Tel. 01582 818085
For after hours emergencies only contact: Tel. 0300 300 8123.
Advocacy Alliance
Advocacy Alliance provides “support for people with learning disabilities in Bedfordshire, Luton and Northamptonshire. As well as providing one to one advocacy support” they also “run a number of self-advocacy groups and projects giving participants a real voice in the community.”
Advocacy Alliance can provide services of the following kind:
- One-to-One Advocates who are partnered with a person and support them on a one-to-one basis.
- Home Visiting Advocates who will visit a home where several people live.
- Advocacy Groups for people to come together and support each other.
- Social Inclusion Projects for people to talk about making public services better
- In Northampton we provide a service called Our Advocacy which aims to provide advocacy support for people in Northamptonshire
- The Right Track is a group of people with a learning disability supporting each other to find information and advice
For further information please click here.
Bedford Office
41 Mill Street
Bedford
MK40 3EU
Tel: 01234 262080
Luton Office
15 New Bedford Road
Luton
LU1 1SA
The National Autistic Society
The National Autistic Society “champion the rights and interests of all people with autism and aim to provide individuals with autism and their families with help, support and services that they can readily access, trust and rely upon and which make a positive difference to their lives.”
Their specialised Autism Helpline “provides impartial and confidential information, advice and support to people with autism (including Asperger syndrome), their families, professionals, researchers and students. Helpline advisers are able to talk about autism and related issues in depth.”
For more information of The National Autistic Society please click here.
The National Autistic Society Helpline is open 10am to 4pm, Monday to Friday on 0845 070 4004.
The Down’s Syndrome Association
The Down’s Syndrome Association website is all about helping people with Down’s syndrome to live full and rewarding lives.
The Down’s Syndrome Association is “the only organisation in this country focusing solely on all aspects of living successfully with Down’s syndrome. Since 1970, we have grown from being a local parent support group to a national charity with over 20,000 members, a national office in Teddington Middlesex, offices in Northern Ireland and Wales. Despite this, the organisation is run by a total staff of only 38 (many of them part time), and a network of around 100 regional volunteer-led support groups.”
Their mission is to:
- provide information and support for people with Down’s syndrome, their families and carers, and the professionals who work with them.
- strive to improve knowledge of the condition.
- champion the rights of people with Down’s syndrome.
For further information on The Down’s Syndrome Association please click here.
You can also get in touch on their national helpline which is open Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm on 0845 230 0372.
Mencap
Mencap is “the voice of learning disability. Everything we do is about valuing and supporting people with a learning disability and their families and carers.”
Mencap “work with people with a learning disability to change laws and services, challenge prejudice and directly support thousands of people to live their lives as they choose.”
They do so many different things. For example:
- support people with a learning disability to get a job or take a college course, or we can help them find a place of their own to live in.
- offer advice about things like respite care, individual budgets or transport services.
- run residential/day care services and leisure groups that are so important to so many people with a learning disability, and their families and supporters.
- support people with a learning disability to be part of their local communities.
- lobby the government to change laws so that more and more people with a learning disability can have control over their own lives
Mencap
England
123 Golden Lane
London
EC1Y 0RT
Tel. 020 7454 0454
Email: information@mencap.org.uk
There are many useful links and stories on the Mencap website so click here to view their site.
The Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities
The Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities “works to promote the rights, quality of life and opportunities of people with learning disabilities and their families.” They “do this by working with people with learning disabilities, their families and the people who support them.” But that is not it, the foundation also “carry out research, promote the rights of people with learning disabilities, improve services and spread knowledge and information.”
Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities
9th Floor, Sea Containers House
20 Upper Ground
London
SE1 9QB
Tel. 020 7803 1100
Email: fpld@fpld.org.uk
The Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities website features some very interesting stories and literature on-line along with latest news updates on relavant issues and a subscription option to their newsletter. To see more please click here.
The Specials
The Specials
The Specials is an Internet TV series about the lives of Hilly, Sam, Lewis, Lucy and Megan who all share a house together in Brighton. All the house mates are young adults with Learning Disabilities and this series of fantastic episodes will pull at your emotions in every way possible. The five housemates are all aged between 19 and 23. Lewis has Williams syndrome while Hilly, Sam, Lucy and Megan have Down’s syndrome.
Carol and Dafydd’s (Hilly’s parents) main objective was to ensure that Hilly and all of her friends have “freedom to run their lives the way they want to. So from finding a job to going to college, or going on a date to clubbing until 3am, Hilly’s parents and their group of dedicated support workers are on hand to give The Specials all the help they need.”
This series is the first of its kind and there are some real treats on the website for you to check out. Be sure not to miss the Housemates page where you will find fantastic videos of them all, each describing one another and giving you a real feel for their individual characters along with some great interviews with Alexandra Burke, Jo Whiley and Alphabeat at the Mencap Little Noise Sessions.
For further details on The Specials and to view their latest Episodes please click here.
