Notes from recent Relatives meeting held on 12th May 2025: Askham Court and Grove
Present:
Attendees:
Donna Smith – Head of Rehab and Nursing
Sarah Bartlett – Rehab Coordinator (for minute taking and recording purposes only)
Mrs Scrimshaw
Notes:
Donna opened the meeting at 6.10pm. Donna introduced herself as the new registered manager for Court and Grove.
Mrs Scrimshaw raised about issues with being charged for the transport.
SarahB read from the previous minutes with Manu on 01.11.2025 around this:
Mrs Scrimshaw said that she wanted to bring up an issue they had around transport. They had been told that if they want to take their son, or any resident out, that they had to pay £78. Mrs Scrimshaw commented that they felt that that was a lot of money even to just go out to March. Manu asked if this was happening every time. Bev said this had been happening since she started at Askham. They take the resident out for shopping and days out to garden centres. As this had now been stopped the question was raised and Dave our maintenance manager had said they have to pay. Manu said that she had discussed this with the ops teams as this has been brought to her attention a few months ago. This had also been discussed with Mav. Residents who are with Askham on the previous contract can still go out and not face payment this is just for any new contract. This does not apply to previous residents. We only have one vehicle on site to use for the resident’s transport. The electric car we have is not suitable for these types of visits and outings. We do need to bear in mind we prioritise hospital appointments.
Maintenance may not always be able to support the resident and will need an escort from the support staff. Bev said we used to have a driver which could take the resident to town with the carer and them pick them up after a couple of hours. Mr and Mrs Scrimshaw said they used to meet their son in town, and this is what they use to do. Manu explained that the transport we have is used for the whole of Askham and visits are prioritised accordingly. The activities team have taken residents out from Court East previously. Mrs Rhodes said that some people use the FACT community bus they do charge for journeys. People can sign up to use this. The FACT bus has been seen at Askham a few times. Manu confirmed that Askham does pay to use this service as well as we have a contract with them if our transport is busy. Mrs Rhodes said that you can use this service privately too, but she was unsure how much they charge but they do need notice. Manu asked to be kept in the loop of any journeys booked for Askham transport and to ensure this is booked in advance. Manu can authorise this if there are any issues with payment. Everyone understands that emergences take priority.
Manu said that if we have staff who are willing to drive the Askham vehicle and go out this can be used at weekends. Discussions took place over having grandad rights around driving and who could drive what vehicles. Manu said that with staff who willing to drive we just need a copy of their driving license for the files. This vehicle is insured for staff to drive this.
Mr and Mrs Scrimshaw commented that the unit do keep them fully updated with what is happening with their son, and they were very happy with the care and support he was receiving.
No further agenda items were raised or discussed.
The meeting finished at 7.15pm