Sheltered Housing Officers

When is the Sheltered Housing Officer on duty?

Sheltered Housing Officers (SHO) work office hours from Monday to Friday (37 hours a week). During that time they will respond to any emergency calls and the Control Centre will deal with all emergency calls 'out of hours'.

The SHO are key workers for more than one sheltered scheme and  the majority do not live on site. They work as a team providing a visiting and call service which is flexible, based on the individual needs of a resident. Each resident has a confidential needs assessment with a tailored support plan, which is reviewed at least once a year, or more frequently if required

Does the Sheltered Housing Officer hold information about me?

Yes, the names, address and telephone numbers of your next-of-kin and close friends, your doctor and any relevant details of your health are kept by the SHO, and the Control Centre office. This is a confidential record and its purpose is to enable contact to be made with the appropriate person in the event of illness or an accident, or any other problem.

What is the Sheltered Housing Officers's role?

SHO are practical and understanding people, sympathetic to the problems of ageing. They are carefully recruited and trained to encourage you to look after yourself and to lead an active independent life. When on duty the SHO's primary task is to respond to an emergency as quickly and efficiently as possible, so that in the event of an illness or a fall, or some other crisis, you can quickly get help.

In an emergency, it is the SHO's job to take the first action. It may be something that can easily be put right there and then; if not the SHO may have to call your relatives, your doctor; or other professional help that may be needed.

If you need home care services, meals on wheels or special household aids, the SHO will try to help you obtain them by contacting the local Social Services office for you.

If you are unwell or in need of urgent assistance when a SHO is unavailable, the  Control Centre will deal with your call. If it is an emergency and you are in need of urgent assistance, they will quickly arrange this.

The SHO will hold a pass key to open you door; but it is only used in an emergency . Otherwise, no SHO may enter your home unless you invite him or her to do so.

Are there things a Sheltered Housing Officer does not do?

SHO are not employed to perform duties for which statutory or voluntary bodies exist, or which are the responsibility of relatives living nearby.

SHO are not nurses. If you need regular medical treatment your doctor can arrange for you to have visits from a community Nurse. Neither are SHO permitted to administer drugs and medicines. SHO are not there to do domestic chores such as cleaning, cooking, providing meals and shopping. They may help residents to do these things for themselves, or to make arrangements. There is a strict instruction that SHO cannot look after you money valuables and money.

A SHO may carry out some of these tasks on a purely temporary basis, as part of an emergency response. But he or she can only be expected to do so for a limited time until help is available from other sources. It is important to remember that there are many other people in the scheme for whom the SHO must offer a similar service.

How do I contact the Sheltered Housing Officer in an emergency?

Each scheme is equipped with a modern speech system. All you need to do is to pull one of the special alarm cords or press the button on your pendant alarm and the SHO will speak to you. You need only to pull the cord, or press the button once and when the SHO answers you can say what is wrong from wherever you are in your bungalow or flat. If you cannot speak you can be assured the SHO will come quickly to see what has happened.

What if the Sheltered Housing Officer is away?

If the SHO is away at any time then the scheme alarm is switched to the Control Centre. If it is an emergency the Control Centre can send one of their Mobile Team to open the door for the emergency services as the Control Centre holds a master key for all our sheltered properties.