Priory Loughshore

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About this location

Loughshore is located in the Jordanstown area of Belfast, on the County Antrim coastline. We are in a quiet area, off a main road, and surrounded by pleasant, private grounds, which our residents help to maintain. Our home offers residential support for 16 people with a primary learning disability diagnosis, people on the autism spectrum and those with behaviours that may challenge. People with physical health needs are also supported at the home.

Our team are dedicated to supporting our residents to develop the skills needed for them to live a healthier and happy life. We want to help each person we care for to feel a sense of belonging in their own home and also within their own community.

We can also support those who have:

  • Difficulties with communication
  • Mild to moderate behaviours that may challenge
  • A forensic background
  • Epilepsy

Services at a glance

There are a total of 16 bedrooms at the site. Of these:
16 are en-suite bedrooms
3 are self-contained flats
10 are on the ground floor

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Loughshore 646 Shore Road County Antim BT37 0PR

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About our service

Our facilities and environment

The main detached, communal house has lots of space and offers a relaxed, homely environment. The house is split into two floors and there are three individual apartments that have their own kitchen, dining room, communal bathroom and access to an enclosed garden.

There are 10 bedrooms on the ground floor. All the bedrooms are en-suite.

Each living area is decorated and personalised to the resident’s personal choice, following regular meetings between them and their key workers.

In summary, we offer:

  • A large lounge with plenty of seating
  • Kitchen and dining room
  • Well-equipped activities room
  • Communal bathroom

We also have a very large garden, complete with:

  • Secure fencing
  • Lawn
  • Patio
  • Communal seating
  • Summer house
  • Flower beds
  • Strawberry bed
  • Bespoke garden areas for residents

In addition, the garden contains a recently refurbished sensory garden, providing a stimulating environment.

We also have specialised equipment within the home, such as sensory lighting, adjustable kitchen counter tops, hoists, stair lift, lift and height-adjustable bath. In addition, we have a mobility-adapted site vehicle to help us to meet the needs of the people we support.

Our bedrooms

All of our bedrooms are comfortable, welcoming and can be personalised to individual tastes. Our bedrooms have:

  • En-suite facilities, containing either a shower, a bath or a wet room
  • Wheelchair access
  • Robust, low arousal furniture
  • Activities of daily living (ADL) kitchenettes

Our approach to support

Everybody who lives at Loughshore has their own person-centred care plan, which is co-produced with input from the individual, their family members and professionals involved in their care. We aim to help everyone in our care to make their own choices about the support they receive. This may include support in a number of areas, such as going out in the community, personal care, cooking and cleaning, and maintaining family relationships.

Our support approaches at Loughshore include:

  • Positive behaviour support (PBS)
  • Occupational therapy (OT)
  • Physiotherapy
  • Speech and language therapy (SaLT)
  • Psychology
  • Trauma informed care

We also have support from a local team, including:

  • Psychiatry
  • Psychology
  • SaLT
  • OT

In addition, we use tools such as the Outcomes Star™ and active support to support our residents to achieve their goals.

The lengths of the placements that we offer at Loughshore can be medium or long-term residential, depending on the needs of each person.

Activities

Everyone who lives at Loughshore has their own personalised activities planner and are encouraged to take part in activities which are meaningful and fulfilling to them. Our dedicated team organise a variety of activities at the home, as well as out in the community.

We focus on supporting our residents to grow their independence. For some people, this may mean developing their daily living skills within the home. For others, this could be accessing work or educational opportunities in the local community.

"We have a busy programme of activities, predominantly in the community, including horse riding, massage, mindfulness, football, an art group, trips to the leisure centre, over night stays, outings and family contact, supported by three people carrier vehicles. Our strong community links include social groups, work experience and vocational training, discos, churches and visiting our local amenities, especially for meals, beauty treatments and lots of shopping. In house we aim to provide a therapeutic, personalised environment, with ongoing focus on life skills, plus sessions such as pet therapy, cookery, bingo and resident’s meetings." - Loughshore's activities co-ordinator.

Exclusion profile

  • Those who pose a risk to others in communal living areas
  • Those with active, significant self-harm risks

Pathways

Through our network of healthcare, residential and supported living facilities, we provide unique care pathways which help the people we support to progress towards greater independence. Every individual we support is provided with a bespoke pathway plan, tailored according to their individual needs. We aim to ensure that each person is supported to live a fulfilling and active life in the community.

We have supported people at Loughshore who have moved from their family homes and individuals who have transferred from hospitals. Priory is actively engaged in the development of supported living services in Northern Ireland.

Our team

Our highly experienced team consists of:

  • Service manager
  • Deputy manager
  • Support workers
  • Housekeeper
  • Cook
  • Activities co-ordinator
  • Driver

Our team receive specialist staff training, designed to meet the needs of each individual we support. This includes epilepsy training.

Contact us for help, referrals or more information

At Priory, we want to ensure we provide the very best service to each individual we support. Contact us for more information, or to make a referral.

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Watch our video

Residential autism services video

About the local area

Amenities

Loughshore is a five-minute walk from a local beach. Nearby amenities also include:

  • Supermarket
  • Shops
  • Café
  • Restaurant
  • Pub
  • Park
  • Bowling alley
  • Cinema
  • Beauty salons
  • Churches
  • Shopping malls
  • GP surgery
  • Post office
  • College
  • Library
  • Zoo
  • Nature reserve/national park

Transport links

Loughshore also has excellent transport links, including:

  • Nearby bus stop with regular local services
  • Within a mile of a train station with regional services to Belfast
  • Short drive away from the M2 motorway to Belfast and other areas in Northern Ireland
  • Close to Belfast City Airport and to the Ferry Port

A message from our site leader

Our overall aim is that residents have a sense of belonging and feel at home here at Loughshore. Our residents do not live in our workplace, we work in their home and that’s how we want them to feel. We care and support our residents how we would want our own families to be treated. We encourage them to strive, plan and achieve their goals and to live their lives to the very best of the abilities

Loughshore’s site leader

Comments from our residents and their family and friends

I like living in Loughshore, staff are nice, easy to talk to and are helping me meet all my goals of holidays, life key skills and work placements
Person supported by Loughshore Loughshore
I love going to discos, riding my horse at horse-riding school, going on my holidays, winning bingo, and having fun with the staff who I trust
Person supported by Loughshore Loughshore

Residential stories

Laura Ann's story - Loughshore

Laura Ann, a resident at Loughshore, has made remarkable progress in overcoming challenges from her past, thanks to personal determination and support from staff. After struggling with mental health issues, she’s now building confidence and independence through dialectical behaviour therapy.

Resident stories

Angela's story

Family and friends FAQs

How does home leave work?

We support our residents to attend family events and visit their family homes. We will work with the resident and their relatives to ensure possible risks are managed and that everyone is supported. This may mean the individual’s key worker will come along on the visit. For those who are unable to visit their family home, we can support your loved ones with video calls.

Can friends and families visit?

Family and friends are welcome to visit. Visits are usually planned in advance to support individual needs. Unfortunately, family members cannot stay overnight.

Will I be involved and kept up to date with the progress of my loved one’s care and support?

Yes, we strive to keep the loved ones of our residents involved in their care. Every month families are invited to a meeting at the home, where they will meet with the residents’ support team and hear about recent happenings at the home. We can also arrange more regular catch-ups either in person or via telephone, to ensure families are kept informed.

Will my loved one be able to have a phone or call me?

Everyone who stays with us are supported to call their loved ones any time, via phone or video call. Family and friends are also able to call as often as they like. Residents can also be supported by staff to purchase and use their own mobile phone and tablets if they would like to.

What are the bedrooms like?

Bedrooms are all furnished and residents are supported to personalise them to suit their needs and wishes.

Are external doors kept locked?

Yes, the front door is locked as you would at your own home. Our front doors all have keypads and the front gate has remote-control operation. However, every resident will be risk assessed which will detail the level of security needed. We have a large enclosed garden area where individuals can freely exit and enter the building.

What do residents eat and how do meal times work?

Resident are supported by our staff to choose and prepare what they would like to eat, whenever they like. This includes shopping for the ingredients for their chosen meals. Our team will also seek guidance from family members, nutritionists and SaLT to ensure that special dietary requirements are catered for. We have a fulltime cook who further supports our residents with a healthy well balanced dietary intake, taking into consideration their choices and wishes.

How does laundry work?

Our team will ensure that residents always have access to clean clothes and bedding. We have two utility rooms with laundry facilities too. Residents are given help to do their own laundry, as part of promoting independence. Our staff are on hand to offer support if and when it is required.

Who does the housekeeping and domiciliary tasks?

Some of our residents, with support from our staff, undertake domiciliary tasks such as cleaning, and there is a rota in place to assign tasks to them. Task allocation is also discussed in our monthly resident meetings. We also have a housekeeper and domestic team on site to support residents who are unable to clean.

Is there anything they can’t bring or have?

Residents are not allowed to bring illegal substances onto the premises. We would also ask that people do not bring high risk personal items into the house.

How do activities work?

Every resident has an individual activity planner, which includes in-house and community-based activities. These person-centred plans are reviewed monthly in consultation with our residents or their families where individuals may be less able to communicate their preferences. Activities are formally discussed during our monthly resident meeting also to gauge new interests and create a wish list for future activities. All activities are risk assessed and thoroughly planned prior to event.

How will residents be supported with their behavioural needs?

We use the PROACT-SCIPr-UK® framework, which means we focus on proactive strategies, rather than physical intervention. We recognise that people with a learning disability have the same aspirations and expectations as everyone else and should be empowered to achieve these. Some of our residents have sensory requirements to reduce anxieties, over-stimulation or to assist with emotional regulation, and these needs will be incorporated into their support plans.

Do residents and families have an input into the care plans?

Yes, we encourage families and extended support providers to be involved with the care plans. We use a variety of communication tools to work collaboratively with the person we care for to co-produce the plans so they are tailored to their needs. We value this important input from others where appropriate.

What are the car parking facilities?

There is ample, secure, off-street parking.

What is the smoking policy?

There is a smoking area outside for residents to smoke or to vape. We do not permit smoking indoors. Our team aim to promote healthy lifestyles and can support the people who live here with smoking cessation programmes, if they choose.

What are your fees and how are they funded?

Our fees can vary, and are based on an assessment of each individual's needs. Many people are eligible for financial help towards the cost of support, and this funding can be accessed by contacting your local authority. Once funding has been agreed, we will work with your local care team to put together a bespoke package of care. Please note, referrals for NHS or Local Authority funded services must come from a referring organisation.

How to make a referral

Our service provides high quality support to people with varying levels of need. Referrals can be made through the individual’s social care team or, if relevant, their local health authority. If you are a professional looking to make a referral, please call us or fill in our enquiry form.

Call Us
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Make a referral