People living in sheltered housing in Bellshill and Viewpark are getting a 5-star service according to the Care Inspectorate.

The glowing report praised the North Lanarkshire Council run service which looks after 246 properties in the area for its quality of care, support and staffing in seven purpose-built complexes.

The facilities offer care, cooking, communal areas, social activities, personal alarm technology, out-of-hours emergency help and much more for people in houses and self contained flats 365 days-a-year.

The in-depth inspection received responses from 30 people who use the service with the grading coming back as ‘very good’.

One person using the service commented: “Our sheltered housing officer meets all our individual care, our issues and supports us making us feel safe and secure in our home and encourages us to join in activities.”

Another said: “Best move I made, it has taken the worry off my family knowing I can get hold of help quickly.”

Elaine McHugh, head of housing services, said: “This is a great report highlighting the tremendous level of care and attention we give to support older people.

“This was an unannounced inspection and shows the quality of care we provide for people in our area.

“The inspection examines all aspects of the service, and to achieve this top grade is something all our staff can be proud of.”

The report highlighted strengths including:

The sheltered housing complexes in Bellshill/Viewpark include Clay Road, Central Park, Moray Quadrant, West End Drive, Woodlands Grove, Kew Gardens and Unitas Court.

Woodlands Grove in Viewpark has recently underwent a £115,000 refurbishment which has given people a new social space, kitchen area, quiet room, landscaped gardens which are all fully accessible for wheelchairs and disabled people.

Councillor Sam Love, convener of housing and social work, added: “We are really pleased with this report.

“We are committed to supporting older people to live independently and investing in our sheltered housing complexes is vital to this. Our sheltered housing services are there for some of the most vulnerable people, and it’s important we provide them with the very best care and facilities we can to help them.

“For the people themselves, and their families, knowing there is a good support system in place can make a huge difference.”

@nlcpeople