Living conditions

Tommyboy57

I am researching the living conditions of disabled people in the community. Especially those in supported living projects as tenants.
For example what are the building regulations when the service user has no direct window in the bedroom.
Another question
Around the sleep in situation, do the staff have to have a separate bedroom, not a put you up bed in service users lounge.
Where could I find out if examples like this are illegal please
Thank you

Geoark

Hello Tommyboy57 and welcome to the community.

There is no legal definition of what constitutes a bedroom. While most bedroom would have a window, this is not always the case. https://www.ricsfirms.com/glossary/what-is-a-bedroom/

With regards to your second question employers would have a responsibility to staff.

Supported living covers a wide range of situations but essentially to allow residents to live as they want, this can include residents who want to be up late at night or very early in the morning. If service users can use the service users lounge at any time this would not be suitable for a put up bed, which are often uncomfortable and long term could be detrimental to health. If the person staying overnight is then expected to do so either after a shift, or just prior to starting a shift, this may again be unsuitable. It could also depend on how staff are alerted if they are needed and any over night monitoring system.

In short neither of these are illegal. 

This said I am surprised to hear that you have been allocated a bedroom without windows, as most guidelines require windows for natural light and more importantly ventilation. I would agree with you that this seems wrong on a number of levels. Hoping someone will be able to prove my response to your first question is wrong.

Chloe_Alumni

Hi @Tommyboy57 and a warm welcome to the community!

Are you wanting to gain personal experiences for research? Or information about what is legal?

April2018mom

Hello @Tommyboy57! Is this for research? Or something else?