Welcome to Ruby Lodge

What is Ruby Lodge?

Ruby Lodge is for children aged 7 to 18 with learning disabilities and mental health difficulties.

At Ruby Lodge, we will assess what help you need.

What can you help me with?

We can help you to cope with problems that you are having.

These might be to do with your feelings, how you communicate and how you cope with everyday activities.

How long will I be here for?

You will be here for up to 12 weeks.

What rooms can I use at Ruby Lodge?

There are lots of rooms in Ruby Lodge which you can use. These include:

Sensory room

 Living room

 Classroom

Some bedrooms even have their own bathroom.

You can bring toys and things from home to help you settle in.

Who could you meet here?

Lots of different people work at Ruby Lodge. Some people you might meet are:

• Nurses
• Support Workers
• Psychologists
• Speech and Language Therapist
• Social Worker
• Doctor
• Psychiatrist
• Teachers
• Occupational Therapist

You will have your own named nurse that will make sure you get all the help you need.

The admission process and what happens next?

When you come to Ruby Lodge you will meet your nurse who will show you around.

Your parents will talk with the doctor about you and how you have been.

You will unpack your suitcase, relax and meet the other children.

There will be a meeting to talk about how we can help you at Ruby Lodge and who will be helping you while you are here.

There will be a meeting every week to talk about how you are getting on.

When you leave Ruby Lodge there will be one last meeting to talk about your stay.

We will make a plan that you can take home with you and back to your own school.

What will you do here?

You will have time to play but you will also have to do school work. A teacher on the unit will teach you.

You can do lots of different activities such as arts and crafts, baking and watching films.

There will be time to spend on your own with the other young people staying at Ruby Lodge and with staff.

How to complain

If you are unhappy with something, we want you to tell us.

Making a complaint means speaking up about something you do not like or are not happy with.

Tell someone you trust about what is wrong. Staff at Ruby Lodge will always listen to what you have to say.

If you want to speak to someone else, PALS (Patient Advice and Liaison Service) will help you. She can help you to sort the problem out.

Advocacy

Sometimes people need help to get people to listen to them. An advocate can help with this. Staff at Ruby Lodge will help you make yourself heard.

There are also people separate from us. The National Youth Advocacy Service is one of these services.

Who will look at my health records?

The people looking after you here will need to know information about you and your health. It is kept very private though. If other services and professionals that help you need to know information then we will ask you and your parents first.

How to get a second opinion

If you would like to get a second opinion, you can ask your GP, or another healthcare professional.

You can ask staff at Ruby Lodge about this, or Linda Towers from the Patient Advice Liaison Service (PALS).

You can talk to staff about any other questions you have!