Monday 16 June 2025
With the four residents now having lived together for almost 40 years, 367 Thornaby Road is a pioneering example of how living in a community setting can help people to live their best lives.
Care for people with profound learning disabilities
The home provides care for people with profound learning disabilities while integrating them into the Thornaby community. It opened in April 1987, as one of the first homes of its kind in the UK.
Prior to moving into the residential home, residents lived at Earl’s House Hospital, which became Lanchester Road Hospital in 2010.
Picture: 367 Thornaby Road
“At the time they told us it was a first for this area, to set up a group of young people in their own home in an ordinary house,” says Karen Varey, a Healthcare Assistant who has worked at the home since its opening.
Residents are part of the local community
The home was originally planned to open in a different location; however, a petition prevented this from going ahead.
The strength of the initial adversity to the plans is a sad and uncomfortable reminder of the discrimination people with profound learning disabilities faced in England in the 1980s.
Despite the opposition, the move towards a community-based care setting was made possible with the opening of 367 Thornaby Road.
“Over the decades, people’s attitudes towards learning disabilities have changed. Lots of prejudice aren’t there anymore,” explains Karen. “It’s been nice to see the group become part of the local community. Right from the start they’ve used the local shops, transport, GP and pharmacy.”
Picture shows Karen (left) and Angela (right)
Care from the heart that’s tailored to each resident
The home, which is run by our trust, has led the way in showing that when people with profound learning disabilities get support to live in a local community it brings a host of benefits.
Providing care for people in the community gives people the ability to develop social connections, engage in meaningful activities, and have access to services and support within the community.
The staff at 367 Thornaby Road embrace this ethos, with a person-centred approach that tailors care to each resident’s needs and preferences.
It’s not just the residents that benefit from this approach. Some staff, like Karen, have been there since its opening and have seen the residents grow. They are passionate about giving the best care and find deep fulfilment in being able to improve the resident’s quality of life.
“As the residents’ disabilities are profound, they need a lot of support,” says Karen. “We know them so well. Even though they don’t have recognisable speech, we know if they’re happy, sad or in pain. We can respond appropriately. You build that over a period of time.”
Karen continues: “We’re honoured to be looking after these people. It’s a privilege. I’ve worked for 38 years with one set of people. That says it. People don’t leave.”
“In my role, I’m hoping to support the residents to have the best lives they can have,” says Angela Swann, a Healthcare Assistant who has worked at 367 Thornaby Road since 1988. “When you’ve been here this long, the residents are like family. I think ‘have I done the best I could do’? Because we’ve all only got one life, let’s make theirs the very best.”
367 Thornaby Road is a home, not our ward
“Community-based care services, such as 367 Thornaby Road, do a huge amount to address health inequalities,” says Joe Walker, Service Manager for Respite, Day and Residential Services at Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust. “For example, the residents are supported in the local community. So now the residents are all known by name in the local shops. The best interests of those who live there is always at the forefront of staff members’ minds.”
“It’s their home, and we treat it as such,” says Joe continues. “We are guests in their house. It’s their home, not our ward. Resident’s initials are written in the back of the wall. Those who live there are literally part of the brickwork.”
Picture: Karen Varey (left) and Angela Swann (right) outside 367 Thornaby Road where the residents’ initials are “part of the brickwork”.
Despite being a small, unsung home, 367 Thornaby Road was ahead of its time in the way it supported young people with profound learning disabilities to thrive in a local community setting. Places like Thornaby Road – and their staff – make sure people with profound learning disabilities are seen, heard and valued in their local community and at home.
These reflections on community-based care come during Learning Disability Week 2025. The theme this year is “Do you see me?”, with a focus on making sure people with learning disabilities are valued in their communities.
