County council inspectors who check over residential care homes have launched an appeal for members of the public to join their team.

Warwickshire Social Services' Inspection Services team is looking for ten volunteer lay assessors - three in South Warwickshire, three in Rugby, two in Warwick and Leamington, and two in North Warwickshire and Nuneaton and Bedworth - to go with officers as they inspect elderly people's homes, children's homes and other residential homes.

Lay assessors contribute to public reports on the homes inspected, focussing particularly on the views of people living in the home and their quality of life.

Principal Registration and Inspection Officer John Sawyer said:

"Lay assessors are important because they give us the public's perspective of an inspection.  They look at things in the way most people in society do.  We already have a very good team of lay assessors but we need more people to join them.

"We are looking for people who can represent the views of the people in residential care; it may be that they use care services themselves or have friends or relatives who use them.  We need people who have the time and commitment to work as volunteers."

Lay assessors' duties include going on inspection visits, reporting their findings to the Registration and Inspection Officer, contributing to the inspection report and commenting on how Inspection Services inspects homes.  Lay assessors are unpaid but they receive expenses.

Anyone interested in becoming a lay assessor should contact Mandeep Bains at:

The Old Clink
The Holloway
off Market Place
Warwick  CV34 4SJ

MORE INFORMATION: Sara Hurst  01926 418092

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