I never dreamt of being so independent again

Tired of waiting for the government to publish its much-delayed Green Paper, the Local Government Association has published its own. The Lives We Want to Lead launches a public consultation on the funding question which can seem like the politicians’ only focus, but also asks what social care in the future should actually offer and deliver. The LGA say they seek “to start a much-needed debate about how to shift the overall emphasis of our care and health system so that it focuses far more on preventative, community-based personalised care, which helps maximise people’s health, wellbeing and independence and alleviates pressure on the NHS.”

The paper includes this story illustrating how Shared Lives can take a situation deemed ‘complex’ or ‘challenging’ and make it simple, helping someone get out of hospital and back to the community: “I was living with my partner, running a B&B when I had a serious stroke and later two minor heart attacks. After four months in hospital, I was depressed, frail and my memory and cognition had deteriorated. We knew I needed more support with daily living than my partner could provide. I was unable to return home and it made me frightened about my future, with clinicians uncertain about my further recovery. I wanted to live locally, so I could continue seeing my partner and I missed my dogs.

“The Shared Lives scheme matched me, with two trained and approved Shared Lives carers who shared my sarcastic sense of humour, had dogs, and lived close by. They helped me through it all. When I arrived at their home, I never dreamt of being so independent again. I couldn’t walk down the drive. Now I can nip up to town. My Shared Lives carers helped me gain strength and confidence, walking a little bit further each time, until I could walk independently again. They helped me adapt to my memory loss with strategies for managing money and banking, and supported me to make meals and manage my diet.

“Since then I have booked a holiday and travelled on my own. I am very optimistic about life and planning a move into my own flat. Without the Shared Lives scheme I would have undoubtedly spent longer in hospital, had less choice about where I lived, and had a slower recovery. It is so important that money is available to ensure that schemes like this exist.”

The paper draws on data from our My Shared Life outcomes measuring tool which found that:

• 92 per cent of people felt that their Shared Lives carer’s support improved their social life.
• 81 per cent of people felt that their Shared Lives carer’s support made it easier for them to have friends.
• 73 per cent of people felt involved with their community and 93 per cent felt their Shared Lives carer’s support helped them feel more involved.
• 84 per cent of people felt their Shared Lives carer’s support improved their physical health and 88 per cent their emotional health.

I was asked to comment as Chief Executive of Shared Lives Plus and independent chair of the Joint VCSE Review, and said “Local government and the voluntary, community and social enterprise [VCSE] sector share a vision for social care which helps us all to live good lives in our own homes with the people we love. Immediate investment is needed to stabilise social care. Then councils and the VCSE sector must work with people who need support and their community organisations to codesign a social care system which intervenes early, sees the whole person and can stay with people and families for the long haul. Human, effective and sustainable
approaches already exist: great councils have been pioneering their development. Now they must be scaled up and become the norm.”