500 more people are living Shared Lives

We are mid way through Shared Lives week and like everything, this year it’s very different. No corner of our lives or our country is untouched by this crisis, and Shared Lives carers, who already give so much to their communities, are now relied upon more than ever. It has been humbling to see our members carry on sharing their lives and providing care for those they support in the face of tremendous challenges.

We’ve been working hard to support our carers and schemes with issues surrounding PPE, pay, working longer hours, access to supermarkets and generally working through the crisis.  We’ve set up a new telephone support service with the British Institute of Learning Disabilities, to help carers respond proactively to anxiety or disrupted routines faced by the people they support, sustaining them through the most difficult of times. We are disappointed that despite accepting our case that it’s scheme to replace lost income would not benefit most of them, the Treasury isn’t able to support self-employed Shared Lives carers who normally offer day support or short breaks support which isn’t happening during lockdown.

But through it all, Shared Lives carers and the people they support are finding ways to overcome problems together – not only surviving, but doing it with humour and style. Whether it’s discovering a new talent for painting like Ivor and Peter in Shared Lives south west, making onion chutney (with all the tears that entails) like Judy, Jo and Mandy in Shared Lives Hertfordshire or Jon Thomas in South East Wales keeping active and enjoying the sunshine,  seeing the different ways in which Shared Lives matches are beating the boredom and frustration of lockdown makes me smile every time. Homesharers too have been showing how companionship is helping them through the pandemic – like Norman who: “grinned and didn’t have to bear it!”

While some areas of the care sector have struggled desperately, it is a source of great relief that incidences of infection and deaths from Covid-19 have been mercifully low in Shared Lives and Homeshare. Both models are based on the security of a welcoming home environment and good relationships, and it is increasingly looking as though home is one of the safest places to be – especially if you share that home with someone who cares about you and who’s always got your back.

The latest figures from England’s Shared Lives schemes show that Shared Lives care continues to grow steadily despite sustained austerity and a lack of a cohesive strategy for social care. The total number of people supported in Shared Lives in England grew by 540, or 4.4%, to a total of 12,890 (in England).

The numbers of short break arrangements grew by a promising 8%, suggesting that planners are increasingly understanding the flexibility of Shared Lives and its ability to fit in with and support wider service provision. While the numbers of people supported for dementia remained static, those in Shared Lives arrangements with other needs associated with older age doubled to 720. This shows that Shared Lives care can expand swiftly to tackle specific challenges – with the serious pressures facing the residential care sector, the growing numbers of older people supported in Shared Lives are a timely boost. There are now 500 people supported for a physical impairment – a 14% increase, which is positive news in the context of our concerted work in partnership with NHS England to develop shared living for those with health needs.

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