In my case that would not be the answer, because I am referring to the people we support who can be empowered to take control and help us, ‘the staff’ to achieve, if we just stop and reflect on what everyone has to offer.
I was going to be supporting Hilary to a new activity situated in the centre of Chester. We were going to go by car but due to unforeseen circumstances, we were not able to use the house vehicle. We now needed to use the local bus. I have not used buses for ages and was not fully aware of the number of the bus we needed or where we would need to get off. For me to be able to support Hilary with confidence, I needed to know the correct information!
I decided to ask some of the other staff but none of them had a clear idea, but then it hit me... Paddy - he uses the buses every day on his own, he would know what bus to get and where Hilary and I needed to get off.
I asked Paddy the evening before the activity what bus Hilary and I would need and if he knew where we had to get off. He was delighted to help and said that we needed to get on the number 51 bus and we needed to get off where the old cattle market was in Chester. I was not too sure where he meant but I thought I had enough information for Hilary and I to go ahead.
The next morning as we were getting ready to go Paddy offered to support Hilary and I on the bus and he would tell us when we needed to get off.
While on the bus, I was chatting with Paddy and asking him questions about the journey, ensuring I involved Hilary, explaining to her where we were going and what was happening and checking that she understood what Paddy was telling us about the route.
Paddy then said to us ‘the next stop is yours’; this gave me plenty of time to support Hilary to press the bell, to alert the driver that we wanted to get off, at the next stop.
While Hilary and I were waiting for the bus to stop, Paddy pointed out that we needed to walk down ‘this road’ to get to where we were going. As we were getting off the bus Paddy explained to us that we needed to get the number 51 bus back from the other side of the road.
Thanks to Paddy, Hilary and I were able to use both buses with confidence and were able to attend the new activity in Chester on time.
So I guess what I mean is - we need to ask ourselves, as supporting staff, do we tap into the knowledge of the people we support enough?
Do we recognise the skills of people and the fact that we can help one another to achieve?
Well in my case, Paddy had the experience and the knowledge and he gave Hilary and I the support we needed to achieve our goal.
Thanks Paddy
Sandy Hughes
Head of Service
The Willows