I want to share with you why I think MacIntyre has been successful in being selected as the best provider to support everyone living at Beulah and Glenview – it’s not what we are doing but how we are doing it. It’s the quality of the support and the interactions taking place that has made a difference.
Everyone living at Glenview communicates in a way that works for them but nobody uses words. The ladies and gentlemen I met at Beulah House also use many forms of communication. What was remarkable was that everyone was able to express what they wanted to do and how they were feeling and the staff teams understood this perfectly and responded well.
When I arrived at Glenview, Simon was sitting across the table from Helen and smiling. Helen was keen to meet me but a little shy too. When I introduced myself, Simon gave me and Helen some clear information to help facilitate our meeting for the first time.
I was impressed to see how Keith immediately understood and responded to Craig’s indication that he wanted to move away from a busy area and then later on, how Keith positioned himself next to Craig so that Craig could let Keith know how he was feeling by using his hand to reach out and communicate with Keith.
When we were all having a drink together, David couldn’t decide if he wanted to sit down or move around the table and I noticed how Carol moved around accordingly to support David, reading his body language well.
It was wonderful to see Dave crouched down talking to Craig and being very open to Craig’s requests to sit very close together, to the point that Craig rested his head on Dave. Dave was completely at ease with this and it was clear from the smile on Craig’s face that he wanted to sit quietly but with close contact with Dave.
Jenny wasn’t feeling great when I arrived at Beulah House but Carol was able to distract Jenny and used the iPad as a way to facilitate a conversation between me and Jenny. Suddenly Jenny was showing me photos of the various places she had visited and people who are really important to her which meant I could have a meaningful conversation with Jenny about things that really interested her. Carol demonstrated the need to step in to support then stand back, enabling Jenny to have those conversations herself.
Christina supported Yvonne really well when they returned from a trip out. Yvonne was understandably not sure why Lowri and I were visiting the service but Christina reassured and supported Yvonne to carry on doing what she wanted to do whilst explaining who everyone was.
When Peter was getting ready to go out for the evening I saw how June noticed the weather was unpredictable and started to put the rain cover over Peter and around his wheelchair. Peter obviously couldn’t see what was going on behind him but June and Carol continued talking to Peter making it clear what they were doing and why.
When I met Sue she wanted to know who would be working in the evening and Kate was so patient in explaining this to Sue, several times. Kate answered each time as it if was the first time she had been asked and her tone of voice was calm and reassuring.
When everyone sat down for a meal, Jean was able to offer support to David but still generate conversation around the table using good eye contact so that everyone was included.
I went away from Beulah and Glenview feeling really proud of our services and the teams working there. I genuinely believe that Great Interactions and the way our staff teams have embraced this have really made the difference and set us apart from other provider organisations. I’m so glad MacIntyre are able to continue supporting everyone living at Glenview and Beulah because the teams are all working in a facilitative way and the people we support are leading full, fun lives as a result. I’d like to thank both teams for their commitment to providing the best support we can .......it ain’t want you do, it’s the way that you do it.
Anna O’Mahony
Head of Operations (North)
Adult Services