Integration of services was the focus for the second of Care Services Minister Phil Hope’s visits highlighting good practice in care and support.
The Minister visited Tower Drive Centre in Milton Keynes. The centre provides a wide range of services for people with learning disabilities in a highly integrated format. Acting as a single point of access, it brings together local NHS services and care and support services.
“If local NHS and social care services work together, we can improve people’s quality of life and cut costs,” Mr Hope said. “Our new network will help showcase services, share best practice and drive up the quality of care across the country.”
The centre boasts psychiatrists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, dieticians, nurses, social workers, clinical psychologists, counsellors and behaviour support workers all working under one roof, and often in the same office space. These services are integrated to the point that different professions are able to share administrative information.
“Staff numbers have not increased, but they’re better trained. We really have maximised the capacity of our team,” said Maurica Legg, Joint Services Manager, Learning Disabilities.
“We are lucky as a centre because we are in very close proximity,” said the centre’s Service Co-ordinator Andrea Natale. “We’ve got a lot of direct liaison now, we can pick up the phone to the physios or the behaviour support team as we’ve got a lot of relationships not just here but with the wider team. We obviously have referral systems but they’re all transparent.
“Having all that helps us support people holistically, they get a whole service. It is about giving them the time to explore things. We’re trying to give the power back to individuals.”
People who use the centre range from those with profound learning disabilities to others who make use of the drop-in facility. They attend from one to five days a week according to their needs and desires.
The Minister talked to staff at the centre and met a number of service users, dropped in to a yoga class and even tried his hand at some arts and crafts.
The centre’s work goes way beyond the 65 people who visit regularly. Health and care and support workers often go out to service users to work with them in their own environment. The centre also acts as a hub for various community based projects.
“We like to get people out,” said Lyn Scott, Assistant Director of Adult Social Care in Milton Keynes. “We have themed discos, and balls with posh frocks and DJs and limos – people absolutely love it. We have a theatre group called Encompass. We perform at the Milton Keynes theatre. We did Grease two years ago, and this year we’re doing West Side Story.
“We have a football team that plays in a national disability league. We use the MK Dons’ facilities. We have a very active carers group – they support us in a lot of our endeavours, we couldn’t do it without them.”
“We’ve got specialist bikes adapted for people with limited ability,” said Andrea Natale. “We have a music festival which we hold outside. We hire a stage and get the whole community involved.
“All the activities link into future projects and events. If we have a weekly drama and dance session, it would lead to a performance at the music festival. We’re working on art at the moment because we’re having a themed valentines evening and disco.
“We arrange quizzes and do different things for fund raising so that we can have all these extra activities. We had an art exhibition and the pictures we sold paid for art equipment.”
Every summer the centre holds a “taster fortnight”, where service users can try out the different activities on offer. If they discover something that they like, staff at the centre look to build it into their care plan.
“We want to help people’s personal development so they don’t get a static service for the next 40 years,” said Andrea Natale. “They lead the service, we try and provide what they are telling us that they want.”
“It’s like retaining the good bits of traditional care, but trying to also get people to experience a new challenge so they can make choices of what they want to do. If they don’t try it they don’t know,” said Day Services and Employment Manager Karen Shaw.
“People don’t have to come in to the centre, there is a whole set of people who don’t. They might have outgrown it or just don’t want to. We want people to dip in and dip out. We help with their personal development. It’s about giving them the time and support.”