Lucy effectively manages the Midlands Community Outreach service in Walsall, which offers support for individuals who are deaf or hearing impaired. Her nomination comes from Operations Manager, Rosie Foster, who says, “As well as the duties expected of a Manager such as producing rotas and allocating tasks, Lucy also supports the service daily helping to cover a current team vacancy. On top of this, she visits people in the community to provide individual support.”
Always one to rise to a challenge, Lucy developed several noteworthy initiatives which help the whole team in their roles:
- Setting up a rota and task schedule on Teams which all team members can access.
- Embracing the use of the Achieve together App, with all team members registered on it.
- Creating Chat groups for team members to upload visuals of activities they are doing with the people they are supporting. Collecting feedback from everyone supported.
- Overcoming application access difficulties and saving time by creating a poster with QR codes for specific incidents such as complaints, whistleblowing and safeguarding.
This last idea received praise from members of the RADAR (healthcare system) team. They will be offering the poster to other services that it may help.
Learning new skills
“I like to make things as accessible as possible for everyone as each person has different skill levels. The new access has been very well received, with team members telling me that it has opened doors. They are learning new skills, which is very positive.
“The app and the groups we have created have made the bank staff very much more included in the team and the day to day running of the service. Everyone is more aware of what others have been doing and what is needed next to support the people. We all feel that we are working together to contribute more effectively and share ideas about what works well.
“I didn’t know I was being nominated; it was a very nice surprise! We are decorating our house, so the award money will go towards some bunk beds for when my nieces and nephews come to stay.”
Runners Up
This month we have two runners up for the Employee of the Month award who deserve very special mentions for their contributions and dedication.
Debbie Lawton took the lead during a very serious incident with one of the people we support at the home. She spoke to emergency services and delivered CPR when advised by them to do so. Remaining calm throughout, Debbie acted in a professional and caring manner. She has continued to attend work with a smile on her face and remains a positive role model to others.
Albert Dalisay who works at Carlton Avenue is singled out as ‘exceptional’ by a regular visitor. Albert spends much of his time interacting with the people he supports, understanding the needs and aspirations of everyone who lives at the home. He maximises his time by engaging them in meaningful activities. His consistent approach clearly makes a difference as they light up when he is around. Albert is kind, caring, empathetic and one of the most hardworking members of the team.
Well done to all three of you, you are a credit to Achieve together.
