Page 12 - Community Living Magazine 33-4

special report: coronavirus

We have seen some staff behaviour that
t
does not fit with our values (but these are About the Westminster Society for People with Learning Disabilities
definitely the few exceptions). The vast
majority of our staff have been wonderful. The society:
On my food and PPE delivery runs, the ● ● Employs 600 staff who support 300
level of optimism and commitment from individuals, as well as families,
staff and the people using our services has children and carers
been a pleasure to witness. ● ● Operates in the London boroughs of
Westminster, Camden, Islington,
Care sector proves critical Kensington and Chelsea and Harrow
Thankfully, testing our staff and people ● ● Provides registered care, supported
using our services for the virus has living and outreach for a range of
become a government priority. people, including those with complex
However, we did have to deal with needs and profound and multiple
pressure to admit people to our services disabilities
without prior testing and isolation. Our ● ● Was founded in 1962 by parents who
insistence to the NHS and commissioners wanted better local services for their
that this was not acceptable did, we hope, and other people’s children with
save lives. learning disabilities
In addition, along with our care and ● ● Its work focuses on enabling people to
disability partners across the country, “stay healthy, be safe, and live well”.
we pressurised decision makers to
ensure the care sector was recognised as
critical to shielding the NHS and the information into something that makes the incidents that need investigating, the
country as a whole and therefore our staff sense to our staff. This has added to our funds that need to come in, our social
deserved equal status with our workloads enormously. media presence to keep us visible and
NHS colleagues. So, like everyone else in the country, we part of the conversation, the reduced
However, managing the additional wait each day for the government’s daily lockdown and increased risk of infection,
information flowing from the government briefing. This triggers a flurry of thinking and the funeral for the one person we
and our local authority and health about its impact and an agreement on the have lost that needs organising.
partners, which includes government actions we need to be taking as a result. I wonder: can I carry on sprinting when
policy changes, continues to be difficult. Each week, something new is conveyed we have come so far but still have so far
Most of this information and guidance and we are back to the early days of our to go? I am not the only one sprinting –
does not really reflect learning disability planning through organisational risk this whole organisation is running at top
services, supported living models, or the assessments to make sure we think speed and we are all having our personal
use of language, settings and imagery. through each change and how it affects us and professional moments of struggle.
This has meant we have had to interpret as an organisation as well as our We will need to take a break soon. We
what is being said and convert the workforce and the people we support. all will. How and when is not yet clear.
What we will be like in six months is hard
Anticipating the exit to anticipate. What I do know is that our
Senior managers set up We are starting to think about the exit and organisation has put people first and I work
daily contact schedules with what this might look like in the coming with a team who share the work ethic and
commitment needed for this sector.
weeks and months: the staff vacancies
those running services to that still need filling, the training we still That is why the cancelled leave, and
troubleshoot emerging issues need people to access, the voids we need weekends and evenings spent working
to let, the tender that is going live and will are worthwhile. I will do the same
need writing and hopefully delivering on, tomorrow and the next day and the day
after that until we are through this and
the finish line is in sight. n
Westminster: facts and figures in just one quarter of the borough. ● The Westminster Society for People
● ● Westminster is within 30%-40% of with Learning Disabilities: www.wspld.
● ● The City of Westminster in central the most deprived boroughs in UK. org.uk. The society is changing its name
London has some of the largest The Westminster Society works to London Living
income, wealth and health disparities mostly in the most deprived parts.
in the UK ● ● The borough has the third Mandy Crowford is director of
● ● The population of Westminster is just highest level of child services and assistant chief
under 250,000 poverty in the capital, executive at the Westminster
● ● Approximately 5,300 people with a affecting 33.7%. It is home Society for People with Learning Westminster Society for People with Learning Disabilities
learning disability live in Westminster to the wards with highest Disabilities. Additional
and the neighbouring Royal Borough and lowest rates of child contributions by the society’s
of Kensington and Chelsea. poverty in London. chief executive, Gabby Machell
● ● More than half of the population ● ● English is spoken in
claiming benefits in Westminster lives 64% of households. Above: cooking carefully;
left: supplies for distribution
12 Vol 33 No 4 | Summer 2020 Community Living www.cl-initiatives.co.uk