The carer talks about what needs to happen to ensure care is genuinely person centred. We should be asking people to sign up to something, and genuinely deliver care that meets the standards people should expect.
Christopher highlights the potential of the Real Care Deal emphasing its broader application which could be wider than Norfolk amplifying examples of good practice and care countrywide. Chris continues to talk about the importance of the individuals true ownership of their care plan with examples of what this mean so that they can lead their care process.
This includes having the freedom to request reviews and making personal decisions, even if there’s a potential for risk, by mitigating dangers rather than completely eliminating them. Equally Chris highlights the importance sometimes difficult, but honest conversations with people about their care and support, ensuring that people still have agency to decide for themselves.
Following Kyle as he navigates around his home town and hearing various insights of some of the struggles he encounters along with his hobbies and passion for wheelchair Rugby.
Here is a recent conversation with Norfolk County Council’s Director in charge of adult social care. We find out his vision and determination to centre in the human experience and how we work together as humans.
Zena and Angela share what ‘being more human’ means to them and how this translates in their work. To them it means being non judgemental, understanding, empathetic and the behaviours that convey this. They don’t expect people to fill out lots of paperwork or disclose their background, they take them on face value.
They highlight that the experience of homelessness is often a life without value and talk about how Under One Roof is about creating value and purpose through human contact, community and opportunity to contribute. It can be as simple as calling someone by their name, treating people with kindness and recognising people have the right to choose what they want to do rather than what you want them to do.
Christopher Collins, a Care Quality Commission registered manager with QCM Healthcare, explains his role and the range of care his teams provide across Norfolk. He talks about “The Real Care Deal” as a way to focus on what good care looks like, giving people in care settings a real voice rather than centring on complaints. For him, it’s about recognising each person as an individual, making sure they can speak for themselves, shape their own care plans, and feel in control of their future.
Jac talks about how staying at Meadow House changed everything for her. In other places she’d felt ignored, rushed, and treated like a body to be managed rather than a person. Even simple things like her vegetarian diet or having a cup of tea within reach were overlooked. At Meadow House, staff explained what they were doing instead of just doing it to her, checked in, said hello, and treated her with real warmth.
It helped her feel human again. She could smile and laugh, and the difference felt like moving from dark clouds into sunlight. Baz saw it too: seeing his wife happy, respected, and herself again brought him huge relief. After years of depression and cold, apathetic care, both of them felt the impact of finally being treated with dignity and humanity.
Baz and Jac recount their experience of what lead to their current situation. Following a severe bleed on the brain, which was not picked adequately up by the hospital when it first presented, sent home with paracetamol to return 3 weeks later into intensive care Jac is now disabled, with limited mobility, vision and cognitive ability. 14 months later after various hospitals and care homes Jac came home.
Experience in care homes have been mixed, with some ignoring that Jac’s mobility is limited, leaving drinks, tv remote controls etc out of reach or not providing drinks at all Other care homes they describe as very thoughtful in their interactions doing things like Halloween parties, miniature donkeys visits, checking in when passing her room to simple touches thing like a serviette with a cup of tea etc.
David describes a frustrating phone call with Liaison Care. Liaison asked for lots of documents about his wife – her medication chart, care plans, and risk assessments – but dismissed the detailed care journal the speaker already keeps. The call was full of misunderstandings, and Liaison didn’t seem to know much about Pat’s condition (PCA – Posterior cortical atrophy) or the care agencies involved.
Attempts to link up with Nightingale Care and Complete Care were also messy, with wrong contact details and confusion about arranging meetings on Microsoft Teams. In the end, the David feels the approach isn’t working and that the whole process may need to start again.
Chrisptopher gives talks about what meaning trust and transparency has in relation to care and the Real Care Deal.
He shares the story of a senior nurse with mobility issues who needed to transition from using a frame to a hoist for safety reasons. Despite the nurse’s long-standing relationships with her GP, district nurse, and OT, none of them were able to tell her about the needed change.
After a difficult conversation Chris received gratitude from the nurse’s daughter for addressing the tough decision. Later, the nurse herself apologised for her initial reaction and appreciated the speaker’s honesty.
This story highlights the importance of difficult but necessary transparency in care decisions.
