Sian Richardson (a member of our Admissions and Referrals team) did an evening 5 hour shift working at The Mews for her own personal development and brain injury awareness. We thought we would share her experience with you, so you can gain some insight into how our staff (from across the organisation) get involved in the support and care we provide for our Service Users.

She was supervised by senior professionals and did everything apart from Personal Care. Her first task was to take everyone’s orders for supper which, after Sunday lunch, is fresh rolls and sides.

Sian can prepare food for our Service Users because she has had the Food Hygiene Awareness training (for the purposes of the Health and Social Care Act 2008). All staff receive this training. As a result, she prepared all the food and drink for the table and sat with the Service Users to support those that needed assistance.

Sian has been trained to assist people with eating a meal as well as in how to support a particular person (depending on their needs) with eating. This kind of assistance involves prompting the person to take their time with each bite and prompting swallowing in between and making sure the speed of eating is safe. After the meal, Sian collected orders for hot drinks to finish off the meal.

Most people moved on into the living room after dinner for whatever their chosen activity was for the evening. We have a variety of activities which our Service Users can choose to do in the evenings to enjoy each other’s company or to have some alone time.

But, Sian’s shift wasn’t over then…not by a long shot! While people watched TV she cleared and cleaned the dining room and kitchen and cleared the laundry. Later on in the evening, Sian took a tea break with everyone and made another round of evening drinks.

The last task was winding down before the end of the shift and sharing fashion magazines, crosswords or chatting with the Service Users. The night shift staff arrived for 10pm and Sian hung her “hat” up for the night and went home.

“I really enjoyed spending time with the Service Users and staff on shift. I found it beneficial in providing me with a unique insight into how our service works; the level of input and value of the staff; and in getting to know the people using our services. This gives me an even better realm of understanding and identifying needs of new prospective Service Users.” – Sian