Meet Mark
When we met Mark, he was an inpatient in a locked mental health hospital. We found out that he was a care leaver and had experienced many adverse childhood experiences. Tragically, when Mark was in his teens, he was involved in a road traffic accident and suffered a brain injury.
Mark’s life was changed. The injury affected the way he felt about himself and others, relationships were difficult, and he was unable to do the things he had previously loved liked football and sport. Through associations and, in an attempt to cope with his experiences, Mark used drugs, alcohol and engaged in risky behaviours that led to his involvement in the criminal justice system and inpatient care.
During his time in services, Mark was given various diagnoses including Organic Personality Disorder, Post-Concussion Syndrome, Dysarthria and Organic Delusional Disorder.
For Mark to move out of hospital, develop skills and self-esteem, it was deemed he needed round the clock 1:1 support and supervision. We built a staff team around Mark’s needs who had experience of working with people with mental health conditions, understanding of brain injuries and knowledge of the criminal justice system.
This is the package of care we designed for Mark …
Accommodation
A two-bed first floor flat was found close to Mark’s family. Our team worked with other agencies, visiting the flat to make sure that it was a safe and suitable place for Mark to be.
Staff Team
Working with Mark, we recruited an all-male team to support him in his flat and develop skills. We built a staff team around Mark’s needs who had experience of working with people with mental health conditions, and if possible an understanding of brain injuries and the criminal justice system.
Training
As with all our staff teams and before starting to work with Mark, his new team attended our week-long induction where they received person-centred training tailored to Mark’s specific needs, experiences, given diagnoses and symptomology.
Shared Interests
Mark took part in the interviews for his team members, and we were able to recruit a team that enjoy sports as much as Mark (in particular, his beloved football – spectating or playing).
Clinical Input
Our assessment indicated that Mark and his team may benefit from additional clinical input, so we added weekly clinical hours with our Multi-Disciplinary Team into his package of support.
Mark, and his team have worked with the clinical team developing understanding and awareness in areas such as medication, physical health, activity, positive risk and building self-esteem.
How is Mark today?
Mark has increased his community presence, is engaging in a variety of sporting activities and also volunteering at a local charity. Mark is also collaborating and working well with his external teams.
We have been supporting Mark since 2018.
When we first started supporting Mark, his package of support was 1:1 24/7 (or 168 weekly hours). Within two years, we reduced his package of support to less than 16 hours per day (or 112 weekly hours). We further reduced his level of support to 11 hours per day (or 83 hours per week) in December 2022 and it remains at this level today.
‘Mark is one of the wittiest people I have ever met – he’s always making us laugh! He is also an extremely loyal individual, and values spending time with his family and friends.
It’s been a long journey with Mark, there have been ups and downs along the way but it is fantastic to see how far he has come. I am grateful to have been part of Mark’s journey and in helping him achieve his goals.’
(Support Worker, Mark’s Team)