New Beginnings

After years working for various companies, I made the decision to go it alone.

I’ve worked for many great organisations, at start up and through buy-out, and have managed large national portfolios. I’ve even worked in the highlands of Papua New Guinea to support children in the ‘bush’ to live better lives. I’ve also been backed by businesses to set up a bespoke service for people who challenge.

I’m just old enough to remember the last group of people moving out from long-stay hospitals. I worked on a project resettling people from St Margaret’s long-stay hospital in Great Barr, Birmingham. It was a real eye opener for me to see the conditions and limitations people had put upon them and it lit a fire in me, driving me to work so that population could be offered the best we could.

I remember the first gentleman I developed a service for travelling in my car with two bin liners of his life’s belongings. No one thought he could ever be part of a community – we saw him volunteering as a gardener for the local church within 10 months of moving!

I recall countless complex MDT meetings and MCA meetings about safe transfer for someone who very few people thought could live in the community – ‘too violent, too much defecation, too institutionalised’ – but I led a small group of very dedicated, motivated staff, in partnership with a strong commissioning team, to achieve this very outcome. Within a few months the defecation and smearing ceased and he was able to hold his own tenancy. He ate ice-cream on the beach and visited people in their own homes, ultimately being able to live a life he chose, on his own terms.

Throughout my career I have worked to help improve people’s lives, in particular supporting the most marginalised, those who are deemed to have behaviours that challenge even the most resilient service.

However, about a year ago it all came to a crashing halt, as I suddenly fell very ill. After many tests, I was eventually diagnosed with Chronic Pain and Fibromyalgia. Lots of support from my family, friends and the Chronic Pain and ME team in Nottingham has helped me manage this condition. If nothing else, it has given me a huge insight into this disability and how not all disability is visible.

This enforced break gave me a real opportunity to think about what I wanted to do next and I kept coming back to how rewarding working with people who challenge services was for me. I also continue to be frustrated by the lack of pace and urgency with Transforming Care and feel there is more to be done to to improve the outcomes for the people that need the most support in our society.

Having turned a corner, feeling much better and finding ways to manage my condition, I decided to set up this support service. I believe I still have a lot to offer the Transformative Care industry and look forward to supporting organisations, staff and the people we work for to enjoy fulfilled, happy lives.

Join me on this exciting journey.

Andy Callow

June 2018