Flexicare

Befriending Service

Referral Pack

Background

Flexicare is a befriending service which has been operating successfully since 1993. Its main aim is to support people in the community who experience mental distress. Flexicare specifically works with individuals who may feel isolated and lonely and/or need facilitative support with daily living tasks. It provides practical and social support on a one to one basis tailored to meet individual needs.

Aims and Objectives

Aims:

  • To improve the social and mental functioning and living conditions of people with serious mental health problems living in their own homes.
  • To enable referrers to devise and implement care plans that secure a better and more cost effective match between needs and resources.

Objectives:

  • Reduce isolation and loneliness.
  • Encourage access to community services.
  • Increase capacity to cope with problems of daily living.
  • Support in the event of hospitalisation and consistent support after discharge from hospital.
  • Support to improve housing conditions and maintain tenancy conditions.
  • Extend the range of support deployed by Community Mental Health Teams.
  • Meet a variety of other objectives specific to individual clients and their care plans.

The Services

General Scheme

Takes referrals from all CMHTs in the City of Westminster or Camden. Individuals can be aged between 18 and 65 years.

African-Caribbean Scheme

The African-Caribbean scheme takes referrals from CMHTs throughout Westminster and Camden. It is open to clients from an African/African Caribbean background aged between 18 and 65 years, who wish to be supported in a culturally specific way.

Spot Purchasing Scheme

Takes referrals from teams such as Older People and Disability teams for people who experience mental distress and are aged over 65 years, and/or have a physical impairment.

What It Offers

Flexicare is a befriending service which provides support from Flexicarers, who establish a rewarding and trusting relationship with individuals referred to the scheme. Where possible we match on the basis of shared similar experiences and backgrounds. Hobbies and interests are also important factors involved in matching, in order to aid the formation of trust in the developing relationship.

The service is delivered by Flexicarers who are not mental health professionals but trained befrienders who have an awareness of mental distress and a commitment to enablement and empowerment. The aim is to offer a companion who is not connected to the treatment world and to form and develop were possible, a normal relationship within the parameters of befriending. Most therapeutic benefit comes from the ‘normality’ of the relationship established between the Flexicarer and the individual using the service. Flexicarers are paid workers who receive supervision and training on working on a one to one basis with people living independently or in supported accommodation.

Flexicare can support people in various ways:

  • By offering companionship to people who are lonely and isolated and an opportunity to leave their homes and pursue an interest.
  • By offering respite from difficult home lives, a break from family or other residents in shared housing.
  • Providing escorts to and from appointments, centres, groups etc.
  • It may provide regular contact with people who are not keen to engage with main- stream statutory services.
  • By enabling individuals to cook, clean, do laundry, deal with paperwork and cope with the tasks related to daily life.
  • By offering respite to carers who care for people with dementia and other mental illnesses.

The Referral Process

Community Mental Health Teams across Westminster and Camden can refer people who they think will benefit from the service. There is no limit on the number of visits someone may receive from a Flexicarer but there is a minimum of one 2-hour visit a week.

The service is provided during the day, evenings and weekends, seven days a week. However as Flexicare’s core aim is befriending it is not always possible to provide a service to clients who are acutely unwell.

The service costs £16.51 per hour per client within Westminster and £17.51 per hour to teams outside the Westminster. Additional expenses need to be allocated to cover the costs of any activities or travel undertaken by the client and the Flexicarer during the session.

Once a referral is received an assessment is arranged with the individual being referred. This involves providing them with information about Flexicare, discussing their likes, dislikes interests and their preferred times for the visit. It also allows for an initial health and safety assessment to take place and also provides an opportunity to agree the objectives of the visit with the client and the referrer.

Matching potential client to a Flexicarer can take some time depending on the needs and requirements of the client, the personalities involved,the Flexicarers availability to work. When someone suitable is found, a Flexicare Organiser will oversee the introduction. This Intro-Meeting with FlexiCarer is charged and meeting is scheduled for a minimum of2 hours.

Once the introduction has taken place the service is then monitored and reviewed. Flexicare will liaise with the referrer regarding concerns about the client or changes to the service.

Flexicare currently has about 52 Flexicarers who befriend and support 130 people.

Cancellations

The Flexicarers are paid employees. Because they allocate time to visits, where a client cancels giving us less than 48 hours notice we are still committed to paying the Flexicarer for two hours. If the visit would have been longer than two hours we will only pay the maximum two hours. Therefore we ask all referrers to pay for two hours if less than 48 hours notice is given. This is done in order to treat theFlexicarers fairly who commit time to and plan their work and leisure time around their visits.Likewise Flexicare needs to ensure that short notice cancellations are fully covered by those purchasing the service. Where abortive visits to become more frequentwith a particular individual we will discuss this with the care coordinator and will work with you to review the service.This may mean working to improve engagement, reducing visits, changing times of visits or where necessary withdrawing the service. Where a referrer is planning to end the service, we would ask that sufficient time and consideration is given to managing and planning the ending; 4 weeks is usually adequate to manage this process.

For further information please contact the Flexicare Office.

FLEXICARE REFERRAL INFORMATION

Basic Details

Name of person being referred______

Date of Birth___/___/___Sex M F

Address______

______

______

Tel No______

Mob no______

Ethnic GroupPlease enter appropriate code and ethnicity (e.g. H - Black British) using the Ethnic Monitoring sheet at the back of form.

______

LivingCircumstancesOn own / with others / in hostel / in group home / other

(please describe)______

Status Single / married / separated / divorced / other

SWIFT ID/AIS No:

(this is essential for us in order to invoice the service)

Clinical Symptoms

Clinical Diagnosis:

Symptoms:

Medication:

CPA Level______

Hospital Admissions (Psychiatric) Over the Past 24 Months

Total______

DatesFromTo

______

______

SectionedYesNoYesNo

Hospital(s)______

______

Please givedetails______

(incl. Sectioning)

______

______

Professional Contact

Referrer:______Job title: ______

Address:______

______

Tel No:______

Email:______

What is your professional responsibility for the person referred?

Care Manager CPN Other Please specify ______

Medical Professionals

GP______

Surgery______

Tel No______

Address

______

Consultant

Psychiatrist______

Tel no______

Other Services inNameTeam

Regular Contact

______

______

______

Please give details of all carers and indicate whether they live at the same address as the person being referred.

CarersPrimaryOthers

Name/s______

Relationship______

Address______

Tel No______

In terms of the client’s history and his/her own preference is there any reason why this person should not work with a Flexicarer of the opposite sex?

Yes / NoPlease give details: ______

Has he/she worked well with workers of the opposite sex in the past?

Yes / NoPlease give details: ______

Other Useful Information about the person being referred (e.g. relevant financial information, benefits, pets, smoking etc.)

Does s/he have any impairment?

If so please detail: ______

Are they registered disabled?Yes / No

Are there language needs other than English?______

Reason for Referral

Please indicate the needs of the person being referred; problems which you expect Flexicare to help meet and if appropriate the kind of Flexicarer who might be suitable.

Please also attach a social report

Type of help needed. Please indicate the specific tasks you expect the Flexicarer to undertake giving more details as appropriate.

Escorting Enabling client to pursue

outside the flat/home

Supporting individual to carry outSupport in widening social

domestic tasks relationships and activities

Help with other aspects of daily living Support in accessing other

services

Other. Please specify: ______

For how many hours a week?

(Min. 2 hours a week)______

Risk

Flexicarers usually visit alone. In the interests of staff and client safety, please answer all the following questions and complete an Assessment of Risk Form 1. We cannot proceed without this.

Is there a history or risk of? / Yes/No / Details / Applies to others in
Household?
Self-Harm
Substance Abuse
Self-Neglect
Harm to Others
Any relevant criminal convictions or cases pending

Have you ensured that the above details have been checked and confirmed with the other services involved with person being referred?

Yes No

Has s/he consented to the referral?

Yes No

Workers will usually visit the person in their own home. In the interests of safety, please answer all the following questions about the areas of the home in which the Flexicarer and person being referred maybe working together.

Yes/No / Further details if applicable
Are rooms to be used by Befriender clean? Sufficiently lit?
Are exits clear?
Are electrical leads in good condition and safely positioned?
Are electrical sockets undamaged and not overloaded with adaptors?
Are portable heaters being used safely?
Are there any safety issues to be aware of in the neighborhood?
Are there any other comments you would like to make?

Please tick to confirm that having assessed the accommodation you feel that Flexicarers will be working in a safe environment.

Signatures and Enclosures

Authorisation of referral and expenses by Senior Management of £______a week

Please specify whether these expenses are forFlexicarer only

or Flexicarer and client together?

Signature of referrer______Date______

Signature of person being referred______Date ______

Authorisation by Senior Management ______

Printed name of Senior Management ______Date______

CHECKLIST

To allow the referral to be processed as quickly as possible please ensure that:

All sections are complete

The form is signed by the referrer

The form is signed by the person being referred

The form is signed by senior management

That you have enclosed an AOR1 form

Thank you, we will contact you on receipt of the form.


Ethnic Monitoring

Ethnic Origin Codes:

CodeGroup

AWhite-British

BWhite-Irish

CWhite-Other European

DWhite-Other

EBlack-Caribbean

FBlack-African

GBlack-British

HBlack-Other

KNorth African, Arab, Iranian

LIndian

NPakistani

PAsian-Other

RChinese

STurkish (inc. Turkish Cypriot)

TGreek (inc. Greek Cypriot)

UMixed (black/white)

VMixed (Asian/white)

WMixed (black/Asian)

XMixed (Other)

YOther

ZNot willing to specify

NB. The above categories have been approved by the Council for Racial Equality and are used in the National Census. The information will only be used to support Westminster City Council's commitment to equal opportunities and will be treated in the strictest confidence.

ASSESMENT OF RISK FORM (AOR1)

Current Mental State

Are there any symptoms which indicate an increased risk of harm to self or others

No Yes

Please Describe:

Family/Carers

Are there any concerns expressed by the family or carers?

No Yes

Please Describe:

Availability of Information/Ability to Assess

Are you lacking appropriate information or unable to fully assess for other reasons ?

No Yes

Please Describe:

Is further Risk Assessment required?

No Yes

If Yes, please complete Assessment of Risk Form (AOR2)

Brief Summary/Action Plan:
(Refer to Care plan)