December 12, 2017

PSS take over Shared Lives in Norfolk and Suffolk

We’re so pleased so announce that, as of 13 November, we are now running Shared Lives schemes in both Norfolk and Suffolk. It’s the start of a new chapter for Shared Lives in the East of England, and we hope our innovative way of working will help the scheme grow and flourish.

PSS has taken over the scheme from another provider, so we’re going to be working with some Shared Lives carers and service-users who were part of the scheme before; in fact, across Suffolk alone, there are already over 50 carers and over 40 placements. We’re going to try our best to grow this number as much as we can over the coming years so we can give even more people a chance to get the everyday support they need in a home environment. Shared Lives can also help people to learn independent living skills and put down roots in their communities, to hopefully enable them to move into their own place and be part of a community without becoming isolated.

Chris Barker, our Director of Services, said: ‘We are so excited to be opening a new office in Diss. We already deliver Shared Lives across the North West, North Wales and in the Midlands – and as the company who pioneered the approach back in the 1970s, it’s really great to add another scheme to our Shared Lives family.’

Suffolk County Council sees Shared Lives as an area of growth and opportunity to provide personalised support for people with a range of long-term support needs.

Cllr Beccy Hopfensperger, Suffolk County Council’s cabinet member for Adult Care, said: ‘We want to grow Shared Lives as an innovative and person-centered way to support people. We are very pleased and excited to welcome PSS to the county. They have a proven track record in providing Shared Lives services across the country and we look forward to working with them in developing the service across a number of customer groups, to ensure it fulfills its future potential.’

The folks in the East of England are in good hands: Andy Jervis has joined us joins us from the previous provider as our Service Manager for the region. Andy’s got loads of experience and has been working hard over the past few weeks to get things ready. He’s told service-users about their new provider, welcomed our new staff  and made sure all the right processes are in place. He told us: ‘I am delighted to be joining PSS and working with the team at Diss managing the Shared Lives schemes within both Norfolk and Suffolk. I’m excited at being able to develop Shared Lives across both counties which will enable more people with support and care needs to live within family homes.’

So, we’re all set up and ready to start weaving some PSS magic in the East of England. Let’s get cracking!