‘What Makes a Great Support Worker?’: Meet Jimmy and David
We headed to Northamptonshire for the fifth episode of our ‘What Makes a Great Support Worker?’ series to chat to Jimmy and his Support Worker David. Jimmy joined Creative Support in 2021, and David has been his main Support Worker ever since. Throughout that time, Jimmy has lived in his own bungalow and learned to care for his space and himself. Thanks to the great support from David and the wider team, Jimmy’s sixth year with Creative Support is his last, as he’s transitioned to living fully independently now. Below, Jimmy and David talk us through Jimmy’s journey to independence, the important life skills Jimmy has mastered, and what their time together has meant to them now that they say a bittersweet goodbye.
How long have you been a part of Creative Support?
Jimmy: “I started getting help from David five years ago when I joined Creative Support. He’s been visiting my home since then and helping me.”
David: “I’ve been a Support Worker at Creative Support for twelve years now, and have been Jimmy’s main Support Worker since about 2021. I support other people in the local community too.”
David, how did you get into support work?
David: “I was a chef in a Michelin star restaurant for 33 years. Someone said to me many years ago that I was more like a carer than a chef, because I’ve always been a caring, listening person. I wasn’t too sure what I was going to do when I finished my old job. At a careers fair, I spoke to someone from Creative Support about support work. I thought, ‘I’ll give that a go’. Now, it’s been nearly 13 years.
“I just enjoy the job, it’s fulfilling. The best thank you we can ever get from the people we support is seeing their lives transformed. You get to see wonderful people. There’s nothing better than seeing someone’s life transform. It’s about having a special respect and building a relationship with the people you support. ”
How do you like to spend your time, Jimmy?
Jimmy: “I like to go for days out to Rugby, it’s a nice town. I also volunteer at a local dog shelter walking a whippet, Matteo, two or three times a week. I walk him for two hours around a country park and then take him back to the shelter. I like going to the pub and spending time socialising with my friends at Creative Support. I look forward to going bowling with other supported people. It’s good to catch up with people and I like getting out of the bungalow for a few hours, it really breaks the day up.”
David: “One of the other people I support suggested we start a ten pin bowling league. It started off as a monthly event but we realised it would be better if we did it every fortnight on a Tuesday. People from all over Northamptonshire come. On the Tuesdays that we don’t go bowling, we go to the pub for a lunchtime catch up.”
What are some of the things you do together during your support time?
David: “We go food shopping and do a lot of cooking together. When we cook, Jimmy does most of the work and we have a good laugh.”
Jimmy: “I can make a spaghetti bolognese now when I fancy one, and it’s very nice. I also like cooking toad in the hole. We go to Rushden Lakes to go shopping, there’s a Marks & Spencers there. We’ve been shopping there a few times.”
David: “I also support Jimmy with reading and responding to his letters, particularly bills. We read through the letters together and I help him to make the phone calls. I’ll prompt him, particularly if it’s for a bill payment. Jimmy does all of the talking on the phone and I’m here if he needs me.”
Jimmy: “He’s helped me build my confidence with phone calls and doing my emails.”
How has your support changed over the years?
David: “When Jimmy first joined Creative Support, he needed 12 hours of support a week. Early on, I started telling Jimmy, ‘I want you to tell me what we’re going to do today’ and asking him “What are we going to do today?’. Whatever he wanted to do, that’s what we did. It got to the stage where Jimmy would tell me “David, I want to do this’ and I told him, ‘Yes, that’s what I want to hear’.
Jimmy: “It’s nice to see someone just for an hour now. I used to have 12 hours now I just have an hour four times a week.”
What qualities make a good Support Worker?
Jimmy: “Kind, caring, thoughtful, and having a good listening ear.”
David: “I think you’ve hit the nail on the head, Jimmy. To be a good Support Worker, you’ve also got to have some empathy with the person you’re supporting. You’re there to facilitate their lifestyle and prompt them when they need it. You’re supporting people to live a more independent life, advising them where advice needs to be given. You need to listen to the people you support and aid them in their daily lives. It’s about helping people to be as independent as possible.”
Jimmy: “David is a very practical person and knows things that I don’t. He’s good at explaining things and just tells it as it is. David is really good at helping me with things I need.”
What does the future hold?
Jimmy: “I’m going to be leaving Creative Support to live fully independently, but I’m really excited to do more work with Oliver McGowan. I’m going to be continuing my work as a Co-Trainer, going to various hospitals and doctors’ surgeries to train the doctors and nurses. I would like to continue doing activities with the friends I’ve made at Creative Support even though I’m leaving the service. I’ve made friends with other supported people. We’ve just got to keep in touch.”
David: “I’m sorry to see him go, but I’m glad we’ve seen that transformation, to see him take responsibility for himself and be very independent, and to see the way he’s changed from being very timid. He’s also now taking ownership of his house, which is nice and clean, and he does his laundry and food shopping. Jimmy also has a mobile phone where he calls people and asks them ‘What are we going to do today?’.
I like that he’s got himself job ready. Before, he was applying for jobs but he wasn’t job ready. Now, I believe he’s work ready. He’s created a CV and got himself a job and I’m very proud of him.”
Jimmy, is there a message you’d like to share ahead of you leaving Creative Support?
Jimmy: “Thank you very much for the great care and treatment towards me in the time I’ve been supported.
We’d like to thank both Jimmy and David for sharing their story of how support has enabled the transition to independent living, and wish Jimmy the best of luck for his next chapter. You can watch their full interview here.
