The difference Shared Lives makes
There are lots of stories on this website about the difference Shared Lives makes, but we also like to use numbers. My Shared Life is an online tool that measures outcomes for people who visit or live with a Shared Lives carer.
My Shared Life shows how Shared Lives supports people to live well, with concrete data. People who set up and pay for Shared Lives can see outcomes for whole groups of people and make informed decisions.
Schemes and people who use Shared Lives can see clearly how well they are being supported.
Shared Lives schemes ask people about their wellbeing over months and years, with questions that were developed by people in Shared Lives to best reflect quality of life. The answers are then inputted into My Shared Life online tool which presents how people feel about their wellbeing, and how it has changed over time, in clear graphics.
The data up until March 2022 showed:
- 97% people in Shared Lives felt they were part of the family most or all of the time.
- 87% people felt that their Shared Lives carer’s support improved their social life.
- 82% people felt that their Shared Lives carer’s support made it easier for them to have friends.
- 92% people in Shared Lives felt involved with their community.
- 85% felt their Shared Lives carer’s support helped them have more choice in their daily life.
- 85% of people felt their physical and emotional health had improved.
David’s progress
David Ward, 52, has lived with Shared Lives carers Stephen and Richard, as part of the Durham Shared Lives scheme, since December 2016 and since living with them he has gone from strength to strength. My Shared Life shows how David feels his wellbeing has improved in different areas of life.
From having only one friend, with Stephen and Richard’s support, in just over a year David made friends with nine more people.
Stephen said: “Being able to see the change in David visually, how much he has improved, how much more energy he has now, is so rewarding. David’s brother said we’d saved his life, and hearing something like that from a family member is obviously amazing.”
What the professionals say:
“In Durham, we use the My Shared Life Tool regularly and we are looking forward to sharing it with CQC when we are next inspected.”
Alison Urwin, Registered Manager, Durham Shared Lives.
“From a commissioning perspective ‘My Shared Life’ will enable us to track and evidence the outcomes for people using the service over time. It will benefit all stakeholders by providing opportunities to reflect and continually improve the service.”
Robin Goold, Joint Commissioner, Milton Keynes Council and Clinical Commissioning Group.
Join the growing My Shared Life network and show the power of Shared Lives. The more people who use My Shared Life, the more powerful the data becomes.
To sign up or learn more about My Shared Life ask Cathy McSweeney for more information cathy@sharedlivesplus.org.uk, 07391 418 532.
