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Dimensions responds to the Government’s draft Mental Health Bill The Government has published a draft Mental Health Bill which will reform outdated mental health laws and give individuals more control over their care and treatment. Rachael Dodgson, Chief Executive said: We welcome the recognition of person-centred principles and the importance of listening to the experiences of people to shape services and commissioning.
Dimensions’ plan for the social care workforce
Step inside our brand-new supported living home in Rochford, Essex! Three people with learning disabilities and/or autism in Essex will have the chance to move closer to their families thanks to a development of tailored flats in Rochford. There are some amazing opportunities to join this brand-new support team in Essex, supporting people with learning disabilities, as they move in and turn this house in to their home! If you feel you have the compassion, enthusiasm, and dedication to ‘make a difference’ then why not apply to join their team.
87% of families rate our support as good or better There is no doubt that Dimensions colleagues strive to do the very best they can for the people they support, in line with their training and their obligations to the Care Act, Mental Capacity Act and so on, as the headline statistic above shows. Equally there’s no doubt that families strive to do the best they can for their loved ones, in line with their love and their parenting or sibling experience and expectations. So what happens when these worlds collide?
We’re one of the UK’s Best Workplaces – for the fourth year in a row! We are delighted to let you know that the Dimensions group has been officially accredited as one of the UK’s Best Workplaces by the Great Place to Work Institute for a fourth year in a row. The success, which comes hot on the heels of our accreditation as one of the UK’s best workplaces for wellbeing, follows analysis of the results of last year’s colleague survey and a comprehensive review of our management policies and practices. Whereas last year all organisations were judged primarily on how they had responded to the pandemic, this year the review was, as usual, more comprehensive and looked at all aspects of the experience colleagues have of working for Dimensions, Dimensions Cymru, Discovery or Outreach 3Way.
We are delighted to say that the Dimensions group has officially been recognised as a 2022 UK’s Best Workplace™ for Wellbeing, by Great Place to Work® UK! Dimensions has been recognised as a Great Place to Work® in previous years (the 2022 list will be announced later this year) and we’re proud to be able to add this new wellbeing accolade to our achievements. We are proud of our wellbeing offer in Dimensions, including schemes such as the Employee Assistance Programme Mental Health First Aiders and the caring environment created by colleagues at all levels of the organisation as we put our values into practice. Importantly, this wellbeing award is based on feedback from colleagues in our last colleague survey. Based on colleagues’ responses to topics such as job satisfaction, work-life balance and sense of fulfilment, Dimensions is placed in the top 38 UK Best Workplaces for Wellbeing in the ‘super large’ category, alongside big business like Santander and Hilton. You can find the full list of UK’s Best Workplace™ for Wellbeing winners at www.greatplacetowork.co.uk
Introducing Dimensions’ new CEO After a career pressing for better lives for more people with learning disabilities and autism, Steve Scown stepped down as Chief Executive of Dimensions on the 7th March. I was personally thrilled to witness him receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award at the recent National Learning Disability and Autism Awards. It was a wholly deserved accolade recognising Steve’s long term contribution, not just to Dimensions but to the wider social care sector. Rachael Dodgson, Dimensions CEO In succeeding Steve as CEO of Dimensions, my focus is to build on what we’re great at, and to pay particular attention to the pinch points. I’m determined to engage more at governmental level to tackle the fundamental issue of pay in our sector. If interested, you can read our submission to the Health Select Committee on that subject here. On that note there’s a myriad of competing voices in our sector so an early priority for me is to build stronger partnerships with others. We speak more compellingly when we speak as one.
Dimensions Assistant locality Manager Tina Cracknell has featured in a Norfolk County Council video sharing how she found her dream career in the care sector, supporting adults with learning disabilities and autism. A hardworking mother, former barmaid and former chef, Tina explains how she took the leap to pursue a career that she loves.
We are delighted to say that the Dimensions group has officially been recognised as one of the UK’s Best Workplaces for Wellbeing in 2022, by Great Place to Work® UK. Dimensions has been recognised as a Great Place to Work® for the last three years running (the 2022 list will be announced later this year) and we are pleased to add this wellbeing accolade to our achievements. We are proud of our wellbeing offer in Dimensions (including schemes such as the Employee Assistance Programme and Mental Health First Aiders) and the caring environment created by colleagues who put our values into practice. Importantly, this wellbeing award is based on feedback from colleagues in our last colleague survey. Based on colleagues’ responses to topics such as job satisfaction, work-life balance and sense of fulfilment, Dimensions is placed in the top 32 UK Best Workplaces for Wellbeing in the ‘super large’ category, alongside big business like Santander and Hilton.
Brett wants to stress that his job is very different to how some people perceive ‘care work’. “It's nothing like I thought,” he says. “I thought it would be a regimented, institutionalised world – one where you're stuck in the house all day, waiting for the clock to chime… but here you come to their house, and the person lets you know want they want, so if they wish to lay in or be out the door at the crack of dawn, they get it!” Brett continues, “We're not carers, we're support workers, and they are two massively different things.”
