The Summit on the Hill: A Supported Employment Story

My name is June Homden and I am an IPS Specialist working in Enable’s mental health team. Lucy was referred to me in May having been off work for some weeks with depression. Due to lockdown restrictions I spent time getting to know Lucy over the phone. She was feeling overwhelmed at the prospect of going back to her role as senior care assistant at CM Bespoke Care Ltd, she had not worked during the lockdown and had little contact with people outside of her home.

To be able to support Lucy back to work it was agreed that we needed to try and meet up with her employer to talk about her return to work. To make this meeting possible whilst still sticking to government guidelines we decided to go for a socially distanced walking meeting near Lucy’s home, in the Clee Hills.  The meeting was very relaxed and because of the rural location, confidentiality was possible. After the meeting we all agreed that the location, weather and informal setting had created a relaxed atmosphere in which Lucy was able to talk about her concerns more freely. Emma commented that she was going to try and encourage similar meetings even after lockdown had been lifted.

June Homden, IPS Specialist