Patrick McMahon (or Pat as he’s known to his friends and colleagues) is the Deputy Manager at Wentwood Court, one of Iris Care Group’s residential homes.
Patrick has over 22 years’ experience in the care sector, which includes various roles within residential settings, mental health services and learning disability hospitals. Recently named the CareTalk 2023 Deputy Manager of the Year, Pat is an influential role model to the team at Wentwood Court and to staff across Iris Care Group.
Pat’s work with Motability, a charity organisation that provides accessible vehicles for people with disabilities, has also impacted the lives of people across the UK.
Pat became aware that some of the people he supports were lacking sufficient access to the community and were reliant on sharing the home’s vehicles. While they were eligible for Motability vehicles, they were not receiving the necessary support to apply. In discussion with these individuals’ Local Authority teams, it became clear that they were being discouraged from supporting Motability applications because of the perceived difficulties and extra workload.
To overcome this issue, Pat researched the process and was able to complete much of the paperwork for the local authority teams independently, only requiring the teams to sign off the final forms. Seven of the individuals that Pat supports have now received specially adapted Motability vehicles as a result, which has increased their independence, and provided them with greater freedom to visit friends and family more frequently.
Pat said: “it’s far more than moving a person from point A to point B. It’s important that they’re in a comfortable environment that’s tailored to their needs.”
Pat has continued his work with Motability on a larger scale, with the goal of improving access to the scheme for people with complex needs across the UK. Pat has helped the Motability team develop a greater understanding of the needs of people with learning difficulties and behaviours that challenge, and these learnings are currently being utilised by Motability to provide a wider range of adaptation options for their entire customer base.
In addition to his work with the Motability scheme, Pat has also made an incredible impact on the Wentwood Court team with the work he has done to improve the staff induction process.
Starting a new role at any service can be daunting, especially when working with individuals with complex conditions. Leading with integrity, empathy and compassion, Pat provides a tailored induction for all new team members – he personally mentors each staff member for their first two weeks, supporting them from day one of their employment, through to signing off on their probationary period.
After ensuring that new team members have developed the appropriate skillset and feel confident and comfortable with their responsibilities, Pat supports them with their future learning and development goals and their Social Care Wales registration.
This level of mentoring goes above and beyond the industry standard and is acknowledged as one of the reasons why staff satisfaction at Wentwood is so high.
Part of this induction programme is aimed at ensuring that staff fully understand the principles of Positive Behaviour Support and Active Support. Pat’s mentoring also contributes towards improving quality of care – staff apply their learnings when creating individualised plans for the people they support, with the goal of leading happy, active lives and developing independent living skills.
Pat said: “a good manager is there for the team, the people we support, and is committed to finding the perfect balance between the two.”
Iris Care Group, which includes Wentwood Court, is the largest independent health and social care provider operating across the Southwest of England and South Wales, providing the full pathway of services for people with a range of complex needs.
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iriscaregroup.co.uk
