Is your CQC regulated service a pipe dream, or one with legs?
Childhood memories
It was cosy. Definitely cosy. The Elddis wisp had been immaculately kept. Pristine seats and carpet. No sign of damp. The children clambered onto the chairs and posed for pictures to send home. We weren’t sure if it was road worthy – but it just bought back a flood of happy childhood memories.
I phoned my husband and spilled it all out in one excited torrent. It was extremely cheap due to its age, well kept..the end of the line must have been broken because I was met with silence..why oh why could he not get this was the buy of the century and the future of all things happy?
Living the Dream
You may be at the start of an adventure or you may be a provider with that parcel of land up for sale next door. So even with the money to make it a goer..when does a good idea turn into a good plan, and when is it one best to leave?
What’s your reason why?
This question is the start of everything. If you haven’t got one that is as strong as a cemented stake in the ground its best not to begin along your journey. Write it down if you have it, let it become part of your statement of purpose and every vein of activity run out of it like a spider’s web.
Who is with you?
If no one else wants it, you will have a battle on your hands. I am not just talking about planners and regulators (pay special note if the service is to be for learning disabilities), but I am talking of your family if you have them. Those that may lose you for a year or more building the service.
Will it fit or are you squeezing into it?
A bit like Cinderella’s slipper, if you have to make the dream fit the outcome…Houston we have a problem. A few allowances and a bit of rationalisation is one thing, but if the broom cupboard is meant to be a bedroom, and there is no need for the type of service you wish to offer…best stop before you start. If you don’t know about the detail – make sure you really have people that do on board.
An injection of positivity
Like my husband was asked before he married me…’are you sure about this?’, if you have considered the down sides, it might be a goer. There are good resources to check your idea before it becomes a plan such as resources from your local authority, Think Local Act personal Skills for Care and CQC guidance for providers.
He’s got a point..
I spoke charismatically to my husband in a final pitch. Nipping away for weekends, going away cheaply. Heck I even checked underneath the caravan! ‘It’s a 2 birth Abi”, he said. “And you haven’t a clue what to look for on the undercarriage”.’ He’s got me there..we are 4..and I really know nothing about what I saw underneath!
