I have the privilege of working with some amazing Butterfly Scheme Leads, but none of them would claim to be able to achieve dementia care excellence on their own! Their in-house teams are essential and sometimes teams work collaboratively as part of a local group.
In the Butterfly Scheme, we also hold regional collaborative events, drawing in Butterfly Scheme Leads from across wide areas. Invariably, this generates valuable discussions and everyone goes away having both contributed and gained.
Leads also approach me individually about specific topics which may have been addressed elsewhere within the Butterfly Scheme across the UK. Whenever possible, I link them with someone who I know can share their relevant experience. Sometimes, though, this goes wider. This month, I asked all the Leads about a topic which very few had already addressed. What immediately happened is that others who were only teetering on the brink of addressing that topic stepped forward to say so – and hey presto! Suddenly, we have a working party forming which can now work collaboratively to create something that works in harmony with the Butterfly Scheme, with everyone feeling confident that they can share and learn as part of a supportive group.
This works because of the passion and drive of those Butterfly Scheme Leads. Fabulous!