Person-centred care is more than just a buzzword in health and social care – it’s a fundamental approach that puts individuals at the heart of every decision, recognising that each person’s journey, needs, and aspirations are unique. At Quo Vadis Trust, person-centred care isn’t just something we talk about; it’s woven into the very fabric of how we support the 275 clients who live across our 33 properties in South-East London.
Understanding Person-Centred Care
At its core, person-centred care means treating people as individuals rather than conditions or diagnoses. It recognises that the person receiving support is the expert on their own life, their own experiences, and their own goals. Rather than applying a one-size-fits-all approach, person-centred care adapts to meet each individual where they are, respecting their preferences, values, and choices.
In the context of mental health and supported housing, this approach is particularly vital. Mental health recovery is not a linear journey, and what works for one person may not work for another. Person-centred care acknowledges this reality and builds support around the individual, not the other way around.
Our Foundation: Partnership and Respect
At QVT, we work in partnership with our clients to support recovery, increase independence, maximise potential and promote the best possible quality of life. The key word here is “partnership” – we don’t simply provide services to people; we work alongside them, recognising that they are active participants in their own recovery journey.
This partnership is built on mutual respect. We believe that the relationships between people who use services and those who deliver them should honour both lived experience and professional knowledge. Our clients bring invaluable insights from their own experiences, whilst our staff contribute professional expertise and support. When these two forms of knowledge come together with mutual respect, the result is truly person-centred care.
Tailored Support Across Different Schemes
One of the most visible ways we practice person-centred care is through our range of accommodation options. We recognise that people need different levels of support at different stages of their recovery journey, which is why we offer four distinct types of schemes: Care Home, 24 Hour, Community, and Independent.
Our Care Home scheme provides intensive support for those who need it most, with staff and volunteers offering core services alongside activities that stimulate and promote holistic wellbeing. For clients who require extra support but are working towards greater independence, our 24 Hour schemes offer round-the-clock staff presence. Our Community schemes provide dedicated staff support Monday to Friday, whilst our Independent schemes offer floating support to residents in self-contained accommodation who are further along their recovery journey.
This graduated approach means we can match the level and type of support to each person’s current needs, and importantly, we can adjust that support as they progress. Person-centred care recognises that needs change over time, and our flexible scheme structure allows us to adapt alongside our clients.
Client Involvement: From Service Users to Co-Designers
Effective involvement of clients is of central importance to QVT. We don’t just ask our clients what they think about our services; we actively involve them in designing and shaping those services. This commitment goes beyond tokenistic consultation – we aim to build a reputation for genuinely involving clients in how QVT operates.
A two way street- led by clients in collaboration with support workers
A client’s journey through recovery at QVT means that their needs, risk and support planning is led by them. In collaboration with their key workers they design realistic short , medium and long term goals. Taking positive risks is a fundamental part of this recovery journey as well as being living examples of QVT’s values of Dignity, Excellence, Respect , Integrity and Kindness.
Our strategy sets out the aim of ensuring that QVT clients are routinely offered opportunities to participate meaningfully in the planning and delivery of our services. This might mean contributing to decisions about the activities offered at their scheme, providing feedback that shapes policy changes, or participating in groups that influence how we develop our services.
We also support clients to contribute to their local community and utilise external services available to them. Person-centred care recognises that recovery and wellbeing extend beyond the walls of supported housing – they encompass connection to the wider community, access to opportunities, and the chance to give back through volunteering or other forms of participation.
Supporting Holistic Wellbeing
Person-centred care means looking at the whole person, not just their housing needs or their mental health diagnosis. At QVT, this holistic approach is evident in the range of support we offer. Beyond providing safe, comfortable accommodation, we work with partners to ensure our clients have access to a range of opportunities in the community.
Our counselling service, which has previously been supported by National Lottery funding, provides dedicated psychological support with sessions tailored to each client’s needs. We also augment our core support with volunteers and peer supporters, recognising that different types of relationships and support can benefit different people in different ways.
Our LGBTQ+ group is another example of person-centred care in action. By creating spaces for clients with shared identities and experiences to connect, we acknowledge that identity and community matter for wellbeing. These aren’t additional extras – they’re integral parts of supporting the whole person.
Creating Safe, Comfortable Environments
We recognise that person-centred care extends to the physical environment in which people live. Our aim is to ensure that the services QVT provides are delivered in a comfortable, caring, compassionate and safe environment. As members of the National Housing Federation and the HouseProud Pledge, we maintain high standards across our properties, understanding that the quality of someone’s living space directly impacts their wellbeing and recovery.
Person-centred care means that a property isn’t just a roof over someone’s head – it’s their home. We strive to create environments where people feel safe, respected, and able to be themselves.
Learning and Improving
Perhaps one of the most important aspects of our person-centred approach is our commitment to learning from the people we support. We recognise that learning from the experiences of our clients who use our service offerings is essential if QVT is to deliver on its aspiration.
This isn’t just about collecting feedback for the sake of it – it’s about genuinely listening, reflecting, and making changes based on what clients tell us. Person-centred care requires humility: an acknowledgment that we don’t have all the answers and that the people we support have vital insights that can help us improve.
Supporting Recovery, Maximising Independence, Building Community
These three pillars – our organisational tagline – encapsulate our person-centred approach. Supporting recovery means recognising that each person’s recovery journey is unique and will unfold at their own pace. Maximising independence means empowering people to develop skills, confidence, and autonomy, with support that steps back as people grow stronger rather than creating dependency. Building community means building connections, both within QVT and in the wider area, because we know that belonging and contribution are fundamental to wellbeing.
Person-centred care can sometimes sound abstract, but at Quo Vadis Trust, it’s practical and purposeful. It’s in the conversations between support workers and clients about what matters most to them. It’s in the flexibility to adjust support as someone’s needs change. It’s in the client who helps design a new activity programme, the peer supporter who shares their recovery journey with others, and the counsellor who tailors sessions to what each individual needs to work through.
Ultimately, person-centred care is about dignity, respect, and partnership. It’s about seeing people not as passive recipients of services but as individuals with strengths, goals, and the right to shape their own lives. At QVT, this isn’t just our approach to care – it’s our commitment to every person we have the privilege to support.