HemiHelp is a charity providing support and information to people with hemiplegia and their families in the UK, including the professionals involved in their care.
Hemiplegia is a neurological condition that affects children and adults in a similar way to a stroke. It is caused by injury to the brain and it results in a varying degree of weakness and lack of control on one side of the body. It is more than a physical impairment and half of those with hemiplegia experience additional issues such as epilepsy, learning and behavioural difficulties.
Hemiplegia affects one child in 1000; children like Summer, who is 11 years old, and was diagnosed with right-sided hemiplegia before her first birthday. Her mum Cherie says they muddled along but it wasn’t until Summer began experiencing real problems at school, that Cherie contacted HemiHelp for support.
“The teachers didn’t understand Summer or the condition so I called HemiHelp and they came to see me at home and made me feel very positive about what they could do to make Summer’s school life easier. The home visitor from HemiHelp went to Summer's school and trained the staff on how best to support her and it really helped.”
After helping families for nearly twenty-five years HemiHelp contacted Pilotlight because they were looking to expand. They wanted strategic support to help them plan for the next five years. Amy Couture, current CEO, explains:
“We came to Pilotlight at a time when we were looking to grow and develop our services. We were keen to formalise our vision, mission and values. We spent time with the Pilotlight team reviewing our services, identifying where the gaps and opportunities were and considering feedback from different stakeholders. The beauty of the Pilotlight process is that it enables you to focus on doing the work around strategy and the monthly meetings give you a natural deadline."
The Pilotlight team included business members from Waitrose and Bank of America Merrill Lynch. While working with HemiHelp on their five-year plan it became clear that some support was also needed around planning for the imminent departure of the chief executive. They encouraged Amy, who was then general manager, to apply. Amy says their support and coaching helped her transition into the role of CEO.
"It's certainly raised my confidence, especially when it comes to decision making. I was 27 years old when I took on the chief executive role at the end of our Pilotlight project and this was a big step for me, as well as a huge opportunity. The time and space Pilotlight gave me to think about why, and how, we do things as an organisation was hugely beneficial.
Getting the input from people who have a wealth of experience to offer, even if they do sometimes ask challenging and provoking questions, was invaluable. We are now in a good position to move our services forward and expand."
Pilotlight Project Manager, Robbie Cowbury says:
“It was clear HemiHelp had a strong grasp on where they were and where they were going, so giving them the space and structure to lay it all out was the main focus for the Pilotlight team. The team were able to push Amy to think big and explore new approaches, including visiting BAML to see their management techniques in action. This really came to the fore when the issue of succession came up and the team could support Amy to step up.”