Better Outcomes for People with a Learning Disability

Quality Network Public Statements

Local Authority/Primary Care Trust

01454 862386

Our Service

South Gloucestershire Learning Difficulties Service is an integrated health and social care service for adults with learning difficulties and their Carers.  Our aim is to help people with their health and social care needs. 

In the team there are: -

• Care Management Assistants

• Community Health Practitioner

• Community Nurses

• Hydrotherapists

• Occupational Therapists

• Psychiatrists

• Psychologists

• Physiotherapists

• Speech and Language Therapist

• Social Workers

We have an Intensive Community Support Team who can help people if they are in crisis due to mental health needs or who need support on a short term basis with mental health needs

We pay for people to have: -

• Art, Drama and Music Therapy

• Dietetic Services

• Forensic Service

• Assessment and Treatment

We have a duty social worker everyday for advice and information.

The service has 4 Resource and Activity Centres (RAC's) and 1 day centre for people with extra support needs.

As part of our team we also have an Employment Service to help people get jobs and a Supporting Independence Team who help people develop skills so they can become more independent.

The Review

The review started in November 2004 and finished in January 2005.  The aim of the review was to find out if the Learning Difficulties Service gives people with high support needs a good day service.

There were 10 people on the Review Team and a Quality Leader.

At the start each member of the Review Team came to a workshop to find out information about the review. They then spent time with a person with learning difficulties with high support needs who had agreed to be part of the review. 

They also spent time talking to:

• Parents

• Carers

• Staff

• Managers

to find out more about the person being reviewed.

After visiting the people there were 3 more workshops which looked at: -

• What people had found out about the lives of the people they had visited

• Agreeing the actions that needed to be done to help make things better for people with high  support needs

• Finding out what actions had been done and what else needed to be done to make changes happen

The Team

Emma Savage, Joint Commissioning Manager (Quality Lead)

Adam Moss, Service User

Clare Woodhouse, Supporter for Adam

Greg Dymond, Service User

Clare Clarke, Supporter for Greg

Linda Coles, Carer

Maggie Sugden, Carer

Simon Flynn, Independent Advocate

Steve Maris, Mencap

Jan Lovell, Day Centre Manager

Jenny Ireland, Day Centre Manager

Wendy Lacey, Community Support Worker

Jacqui Ricketts, Valuing People Project Officer

Gill Selby and Annie Lawton from the BILD Quality Network supported the Team.

Findings

The review team tried to looked at 4 things which are important in people’s lives:

• Their rights

• Their well-being

• Their day

• Their relationship with other people

Most people reviewed had little or no speech, however, people were able to use gestures, body movements or signals to communicate and indicate choice.  These were well understood by people who knew them well. These are the main things the review team found out: -

What’s going well

• People respond well when given choice

• Most people were respected, most of the time

• People’s health needs were met, most of the time

• People were given choice in their day time activities

What needs to change

• There needs to be more chances for people to make friends and have choices in things like:

• what food they would like to eat

• what clothes they would like to wear

• what to spend their money on

• what to do in their leisure time

• Staff need to find out and check what people with learning difficulties want.

• People need to be involved in the decisions about their lives

• Staff and Carers need to give more chances for people with high support needs to take part in everyday activities

• Staff and Carers need to help people with high support needs to make friends.  They can do this by helping them to be part of their local community

These are the most important things the Review Team identified had to change: -

• People with high support needs should make everyday choices

• People with high support needs should take part in everyday activities

• People with high support needs should be able to be part of their local community

Action Plan

Find out what things stop people being offered everyday choices

1. We are going to visit the providers (day centres and residential homes) and family Carers of the 9 people reviewed to talk about what the review found out and some of the things that stop people being offered choice.

2. We are going to put an extra section in the Learning Difficulties Partnership Board newsletter to tell people about the review.

We will ask the people who were reviewed, Carers and staff who were involved in the Quality Review to tell us (the Review Team) what they think about the things found out about people being offered everyday choices.

3. We will talk about the findings of the Quality Review at regular Contract monitoring meetings with providers.

For 9 people with learning difficulties with high support needs to have their own way of expressing and having their choices recorded by using things like:

• video’s

• storybooks

• diaries

• photos

1. We will find out each person’s way of communicating and make a note of what is happening now.

2. We will have a workshop to show people the different ways of recording and expressing choice.

3. We will visit the 9 people again and see if any difference has been made to people being offered choice.

To help the 9 people who took part in the Quality Review to have greater choice and flexibility in the activities they took part in

1. We will support the 9 people to have a Person Centred Plan (if they would like one).

2. We will talk to someone who knows the person about Direct Payments.

3. We will show people what activities are available.

To help the 9 people who took part in the Quality Review to choose and take part in local activities

1. We will find out what people might like to do in their local community and the amount of support (or money) needed.

2. We will find the support (or money).

3. We will help the person to try out some of the things they might like to do.

Summary

South Gloucestershire Learning Difficulties Service is committed to finishing its 1^st Quality Review and do more reviews each year.

The information from our 1st review will be used to help us tell service providers what changes people with high support needs want to make their lives better.  It has helped us to see what is done well and what changes need to happen.

A report has gone to the Learning Difficulties Partnership Board (LDPB) who will make sure that the needs of people with high support needs are on the agenda of all the Sub-Groups.

Many of the Review Team have said they would like to be involved in the next review.  We are planning to do our next Quality Review in January 2006.

For more information, contact:

Sue Kerswell

Acting Valuing People Lead Officer

Fiveways,

New Cheltenham Road

Kingswood

South Glos

BS15 4RR

Telephone: 01454 862386

E- mail: sue.kerswell@southglos.gov.uk