Better Outcomes for People with a Learning Disability

Quality Network Public Statements

The service review took place between 11th January – 28th February 2000.

The services we reviewed were the Royds Lane and Waterloo Manor units in Leeds.

We visited nine service users.

Our review team consisted of two service users, one from each unit under review, their supporters, a volunteer, a parent of a HFT service user who lives at the Leeds scheme, a Support Worker, a Team Leader, the Quality Assurance Development Manager and The operational manager of the units.

Findings

What was going well for people visited -

We found that there was a lot of variety in the day and leisure opportunities for most service users.

The service users who lived in a small unit in the community were generally happier with the services they received and generally more meaningfully involved in their local community.

There are warm relationships within the service and with families.

There was excellent attention paid to service users health needs.

Those residents who had employment opportunities definitely benefited from these jobs.

HFT staff at the units were committed to delivering high standards of services and were generally doing a really good job.

Staff and managers at the service were open to constructive criticisms and were keen to develop the quality of services provided.

What we need to improve.

• We need to find better ways of communicating with service users which enables us to really listen to what they want and enables them to really become part of making important life decisions.

• We need to extend the opportunities for those with limited communication skills in order to increase their ability to make choices.

• We need to analyse the dynamics of the groups service users live in. To ensure that service users are living with people they feel safe with and are living with people who they want share with, e.g. people who have similar lifestyles etc.

• The way we develop services, which are built around users needs rather than resources which has historically been the case.

• We need to look at where people are presently living and whether their needs are still being met in this environment. It was clear that several residents were wanting to move on.

For more information contact:

Shelagh Murphy
Quality Assurance Development Manager,
HFT,
Merchants House,
Wapping Rd,
BRISTOL. BSI 4RW

Tel: 01 14 2346 170 or 01 17 927 3746

18.4.00.