Better Outcomes for People with a Learning Disability

Quality Network Public Statements
   
Organisation Milton Keynes Council
Type Unitary Authority
Services included MK day services, Fremantle Trust, Macintyre Care 
Contact name Maurica Legg
Tel. 01908 253259
Email  
Public Statement   2000      

 

Milton Keynes Primary Care Trust, Macintyre Care, Fremantle Trust, Milton

Keynes Council, Carers Project and People First.

Who we are: The Milton Keynes Quality Network includes a

number of key organisation in Milton Keynes. The

services include health residential care and day

care. Together these services touch the lives of

more than 200 people with a learning disability.

Who to contact: Quality Leader

Maurica Legg

Joint Commissioning Manager Learning Disability

Phone: 01908-253259

email: maurica.legg@milton-keynes.gov.uk

About our Quality Network Review:

 

After a year's worth of discussion in the steering

group, the organisations agreed a way to jointly

review services. This process would provide an

opportunity to open doors, build links and assess

the way in which services interact across the

geographic area. The first review was undertaken

in the spring of 2000.

Where are the services:

Milton Keynes is a unitary authority that is situated

between Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire.

There is a single Primary Care Trust, which has responsibility

for Primary Care, Mental Health and Learning Disability Services

 

The review team:

While the steering group consisted of very senior

managers, the review team included middle

managers and frontline staff. There were two

people from each organisation, 2 people from

people first and 1 person from the Carers project.

There were 11 people in the review team.

The People Involved in the Review

Because the review was to go across services, it was agreed that the first review should begin with people living in residential care. There were 11 people living in 8 different residential units managed by 3 different organisations.

MILTON KEYNES QUALITY NETWORK PUBLIC STATEMENT

What we found:

  • Efforts were made to enable people to make everyday choices. Clothes,
food and bedroom decoration were examples of the everyday choices that

people felt they could make. If the person had very limited communication

choices were more difficult to make. There were examples of creative

solutions to communication problems.
  • People who lived in services had very positive relationships with staff and
great efforts were made to treat people with respect.
  • People's families were involved in any planning or decision making for

people. There was concern for people whose parents had died and links

with the extended family had disappeared.
  • The people involved in the review did visit their GP's and dentists

regularly. Medical information was held in a variety of ways. Good

practice needed to be shared across organisations.
  • There were some day opportunities which felt a lot like work. No-one in the
review had any opportunities to pursue work in the wider world.
  • Peoples ability to participate in activities in the wider community were

limited by staff availability. This also true of maintaining friendships

outside of the current service. Staff did make efforts to enable this to

happen whenever possible but this did not feel like enough.
  • People felt safe within their residential units but there were times when

they did not feel safe in the community. Young People sometimes bully

and frighten them when they are walking near their homes. Some people

reported feeling unsafe within their day services.
  • Mostly people did not have a say in the big decisions in their lives. It

seemed that the most important issue was where they lived and who they

live with.

 

Action Plan:

The action plan will be incorporated in the Joint Investment Plan, Action Plan

to form a co-ordinated plan for the future: