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Showing results for tags 'Learning disorders'.
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News ArticleA man with Down’s Syndrome and dementia died in hospital after not being fed for nine days. The 56-year-old was admitted to Poole hospital with a hip fracture after falling over at a Bournemouth care home, where he had been receiving care. On admittance, he was taken to the trauma and orthopaedics ward, where he was listed as ‘nil by mouth’, as he had trouble swallowing. Nine days later, he died of pneumonia after a ‘series of errors’ at the hospital. Now, the man’s father has been given £22,500 in compensation, after an incident investigation at the hospital. Allegations made against the hospital included a failure to feed the patient for nine days, causing "his subsequent severe deterioration and death". The hospital failed to adequately monitor and investigate his condition, while failing to provide senior doctors, it was alleged. This left unsupervised junior doctors who did not have access to senior staff or any way to escalate their concerns, allegations said. This, it was claimed, was not done when the patient was still nil by mouth after nine days, despite the fact he was suffering from pneumonia. Read full story Source: Yahoo News, 9 February 2024
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Content ArticleThis study published in BMJ Quality & Safety identified factors acting as barriers or enablers to the process of healthcare consent for people with intellectual disability and to understand how to make this process equitable and accessible. The study found that multiple reasons contribute to poor consent practices for people with intellectual disability in current health systems. Recommendations include addressing health professionals’ attitudes and lack of education in informed consent with clinician training, the co-production of accessible information resources and further inclusive research into informed consent for people with intellectual disability. Related reading on the hub: Accessible patient information: a key element of informed consent
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Content ArticleThe Department of Health and Social Care has published a letter, final report with recommendations, and a proposed code of practice framework from Baroness Hollins on the use of long-term segregation for people with a learning disability and/or autistic people. In her scathing report, Baroness Shelia Hollins said: “My heart breaks that after such a long period of work, the care and outcomes for people with a learning disability and autistic people are still so poor, and the very initiatives which are improving their situations are yet to secure the essential funding required to continue this important work."
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Content ArticleThis report details the findings of a thematic review of Safe and wellbeing reviews (SWRs) between October 2021 and May 2022. SWRs are undertaken for children, young people and adults that are autistic and/or have a learning disability who are being cared for in a mental health inpatient setting. SWRs are part of the NHS response to the safeguarding adults review concerning the tragic deaths of Joanna, Jon, and Ben at Cawston Park Hospital, who were each detained for a long period of time and did not receive appropriate care.
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News Article
NHS told to make better use of hospital passports to support patients
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Hospital passports need to be more consistently used across the NHS to better support patients with communication difficulties, a learning disability nurse says. Support for patients with communication needs and learning disabilities, as well as the nurses caring for them, is often ‘inconsistent’, according to RCN professional lead for learning disabilities Jonathan Beebee. Coupled with the current system-wide pressure of patient backlogs and high staff vacancy rates it means patients often do not have their communication needs met. A hospital passport, which contains vital information about a patient’s health condition, learning disability and communication needs, would help address this, Mr Beebee told Nursing Standard. "There has got to be better consistency in how we are identifying people with communication needs, how they are getting flagged and how nurses are being pointed to that from the second that someone is admitted to the ward," he said. Mr Beebee says ensuring a standardised approach would improve patient experience and ultimately nurses’ relationship with patients. Read full story Source: Nursing Standard, 27 July 2022 -
Content ArticleThe LeDeR programme, funded by NHS England and NHS Improvement, was established in 2017 to improve healthcare for people with a learning disability and autistic people. LeDeR aims to: Improve care for people with a learning disability and autistic people. Reduce health inequalities for people with a learning disability and autistic people. Prevent people with a learning disability and autistic people from early deaths. LeDeR summarises the lives and deaths of people with a learning disability and autistic people who died in England in annual reports. The 2021 reports were made by researchers at King’s College London collaborating with academic partners at the University of Central Lancashire and Kingston-St George’s University, London, copies of which can be accessed from the link below along with a video summary of the findings and “TakeHome” posters.
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Content ArticleHealth Education England and Skills for Care are working in partnership on the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training trials in Learning Disability and Autism. This video tells Oliver’s Story and why the training is taking place.
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Content ArticleThe information that care homes submit to CQC about the deaths of people in their care is published on a weekly basis as part of the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reporting on deaths. The ONS data is not broken down by whether the person who died had a disability. Supported by ONS, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has completed a targeted piece of analysis to better understand the impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) on people with a learning disability, some of whom may also be autistic, and how the number of deaths during this period compares to the number of deaths last year. This analysis looked at all deaths notified to CQC between 10 April and 15 May from providers registered with CQC who provide care to people with a learning disability and/or autism (including providers of adult social care, independent hospitals and in the community), and where the person who died was indicated to have a learning disability on the death notification form.
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Content ArticleIf you have a relative with a learning disability who is at risk of behaviour that challenges, you may want to find out more about Positive Behavioural Support (PBS). PBS provides support for a person, their family and friends to help people lead a meaningful life and learn new skills without unnecessary and harmful restrictions. It is not simply about getting rid of challenging behaviour, but with the right support at the right time the likelihood of behaviour that challenges is reduced. The Positive Behavioural Support Resource for Family Carers has been developed with The Challenging Behaviour Foundation.
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Content ArticlePositive Behavioural Support is a way of helping people with learning disabilities who are at risk of behaviour that challenges to have the best quality of life they can. If you have a learning disability and behaviour which others may call challenging behaviour, these booklets have been designed to help you think about what having a good life means for you.
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Content ArticleThe PBS Academy is a collective of organisations and individuals in the UK who are working together to promote Positive Behavioural Support (PBS) as a framework for working with children and adults with learning disabilities who are at risk of behaviour that challenges. Developing local capacity and the competence of everyone involved in the delivery of evidence-based and high-quality supports to people with a learning disability and challenging behaviours is critical to the successful implementation of PBS. The following standards have been developed to guide practice and training. They are, in part, in direct response to the final report of the post Winterbourne consultation examining services in the UK for people with learning disabilities and/or autism published in February 2016, Time for change: The challenge ahead. This report acknowledges PBS as the recommended framework for working with people with learning disabilities at risk of behaviour that challenges.
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Content ArticleThe UK Positive Behavioural Support (PBS) Competence Framework provides a detailed framework of the things that you need to know and the things that you need to do when delivering best practice PBS to people with learning disabilities who are at risk of behaviour that challenges. The objectives of the framework are that: More individuals with learning disabilities and behaviours that challenge will benefit from high-quality, evidence-based support delivered by competent professionals working as part of a multi-disciplinary team. Practitioners will benefit from professional development and occupational standards. Organisations supporting individuals with learning disabilities and behaviours that challenge will be able to employ practitioners with a greater degree of certainty about competence and quality. Commissioners will have a greater understanding of the nature and use of PBS in practice. Practice based research will contribute to the growing evidence base for PBS.
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News Article
Covid deaths for people with learning disability in England six times average
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
People with learning disabilities are dying of coronavirus at more than six times the rate of the general population, according to “deeply troubling” figures that have prompted a government review. A report from Public Health England (PHE) found that 451 in every 100,000 people registered as having learning disabilities died after contracting Covid-19 in the first wave of the pandemic, when the figures were adjusted for age and sex. Because not all Covid deaths among people with learning disabilities are registered as such, the true figure is likely to be 692 in every 100,000, or 6.3 times the UK average, the report estimated. Campaigners said the figures showed the government had failed to protect the most vulnerable. The report found that Covid deaths among those with learning disabilities were also more widely spread across age groups, with far greater mortality rates among younger adults. Those aged 18-34 were 30 times more likely to die with the virus than their counterparts in the general population. The higher death rate is likely to reflect the greater prevalence of health problems such as diabetes and obesity among those with learning disabilities, the report said. It also noted that some learning disabilities, such as Down’s syndrome, can make people more vulnerable to respiratory infections. People with learning disabilities are also likely to have difficulty recognising symptoms and following advice on testing, social distancing and infection prevention, the report said. It may also be harder for those caring for them to recognise symptoms if these cannot be communicated, it added. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 12 November 2020 -
Content ArticleIn this Episode of the 'This Is Nursing' podcast series, Gavin Portier speaks to Amanda McKie, Matron -for Learning Disabilities & Complex Needs Coordinator at Calderdale & Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust. In this episode Amanda talks about health inequalities, mental capacity, advocacy and high profile key documents such as Death by Indifference, the LeDer Mortality programme and the current case of Oliver McGowan. Learning disabilities is a life long condition and they can present in any areas of health care. In this podcast we discover how important it is to have an understanding an appreciation and insight into the care experience of a person with a learning disability and their parents or carers.
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News Article
After scandals like Winterbourne View, why is basic decency still remarkable?
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
In late July 2019, Sara Ryan tweeted asking families with autistic or learning disabled children to share their experience of “sparkling” actions by health and social care professionals. She was writing a book about how professionals could make a difference in the lives of children and their families. "These tweets generated a visceral feeling in me, in part because of the simplicity of the actions captured. Why would you not ring someone after a particularly difficult appointment to check on them? Isn’t remembering what children like and engaging with their interests an obvious way to generate good relationships? Telling a parent their child has been a pleasure to support is commonplace, surely?" Sara's own son, Connor, was left to drown in an NHS hospital bath while nearby staff finished an online Tesco order. "Certain people, children and adults, in our society are consistently and routinely positioned outside of 'being human', leading to an erasure of love, care and thought by social and healthcare professionals. They become disposable." What has become clear to Sara is how much the treatment of people and their families remains on a failing loop, despite extensive research, legislative and policy change to make their lives better, and potentially transformative moments like the exposure of the Winterbourne View scandal. At the heart of this loop are loving families and a diverse range of allies, surrounded by a large cast of bystanders who, instead of fresh eyes, have vision clouded by ignorance and sometimes prejudice. "To rehumanise society, we need more people with guts and integrity who are prepared to step up and call out poor practice, and to look afresh at how we could do things so much better with a focus on love and brilliance." Read full story Source: The Guardian, 27 October 2020 Sara Ryan's book: Love, learning disabilities and pockets of brilliance: How practitioners can make a difference to the lives of children, families and adults -
News ArticleThe Care Quality Commission (CQC) has called for ‘ministerial ownership’ to end the ‘inhumane’ care of patients with learning difficulties and autism in hospital – after finding some cases where people had been held in long-term segregation for more than 10 years. Following its second review into the uses of restraint and segregation on people with a learning difficulty, autism and mental health problems, the CQC has warned it “cannot be confident that their human rights are upheld, let alone be confident that they are supported to live fulfilling lives”. The review was ordered by health and social care secretary Matt Hancock in late 2018 in response to mounting concerns about the quality of care in these areas. According to the report, published today, inspectors found examples people being in long-term segregation for at least 13 years, and in hospital for up to 25 years. It also found evidence showing the proportion of children from a black or black British background subjected to prolonged seclusion on child and adolescent mental health wards was almost four times that of other ethnicities. Looking at care received in hospital the CQC found many care plans were “generic” and “meaningless” and patients did not have access to any therapeutic care. Reviewers also found people’s physical healthcare needs were overlooked. One women was left in pain for several months due to her provider failing to get medical treatment. The regulator also reviewed the use of restrictive practices within community settings. While it found higher quality care, and the use of restrictive practices was less common, it said there was no national reporting system for this sector. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 22 October 2020
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Content ArticleA Virtual Clinic was set up at an acute general hospital in the Mid-Essex area with the specific aim to co-ordinate the care of adults diagnosed with intellectual disabilities (ID) coupled with two or more long term conditions. This is one of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) shared learning case studies. NICE has over 800 examples showing how our guidance and standards can improve local health and social care services.
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News Article
Independent sector model ‘inherently risky’, says CQC
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The care model run by independent sector mental health and learning disability hospitals is ‘inherently risky’, a Care Quality Commission (CQC) chief inspector has warned. Speaking at the NHS Providers conference, Ted Baker, chief inspector of hospitals for the Care Quality Commission, unveiled the regulator’s plans to change how it inspects health and care services. When asked by HSJ how its new “streamlined” approach would be applied to inpatient units run by the independent sector for people with mental health and learning disability, Professor Baker said: ”One of the things we’ve been doing during the pandemic, and will continue in our transitional approach, is target risk. And one of the risks we have been targeting is exactly this, patients with learning disability and/or autism in some of these small units that have got closed cultures." “I think we do recognise that model of care is an inherently risky model of care and so we have been inspecting many of those under this risk driven model and taking action against many of them. But there is ongoing concern about that model of care and in a few weeks’ time we will be publishing a report on our assessment of that model of care and the importance of it being changed for the benefit of the people being looked after. The model of care needs to be improved but we need to make sure we are tackling the risk.” The chief’s comments come ahead of the regulator’s state of care report, which is due to be published next week. In its report published last year the CQC highlighted a concern regarding the quality and safety of independent learning disability and autism units. In particular it warned these were at a higher risk of developing closed cultures. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 7 October 2020) -
News ArticleTen workers at a mental health unit have been suspended amid claims patients were "dragged, slapped and kicked". Inspectors said CCTV footage recorded at the Yew Trees hospital in Kirby-le-Soken, Essex, appeared to show episodes of "physical and emotional abuse". The details emerged in a Care Quality Commission (CQC) report after the unit was inspected in July and August. A spokeswoman for the care provider said footage had been passed to police. The unannounced inspections were prompted by managers at Cygnet Health Care, who monitored CCTV footage of an incident on 18 July. At the time, the 10-bed hospital held eight adult female patients with autism or learning difficulties. The CQC reviewed 21 separate pieces of footage, concluding that 40% "included examples of inappropriate staff behaviour". "People who lived there were subjected not only to poor care, but to abuse," a CQC spokesman said. Workers were captured "physically and emotionally abusing a patient", and failing to use "appropriate restraint techniques", the report said. It identified "negative interactions where staff visibly became angry with patients" and two cases where staff "dragged patients across the floor". "We witnessed abusive, disrespectful, intimidating, aggressive and inappropriate behaviour," the inspectors said. Read full story Source: BBC News, 23 September 2020
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EventuntilSupporting individuals with learning disabilities to access the care for their needs comes with a number of challenges. But could we finally put the people using services at the heart of planning and delivery with the use of technology? Join this free online event from The King's Fund to discuss concrete examples of innovative digital solutions and to consider how technology can help with personalising care for people with learning disabilities. You will hear about: practical ways of adjusting a digital tool to the individual using it, to make them feel more comfortable in their path to more independence the importance of creative and empathetic attitudes in problem-solving in order to build tailored solutions evidence for the benefits of using digital tools for people with learning disabilities and some cautionary tales, too. ways to involve the person, their family and carers at an early stage and throughout the decision-making process the role of technology in promoting better health outcomes for people from disadvantaged groups and enhancing social inclusion. Registration
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Content ArticleBased on extensive interviews with the leaders of seven trusts in the NHS providing good or outstanding care to people with a learning disability and people with autism, and broader ongoing engagement with trusts providing these services, this report from NHS Providers sets out in detail the common themes behind high-quality care, offering detailed case studies of how these services have succeeded.
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News Article
Regulator launches independent review into care of vulnerable man
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
NHS England and Improvement have launched an independent review into the care and death of a man with learning disabilities, following concerns raised by HSJ. The regulator has appointed Beverley Dawkins to carry out an independent review of the case of Clive Treacy, as part of the learning disability mortality review programme. Clive, who died in 2017, had previously been denied a review under LeDer and, according to emails seen by HSJ, his death was never officially recorded by the programme, which is meant to record all deaths of people with a learning disability. NHS England and Improvement overturned the decision earlier this year after HSJ presented evidence of a series of failures in his care between 2012 and 2017. Today, it was confirmed to us that Ms Dawkins has been commissioned to carry out the review, and that it would review his care throughout his life, as well as his death. Read full story Source: HSJ, 23 July 2020 -
News Article
Unit put into special measures after ‘inadequate’ rating
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A low secure unit for people with learning disabilities and autism has been put into special measures after inspectors found the use of restraint and segregation affected the quality of life for some patients. Cedar House, in Barham near Canterbury, houses up to 39 people and had been rated “good” by the Care Quality Commission early last year. But at an inspection in February this year inspectors rated the service – run by the Huntercombe Group — “inadequate,” saying it was not able to meet the needs of many of the patients at the unit. It was issued with three requirement notices. One patient had been subject to prolonged restraint 65 times between September and February. Each time he was restrained by between two and 19 staff, for an average of nearly two hours. On one occasion, this restraint lasted for eight hours. But the inspectors were told that in the six months before the inspection 29 staff had been injured during these restraints, and the hospital had been trying to refer the patients to a more secure environment. “The impact of this inappropriately placed patient was considerable for both the patients and the hospital,” the report said. “The staff who were regularly involved in restraining the patient were tired and concerned about the welfare and dignity of the patient.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 21 July 2020 -
News Article
‘Insufficient’ national response to deaths review programme, report finds
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The latest annual report into the deaths of people with learning disabilities has criticised the “insufficient” national response to past recommendations and called for “urgent” policy changes. The national learning disabilities mortality review programme has criticised the response from national health bodies to its previous recommendations. To date, just over 7,000 deaths have been notified to the programme and reviews have been completed for just 45%. There have been four annual reports for programme to date, and in the latest published today, the authors warned: “The response to these recommendations has been insufficient and we have not seen the sea change required to reassure [families] that early deaths are being prevented." “It is long over-due that we should now have concerted national-level policy change in response to the issues raised in this report and previous others. A commitment to take forward the recommendations in a meaningful and determined way is urgently required.” The latest report also warns that black, Asian and ethnic minority children with learning disabilities die “disproportionately” younger compared to other ethnicities. It also found system problems and gaps in service provision were more likely to contribute to deaths in BAME people with learning disabilities. Read full story Source: HSJ, 16 July 2020
