Improving health outcomes for people with learning disabilities in Scotland – CfGS/SCLD report
New report by CfGS for the Scottish Commission for Learning Disabilities (SCLD)
SCLD and CfGS have today published Using scrutiny to drive outcomes: Improving quality of life for people with learning disabilities
in Scotland.
The report sets out the vital role effective scrutiny plays in ensuring that health and social care services are meeting the needs of people with learning disabilities. People with learning disabilities can have more choice and control to live as active citizens if services understand and respond to their needs. Equally when services fail, the impact on people with learning disabilities can be greater than other groups.
Effective scrutiny can be key to securing better outcomes. Equally, for scrutiny to be successful it must listen to the lived experience of people with learning disabilities. People with learning disabilities can also use scrutiny themselves.
The report Incorporates findings from listening to people with learning disabilities about their experiences and ambitions and reflects their needs in the recommendations the report makes. Discussions also took place with local authorities, health boards, voluntary/community/social enterprise sector groups and national scrutiny and oversight bodies. Key recommendations include:
- clearer people focused indicators should be used across organisations to demonstrate how they are meeting the needs of people with learning disabilities;
- incorporating learning disability specific measures in the scrutiny of health and social care services;
- a consistent approach to capturing and learning from data about learning disabilities;
- developing a programme of practical guidance and support to strengthen the impact of scrutiny.
Accompanying the publication of the report are a key findings document, a ‘map’ of health and social care scrutiny in Scotland, a guide to scrutiny that people with learning disabilities can use themselves to ask questions about services
The report is available from the SCLD website here.
About the Author: Nicolay Sorensen
As Head of Communications, Nicolay oversees CfGS’s communications strategy, events, branding and media relations.
