Search
Close
Back to list

New Models for Learning Disability Day Support Collaborative Final National Learning Event Summary

The New Models for Learning Disability Day Support Collaborative hosted its final National Learning Event on 9 March in Glasgow.

The event shared and celebrated the work of the Collaborative with updates from the national team and participating Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) Project Teams.

Sharing knowledge

The national team highlighted the tools and approaches used in the Collaborative.  Delegates explored the user journey in an interactive session with participants in Achieving Outcomes: a game of choice and chance.

The national team also shared with delegates an analysis of the learning in the Collaborative, through roadmap to service and user experience improvement. Click to download in PDF format.

Driver diagram of improvements needed

HSCP Project Teams shared their learning and progress, how they overcame challenges and how they will sustain a user-focus in service design in future.  See session slides for more information.

 

Key takeaways

  • Creating the conditions for user-focussed design takes time and leadership buy-in
  • The tools and approaches used in the Collaborative have proved their worth, highlighting bottlenecks, inefficiencies, frustrations and bring to the fore the user experience
  • The infrastructure in our communities must be improved to create equal access to service, opportunities and experiences
  • Systems and processes in services need to evolve, e.g. information governance barriers and delays to gather user experience and insights

Delegates also heard from the Scottish Government Complex Care Policy Team on the implementation of the Coming Home programme.  Delegates were able to discuss the upcoming programme of activity.

 

Listening to experience – key messages

Andy Miller, Strategic Lead: Participation and Partnership, Scottish Commission for Learning Disability, hosted a panel discussion with stakeholders.

Panel discussion image

  • Jenny Miller, Chief Executive of PAMIS (promoting a more inclusive society), shared a number of sobering examples where people’s lives have and are still affected by a lack of involvement and the fears of service change being interpreted as removal of services. A further example highlighted the need for services to listen to user and carer expertise – where the emphasis on postural care for the past 15 years was only listened to during the COVID-19 pandemic because this was now affecting the non-learning disability population in hospital care.

    “We need to be surprised, and shocked. We need to do something radical pretty soon”

  • Fiona Dawson, National Involvement Network and Rapporteur with the Scottish Commission for Learning Disability, shared her personal experience and that of others, where personal choice has been compromised or not available at all.

    “Let us speak for ourselves and get us involved. We deserve better.”

    Fiona emphasised involvement through a human rights lens and how all organisations can make use of the Charter for Involvement to improve how people are involved and the Human Rights Town app which was codesigned with people who have a learning disability.

  • Angela Henderson, Director of the Scottish Learning Disabilities Observatory (SLDO) explored the role of the Observatory. Much of the work has centred on health inequalities and more recently COVID-19 and its impact on the learning disability population.

    Angela spoke about the multiple inequalities that people face, including people dying 20 years sooner than the rest of the population, often from treatable disease.

    “We want to understand what needs to be done differently. We want to be a part of the conversations that lead to change.”

 

Links and resources