What steps are trusts taking to deliver high-quality care?

The majority of wards and community services for people with a learning disability or autism are providing good care, according to CQC’s latest State of care report (October 2019) and ratings as of 1 April 20200, and there are a number of trusts with learning disability and autism services that have been rated as 'outstanding' that other providers can take learning from.

This section sets out some examples of how such trusts are delivering high-quality care, based on interviews we conducted with leaders of seven trusts providing good or outstanding learning disabilities and autism services. The final part of this section shines a spotlight on some notable steps we are aware of trusts taking most recently to meet the specific challenges the COVID-19 pandemic has posed for the delivery of high-quality learning disability and autism services.

Co-producing person centred and holistic care

Many of the trusts we interviewed have been undertaking work in collaboration with service users, families and carers to deliver high-quality, person-centred and holistic care that best meets people’s needs. Service users at Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust have access to their own clinical data dashboard so they can be part of conversations about managing their own care as part of the trust’s Talk First initiative. A number of trusts are also running employment and work experience schemes for service users. Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust deliver the Project choice (August 2018) programme with the support of Health Education England, which has given young people using the trust’s services the opportunity to learn new skills in a real work environment and the confidence to help them gain employment or further training in the future. South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust also runs a work experience scheme and a significant number of the latest cohort gained employment with the trust following their participation in the scheme.

Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust is working collaboratively with Inclusion Gloucestershire, a user led organisation, alongside Family Partnership Solutions, a family carer led community interest company, and Gloucestershire County Council, to develop the national Oliver McGowan mandatory training on autism and learning disabilities for all health and social care staff. This training will be based on the findings of Right to be heard (Department of Health and Social Care, November 2019) and core capabilities frameworks (Skills for Health, October 2019). The experts by experience employed by Inclusion Gloucestershire will be integral to the development and delivery of this training, sitting on the planning board and acting as co-facilitators on every training event.