Annual health checks for people with learning disabilities were introduced as part of the Direct Enhanced Service in England in 2008 and a recent review of studies involving over 5000 people with learning disabilities showed that the provision of checks consistently found unmet health needs and enabled targeted action to address these needs. Health checks [read the full story…]
Following the signing of the concordat on Winterbourne View, there was a commitment to producing a report on progress against the agreements made by the signatories of that document . This report was published earlier this month and reports the findings from a questionnaire administered to all the 152 health and well-being board areas. The [read the full story…]
The events at Winterbourne View assessment and treatment service, where the BBC Panorama programme uncovered systematic abuse of people with learning disabilities, has led to a serious case review written by Margaret Flynn and Vic Citarella. The review concluded that the services provided at Winterbourne View were not based on an understanding of the needs of the [read the full story…]
The NHS faces an increasing funding gap and a conflict between supply and demand. The constitution says that the NHS must provide a high quality service for everyone. However, the population is growing, and people are living longer, so how can the NHS continue to do more with less? Monitor believes that getting better “health [read the full story…]
A new report from the Kings Fund, Delivering better services for people with long-term conditions: building the house of care, shares learning from the “house of care” model which was developed through the Year of Care programme and discussed in a recent workshop and series of interviews. The “house of care” metaphor is used to [read the full story…]
Time and time again, research has shown that involving patients and carers in the treatment decision-making process is beneficial to all involved as it improves compliance, patient satisfaction and experience, and ultimately reduces cost for the service as a whole. So, it is crucial that commissioners take this into account when designing and procuring services. [read the full story…]
Integrated care is seen as critical to delivering better quality services for patients and service users and a key element of health policies in the UK. However, the evidence base suggests a fragmented picture, with variations in definitions and implementations limiting what can be learned and applied elsewhere. This new report, Crossing Boundaries: Improving integrated [read the full story…]
A timely report from the Nuffield Trust details the background to the current policy on personal health budgets (due to become effective in April 2014) and some important learning for commissioners and policy makers. From next year, clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) will be required to offer personal health budgets to patients receiving continuing health care [read the full story…]
By Pauline Heslop, University of Bristol People with learning disabilities die significantly younger in England and Wales than people without learning disabilities. Men with learning disabilities die 13 years earlier on average and 20 years earlier for women compared to the general population. And people with learning disabilities are two and a half times more [read the full story…]
Despite public campaigns to combat stigma around mental illness, people with mental health problems still face ongoing discrimination. And while some sections of the media focus on mental illness in cases of violence, a rise in the number of people who are more of a risk to themselves goes unnoticed. We still find it difficult [read the full story…]
