Getting It Right – From The Start. Background Getting it right The Mencap campaign

Getting It Right – From The Start

Background

Getting it right

The Mencap campaign


A innovative RESOURCE working with 62 GP surgeries to help them enhance health care for people with learning disabilities

Volunteers at the front; Champions and Mentors - 72 across the UK

Lead GPs with learning disability passion and expertise; colleagues in PCTs now emerging CCGS

Campaign becomes a 3 year project

Pics need to be

3.55cm square

Pics need to be 7.6cm square


Exeter & Mid Devon in the South West

Northamptonshire in the East Midlands

East Surrey in the South East

North Tyneside in the North East

Where?


Local expertise, safe hands..

Active, highly knowledgeable Steering Groups; Champion and Mentor representatives

Local Learning Disability Commissioners

Carers organisations

All areas very different…


Visits to GP surgeries and an Action Plan; Champions as expert patient eye

Workshops; Champions and Mentors as inspiring trainers with practical tips and personal insight

How was it for you? – An ongoing resource for GP surgeries with a revisit ‘check up’ to see how it now is for patients with learning disabilities..

How?



Surgeries have already made changes

Crucially, we are changing hearts and minds…

‘This will change my practice’

‘Personally it was humbling, professionally we have a lot to do..’

How right are we getting it so far?



What does the project mean to Champs?

Patience – ‘How have you had to use patience with the practices?’

Experience – ‘How has the experience of working with practice staff been so far?’

Trust – ‘Why is trust important?’

Confidence – ‘ How has your confidence improved?’

Building Relationships with practices – ‘Tell us about your journey with the practices’

Team Devon – working together as a team – ‘How has being part of a team helped you in this project?’

Ross Baines – Champion, Devon


What is the experience of working with GP surgeries like?

I first joined the project two years ago and learned a lot about what was expected of us. Working with the surgeries is a very important part of the whole project, we started out by looking around the surgeries we had been assigned, we assessed the facilities and what was needed to make the surgery better for people with disabilitys, we found simple things like there were no clear signs for doctors rooms, toilets and also the pharmacy. We also suggested to the surgeries on some easy read leaflets/signs for people.All three of our surgeries were great and we even were asked to make a few signs for them to use. We did lots of research and provided the surgeries with lots of easy read sites to help them make their pamphlets. The first meeting was a lot of chatting but we had to be very mindful of how we spoke to them so we didn’t come over too demanding or pushy as we knew they wouldn’t respond to this very well. We drew up some action plans with the practice managers on what we were going to do , when and by whom. We then went away and did our tasks and then we went back to the surgeries a few months later and we had a catch up on what had been done nad we passed over any resources we had said we would provide, and the practice manager told us how she felt it was all going, it was realy nice as we could already see some of the changes they had made and it was an amazing feeling because here were medical proffesionals listening to us nad taking on board what we had said. We then arranged to come back and present to them our training package we had put together, it was realy moving for the staff as we shared a lot of our experiences in surgerys, we also explained in detail about the differences between disability and learning difficulty and other things that they got rather confused over we gave lots of advice and ideas on what they should do, we also put in some activitys for them to do theese were to show how important easy read and correct, clear communication is realy important for us. We covered four main areas theese were easy read, communication, reasonable adjustments and learning disabilitys everyone who attended said they found what we said invaluable and that putting our own experiences realy made it hit home for them. I have realy enjoyed being part of the project and it makes me feel realy proud and important to be changing the medical proffesions view on learning difficultys and disabilitys. I look forward to going back in a years time to see what has changed and how much they have taken on board. I know that I am really lucky in my experience because the surgeries I have gone to have been very welcoming and warm and inviting whereas I know that some surgeries who agreed to participate turned round to their champions and told them to get lost not wanting to know what they had to say. I was expecting there to be a lot more difficulty in usbeing well received. Thank you for listening to me and for giving me your time.

Jennifer Baines – Champion, Devon


Already bringing new practioners on board

Outcomes for Champions; social success, enhanced skills for life and work

Great practice being recognised locally and nationally

Where now?



Rhea SinhaProject [email protected] Sign up for our newsletter and email briefings

www.mencap.org.uk/what-we-do/our-projects/getting-it-right-start

Have a look at what we are doing..

Documents

Getting It Right – From The Start. Background Getting it right The Mencap campaign