West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care Partnership extends project with people with learning disabilities

Posted on: 5 June 2020

West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care Partnership (WY&H HCP) has today announced the extension of its work with Bradford Talking Media (BTM). The project, which has been running since July 2019, has trained a group of more than 40 people with learning disabilities to act as a forum that advises the Partnership on how services can better relate to and address the needs of people with learning disabilities and / or autism.

The Health and Care Champions project was set up in recognition that having a learning disability increases the likelihood of experiencing deprivation and poverty. Having a learning disability and / or autism can also limit the chances of people being able to work, both from the prospective employer believing lack of capability and low self-esteem of the people themselves. At the same time, people with autism and/or learning disabilities have much higher rates of ill-health than the general population, findings which have been borne out in relation to COVID-19 and reported last week by the Care Quality Commission. 

At a time when the coronavirus outbreak is having an impact on all our lives, projects such as this with BTM, our Keeping People Connected project with Inclusion North, which aims to link autistic people with sources of support in their local community during the coronavirus outbreak, and our upcoming survey of autistic people’s experience of urgent and emergency care, are needed more than ever before.

Dr Sara Munro, CEO Lead for WY&H HCP Mental Health, Learning Disabilities and Autism; and CEO for Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust said:

Sara Munro.jpg

“It is our ambition as a Partnership to achieve a 10% reduction in the gap in life expectancy between people with mental health conditions, learning disabilities and/or autism and wider society by 2024, making life better for more than 200 000 people living in West Yorkshire and Harrogate. To this end, we have extended the Health and Care Champions project and we have recently initiated Keeping People Connected with the aim of reducing the risk of self-harm and self-neglect by linking people with autism with community-based support during the pandemic.

“We are committed to working with and involving people with learning disabilities and / or autism in our decision-making and we recognise the expertise that they bring to our programmes.”

Susan Crowe, Managing Editor at BTM said:

“We are delighted that our project is able to continue. We are keen to build on and use the insight we have gained from meeting with individuals and self-advocacy groups across the wider district. The people with learning disabilities who have stepped forward to be Champions did not want this opportunity for real participation on an equal footing to be lost. The training that they are participating in enables them to be confident in their ability to independently lead discussions with their peers and more importantly service providers. Real insights from people with lived experience will be reflected in the design and delivery of services for them.” 

Health and Care Champion TW said:

“I feel I have learnt a lot from working with this group, my presentation to the WY&H HCP Board really made me feel we were being listened to and our opinions mattered. It is really good that whilst we are shielded we can continue working.”

Sarah said: “I want to be a health and care champion because I want to make things better for people with learning disabilities and learn new skills.”

Healthcare champions resized (2).jpg

-ENDS-

Accessibility tools

Return to header