Getting It Right – From The Start

1. Getting It Right – From The Start

2. Background

3. Getting it right The Mencap campaign

4. Getting It Right – From The Start Campaign becomes a 3 year project • 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 - 72across the UK • Lead GPs with learning disability passion and expertise; colleagues in PCTs now emerging CCGS Pics need to be 3.55cm square Pics need to be 7.6cm square

5. Getting It Right – From The Start Where? • Exeter & Mid Devon in the South West • Northamptonshire in the East Midlands • East Surrey in the South East • North Tyneside in the North East

6. Getting It Right – From The Start Local expertise, safe hands.. • Active, highly knowledgeable Steering Groups; Champion and Mentor representatives • Local Learning Disability Commissioners • Carers organisations • All areas very different…

7. Getting It Right – From The Start How? • 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.. Pics need to be 7.6cm square

8. Getting It Right – From The Start How right are we getting it so far? • 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..’ Pics need to be 7.6cm square

9. Getting It Right – From The Start What does the project mean to Champs?

10. Ross Baines – Champion, Devon • 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?’

11. Getting It Right – From The Start What is the experience of working with GP surgeries like?

12. Jennifer Baines – Champion, Devon • 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.

13. Getting It Right – From The Start Where now? • Already bringing new practioners on board • Outcomes for Champions; social success, enhanced skills for life and work • Great practice being recognised locally and nationally Pics need to be 7.6cm square

14. Getting It Right – From The Start Have a look at what we are doing.. • Rhea Sinha • Project Manager • Rhea.sinha@mencap.org.uk • Sign up for our newsletter and email briefings • www.mencap.org.uk/what-we-do/our-projects/getting-it-right-start