CQC is calling on people across Yorkshire and Humber with a learning disability and autistic people, their loved ones, friends and carers to give feedback on their care as part of the ‘Because we all care’ campaign.
CQC research reveals that people with a learning disability and autistic people are more reluctant to give negative feedback on their care in case it increases pressures on staff or services.
Throughout the pandemic CQC has acted on the intelligence it receives to ensure high quality care and people’s human rights are safeguarded, with over 3500 risk-based inspections completed since April 2020.
CQC has made improving care for people with a learning disability and autistic people a priority, which is why Debbie Ivanova, the deputy chief inspector of adult social care is leading a new programme of work to transform the way services are regulated for people with a learning disability and autistic people. This work will focus on improving the way CQC register, monitor, inspect services and use regulatory powers.
Debbie Ivanova, CQCs deputy chief inspector of adult social care, said:
Listening to the lived experience of people with a learning disability and/or autistic people has to be at the centre of how we decide to regulate and improve care. It is so important to hear their voices and allow our approach to be shaped by this in order to properly address the challenges of closed cultures and inadequate care.
Families and people with lived experience keep telling us that it’s so much harder to speak up in services that care for people with a learning disability or autistic people, and we’ve recognised this. The work I am leading will be about improving the way we can hear from people and making sure that their experiences drive the action we take.
CQC’s research showed that people with a learning disability and autistic people are more likely to accept health and social care providers offering a lower standard of care as a result of coronavirus and that more than a quarter (27%) of survey respondents with learning disabilities and autistic people had noticed a lower standard of safety when accessing health and social care during the COVID-19 pandemic – more than double the average.
This is a year-long campaign led by the CQC and Healthwatch England in response to the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19). It aims to encourage more people to share their individual experiences, to help the NHS and social care services identify and address quality issues and provide the best care possible.
People can give feedback on their experiences of care, or those of someone they care for, on the CQC website or through their local Healthwatch. Local Healthwatch organisations can also help you with advice and information to access the support you need.
How people can share their views:
With Healthwatch https://www.healthwatch.co.uk/because-we-all-care
With CQC https://www.cqc.org.uk/give-feedback-on-care
People can also contact their local Healthwatch directly to share any experience or get advice and information
