Better Outcomes for People with Learning Disabilities – Transforming Care
A project exploring the use of communication technology in support of person-centred care for people with learning disabilities
A collaboration with people, their families, carers, practitioners, technologists, academics and charities in pursuit of new models of care that utilise communication technology. Taking a practice-led approach to the development of the technology and considering the evidence required to demonstrate outcomes. The goal-to produce a transferable approach to evolving practice in cooperation with technology as a continuous learning process.
This was a £1m project funded by the Small Business Research Initiative in health administered by InnovateUK and Health Enterprise East.
The project brought together a wide range of stakeholders in the support and care of people with learning disabilities to see how technology could form part of a person-centred approach to care provision.
Project Partners
Project Lead: Red Embedded Systems Ltd – provides v-connect, a video communications service. www.v-connect.co.uk
Technology Partner: Rescon Ltd – provides Lincus, a data capture, storage and analytics tool.
Care Provider: Hft – a charity supporting people with learning disabilities and their families.
Commissioner of Social Services: Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council – a local authority covering 310,000 people in the West Midlands.
Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council
Health Commissioner: Sandwell and West Birmingham CCG – Sandwell and West Birmingham Clinical Commissioning Group is a membership organisation involving 100 GP practices serving around 547,400 patients across the Sandwell and West Birmingham area. www.sandwellandwestbhamccg.nhs.uk
Sandwell and West Birmingham CCG
Service Development and Transformation: Changing Our Lives – a charity working with disabled people of all ages and backgrounds to deliver solutions to each particular need, and strive to achieve positive, individual-focused outcomes around rights, health and social inclusion.
National Disabilities Charity: The DLF at Shaw Trust – The DLF brings together comprehensive knowledge of assistive technology with expertise of practitioners to provide information, advice, training and business tools. Working within the Shaw Trust, one of the largest, national third sector providers of welfare to work and social care programmes, the DLF can draw on the direct experience of people with learning disabilities and their community supporters.
Disability Living Foundation at Shaw Trust
Evaluation and Action Research Partner: The Bayswater Institute seeks to help organisations integrate human and social considerations with economic, structural and technical ones in the design and development of organisations and work.
This project followed several years of developing communication technology in collaboration with practice and developing an approach to evaluation and evidence generation that would support its continued sustainable use. An example publication:
A Socio-technical approach to Evidence Generation in the Use of Video Conferencing in Care Delivery
Expert Support
Janet Cobb – an independent health consultant with considerable experience in learning disabilities.
David Atkinson – an independent consultant nurse and co-developer of the Health Equalities Framework.
Better Outcomes for People with Learning Disabilities – Transforming Care Project Overview
BOLD-TC Project Overview (PDF Link)
DOI 10.13140/RG.2.2.29687.52647
