Below is an outline of current projects looking at the health of the people we support.
Health Policy
A MacIntyre Care Health Policy is being developed and will include good practice guidelines on the areas of:
- Health Promotion e.g., alcohol, smoking, well being
- Health Care e.g., Hospital appointments, Doctor visits
- Health Surveillance e.g., breast screening, health checks.
Examples of good practice from MacIntyre services will be included in the policy which will be available from June.
Health Steering Group
This group is made up of MacIntyre staff and meets monthly. The group has a responsibility to develop the Health Policy and an implementation plan. The group considers and responds to health issues that require an organisational view and facilitates the sharing of good practice.
Health Focus Groups
Six focus groups for service users have been set up to inform and advise the Health Steering Group. Focus groups for relatives are being established to inform and contribute to the development of services.
Older People Questionnaire
MacIntyre supports a growing number of older people with learning disabilities. We have conducted research into the health needs of this group. The findings together with other published literature have informed good practice recommendations for our services for older people. The recommendations will be actioned together with the outcomes of the Health Audit as part of the Health Policy and Implementation Plan.
Catalogue of Resources and "Library"
A variety of available resources have been collated to inform staff and service users of the books and leaflets available on health subjects.
Health Audit
A health audit has been designed to address and gather information from three key areas:
- Health Questionnaire
The aim of the questionnaire was to identify current practice and staff needs to support Service Users with their health. Staff were selected at random, 59% completed the questionnaire. Findings will be available at the end of March. - Tracking transition process of young people from school to adult services
For young people in residential services the transition from youth to adult services is a significant and challenging event in their lives. Research was carried out at our schools in Womaston in Powys, in Wales and at MacIntyre School Wingrave in Buckinghamshire. The aim was to track the progress of school leavers to find out how the transition process is currently managed and identify standards for good practice. Our recommendations from this research impact on the development of health action plans, personal health records, recordings relating to health, the support needed from local health services, and the role of health facilitators. - Health Survey for service users
This survey is aimed at service users and will be completed anonymously. The result will provide a detailed picture of service users health needs in order to prioritize future health projects. Staff and service users have been involved in the design of the questionnaire.
