“We want equality” is one of the key elements that form the new MacIntyre DNA, it represents everything that we do at MacIntyre and is embedded in our approach.
An example of our approach to equality is our approach to supporting someone’s health and wellbeing
We believe all people with a learning disability must be involved in, and have control over, all health-related decisions. Some of the barriers to equal access to health care that people with learning disabilities and autistic people face include:
- Lack of information/resources that are easy to understand.
- Diagnostic overshadowing’ - when signs and symptoms are mistakenly attributed to the person’s learning disability.
- Family members, carers and others who know the person well are not listened to, despite the fact that they can often describe changes in the person in a way that aids diagnosis.
- A hospital may assume that the person has 24-hour support when, in fact, they only receive a few hours of support per week and will require additional assistance to follow a post-discharge treatment plan.
Nicola Payne, MacIntyre’s Best Practice Manager, Health said:
“People with a learning disability must be involved in all decisions about their health in ways that make sense to each person. We are really proud of the health recording pathway we have at MacIntyre. I would hope to see more people who are living with a learning disability receive a timely diagnosis of a heath condition if health changes are being monitored and recorded.
Being armed with the correct information will help staff and families to have confidence and evidence to present to health professionals with changes that they see and for these changes not to be mistaken or overshadowed because a person has a learning disability.”
The LeDeR programme, funded by NHS England and NHS Improvement, was established in 2017 to improve healthcare for people with a learning disability and autistic people. LeDeR aims to:
- Improve care for people with a learning disability and autistic people.
- Reduce health inequalities for people with a learning disability and autistic people.
- Prevent people with a learning disability and autistic people from early deaths.
The most recent LeDeR Report highlights the need to continue our work to support people with their health needs.
