Self-Assessment Framework

The Learning Disabilities Observatory, part of Public Health England has today published the first detailed report of the Joint Health and Social Care Learning Disability Self-Assessment Framework (JHSCSAF) that aims to provide accurate data about how local services are working together to tackle the needs of people with learning disabilities and the health and social care services available to support them across England.

On a national level, this information will support action that improves outcomes from people with learning disabilities and their families. On a local level, information collected will help Clinical Commissioning Groups and Local Authorities identify the key issues they need to tackle to reduce health and social care inequalities in their area. The framework also provides a robust way to benchmark services and monitor progress made locally.

Findings of the self-assessment ratings, made by Partnership Board areas, focus around nine indicators each in the three key areas of staying healthy, being safe and living well. Key messages from the data are:

Staying healthy
Having a specialist learning disability liaison function within acute hospitals has been shown to be important in improving treatment for people with learning disabilities. Over half the Boards (56%) report having a learning disability liaison nurse in an acute health setting.

Being safe
Less than half of Boards (40%) report that all local service providers have in place policies for the Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty safeguards that Boards regularly monitor, with almost all the rest (54%) stating they only had limited evidence of this.

Living well
Over half of Boards (58%) say they have effective joint working in place between commissioners involving both joint commissioning and (some) pooled budgets; almost all the rest (38%) rate themselves as having effective joint commissioning without pooled budgets. How this is achieved varies widely across Boards; 11% of Boards specifically mention having some local services integrated across health and social care, and 22% of Boards describe a direction of travel towards more integration.

For the first time partnership board nationally reported their performance on a range of key health statistics:

• More than 60% of partnership board areas reported the coverage of cancer.
• 66% reported the numbers of people identified as having a learning disability among people admitted to general hospitals, and 55% using out patients or attending accident and emergency departments.
• More than 70% reported the numbers of staff receiving Mental Capacity Act training.

PRESS RELEASE ENDS

Notes to editors:

About the new Joint Health and Social Care Disability Self-Assessment Framework

The Joint Health and Social Care Learning Disability Self-Assessment Framework (JHSCSAF) has replaced the Valuing People Now Self-Assessment and the Learning Disability Health Self-Assessment. It is an annual process and whilst not mandatory all Local Authorities are asked to complete it by working with local partners, including Clinical Commissioning Groups.

The format was developed in consultation with Strategic Health Authority Learning Disability Leads and the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services. The aim is that information from the JHSCSAF will provide accurate data about the needs of people with learning disabilities and the health and social care services available to support them. On a national level this information will support action that improves outcomes for people with learning disabilities and their families. On a local level, this information will help Clinical Commissioning Groups and Local Authorities identify the key issues they need to tackle to reduce health and social care inequalities in their area. The framework also provides a robust way to monitor progress made locally.

The JHSCSAF comprises three comprehensive sections:

• Data collation – the framework requests a comprehensive and wide range of data across health and social care. This includes data about healthcare, housing, inclusion and employment.
• Self-assessment against nationally agreed measures – all areas are required to self-assess their performance in relation to 27 indicators using a traffic light system of red, amber, green (RAG). For each indicator there are clear criteria provided to guide the self-assessment rating.
• Shared stories completed by people with a learning disability and carers – all areas are requested to ask people with learning disabilities and their carers to feedback on both good and bad experiences of health and social care services that they have received.

Partnership Boards have reported that collecting the correct data was problematic for many areas. Feedback has also identified concern that there was no information being collected about carers’ needs and a worry that the data collection focused on quantity only and risked missing quality aspects of services. There was also a lack of narrative about housing, services and employment.

Those responsible for collating responses have identified the key concerns relating to the process of completing the JHSCSAF and have identified some changes and additions that could be made to the framework to improve it. Suggested improvements include further consideration of the timescales for the process as these were felt to be demanding and that data collection may be improved if an analysis and publication plan are established and can inform the wording of the questions and data that is being requested. People with learning disabilities and family carers should be central to the JHSCSAF process, both in terms of RAG rating their local area and validating the final report. In many areas this had not happened well.

The JHSCSAF can be downloaded from here

About the Learning Disabilities Observatory (Improving Health and Lives)

The Learning Disabilities Observatory was set up, in April 2010, as a three year programme following one of the recommendations of the Report of the Independent Inquiry into Access to Healthcare for People with Learning Disabilities, the Michael report.

It is a collaboration between the three organisations: Public Health England, the Centre for Disability Research at the University of Lancaster and the National Development Team for Inclusion.

The name, Improving Health and Lives, was suggested for the Observatory together with its sister project the Confidential Enquiry into the Deaths of People with Learning Disabilities, at a consultation with self-advocates organised for the Department of Health by Mencap.

Since April 1st 2013 it has been operated by Public Health England, the Government Organisation overseeing all public health work in England.

For further information refer to www.improvinghealthandlives.org.uk