Minister of State for Care and local MP Caroline Dinenage has today launched a consultation on how to deliver disability and autism training to health and social care staff.
The consultation will run from today until the 12th April 2019 and will consider the training and skills needed by the country’s 2.8 million health and social care staff when supporting patients with learning disabilities or autism. The aim of the consultation is to see how the Government can ensure that all staff - from porters and receptionists to consultants, have the right skills to understand the needs of those with learning disabilities and autistic people, and are equipped to make the necessary reasonable adjustments to ensure they have the right support and care.
The Department of Health and Social Care want to know what the public thinks about their proposals on:
- the planned content of the training
- how the training should be delivered
- how to involve people with a learning disability or autistic people in training
- how to mandate, monitor and evaluate the impact of training
The consultation will be of particular interest to:
- people with a learning disability or autistic people, their families and carers
- patient groups
- staff and providers of health and social care services
Caroline commented:
“We are constantly looking at ways to improve the care and support of patients. Shockingly, the life expectancy of a woman with autism is 18 years lower than of those without, 14 years for men. We need the help of the health & care staff, organisations and those with lived experience to ensure that those with learning disabilities or autism get safe, compassionate and informed care.”