June 2023 

Workforce update for

services that support people with a learning disability and/or autistic people

Welcome to this workforce development update for adult social care services that support people with a learning disability and/or autistic people. It shares the latest news, resources, events and funding opportunities from Skills for Care and partners.

⇨ Find previous editions of this newsletter
⇨ Sign up to receive future editions of this and other newsletters from Skills for Care

 

News from Skills for Care

Spotting the signs when a person becomes unwell

RESTORE2 is a physical deterioration and escalation tool for those supporting people in care homes, supported living and people who live in their own homes. It’s based on nationally recognised methodologies.

Skills for Care, funded by NHS England, have revised the existing training and guidance for the RESTORE2 Mini to make it more accessible for social care.

The RESTORE2 Mini for carers tool is intended to be used by carers, where the care and support is being undertaken by a paid or unpaid carer, a care worker, a personal assistant or support worker.

⇨ Find the tool

 

Experts by experience stakeholder list

Our mailing list helps us invite people to get involved and have their say through working with us in co-production. You can join the list if you:

  • are autistic
  • have a learning disability
  • are an autistic person who also has a learning disability
  • are a family carer for an autistic person(s) and / or person(s) who has a learning disability.

Opportunities for people to be involved through co-production might be a one-off activity, or more long-term. 

If you want us to contact you when opportunities come up, please let us know by:

If you need any help with this or have any questions, please contact innovation@skillsforcare.org.uk.

 

Guiding principles for delegated healthcare activity

Together with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and partners, Skills for Care has co-developed voluntary guiding principles to support person-centred, safe and effective delegation of healthcare activities to paid care workers, including personal assistants.

Delegation has been happening for several years to enable people to have more choice and control, with an opportunity to provide a better experience of care.

⇨ Find out more

 

 

Guidance and resources from the Government, regulators and advisory bodies

Delay to Liberty Protection Safeguards 

The Government announced it will delay the implementation of Liberty Protection Safeguards (LPS). In an evidence session with the Health and Social Care Select Committee (HSCSC), Minister for Care Helen Whately said it was ‘one of the difficult decisions in looking at priorities in the light of inflation and pressures on resources’ and that ‘the decision was not taken lightly at all’. They have said they intend to publish a summary of the consultation responses they received and do accept the need to move away from the current process and towards LPS.

 

The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism: FAQs updated

NHS England and key delivery partners have updated the frequently asked questions (FAQs) about The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism.

The FAQs include information about how to access the training, its operational delivery, requirements and how people can get involved.

The team will aim to keep these FAQs updated regularly on The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training webpage.


 

 

News from the sector

News from the AIMS-2-TRIALS 

AIMS-2-TRIALS is a research programme which includes a range of studies carried out by different groups. These studies range in their focus from exploring how autism develops, from before birth to adulthood, to testing medicines for those who want them to help with social differences, repetitive behaviours and sensory processing. 

They have launched ‘More than meets the eye’, a virtual art exhibition that aims to challenge perceptions of autism through the lenses of art and science. The exhibition kicks off with an art competition for autistic artists with an impressive 10,000-euro prize pot. 

⇨ Find out more and enter the competition

You can also find more information via social media, on Instagram @MoreThanMeetsTheEye_Art and Twitter @MTMTE_Art. 

 

Local authority fee rate interactive map 

The Association for Real Change (ARC England) Learning Disability Research Unit have produced a local authority fee rate interactive map. 

Over 80% of local authorities provided their fee rate data in response to the freedom of information request and the map shows a wide variation in fee rates between areas in England and Wales. In many local authorities, fee rates have fallen behind provider costs and annual uplifts have not kept pace with inflationary pressures. 

⇨ Access the map and look at the data for your local area 

 

Using the ambulance service  

The London Ambulance Service have coproduced new resources to support people with a learning disability or autistic people when using the ambulance service. Although designed by the London Ambulance Service, they are not London-specific.

The resources are designed to help people know what to expect when an ambulance arrives, including assessments by the paramedics, the inside of an ambulance and demystifying common concerns. They aim to reduce barriers to accessing the service so that people get the help they need.
 
You can use these proactively or in the event of someone needing an ambulance. They include an easy read document about what to do when an ambulance comes to help you and a social story about someone going to hospital by ambulance. There is also a video about travelling to hospital by ambulance which is available without subtitles and with subtitles.

⇨ Find more resources on the London Ambulance Service

 

Nursing discharge planning tool 

The Burdett Nursing Discharge Tool for People with Learning Disabilities was developed using a grant award from the Burdett Trust for Nursing. It's for nurses that require active participation and decision-making from service users to ensure a person-centred and recovery approach. There is an accompanying guidance manual to help with implementation and standardisation. 

⇨ Find the planner and supporting guidance 

 

PLMD Link magazine: Spring edition

The Spring edition of the PLMD Link magazine is now available. It has the theme of personal care and has contributions from parents, practitioners and researchers. The first part of the magazine focuses on how individuals and/or organisations work to ensure that personal care is tailored to meet individuals’ specific requirements. The second part is a mix of articles including different approaches to setting up inclusive activities, the importance of having fun and holidays, seeking the views of individuals about their services, community services provided by charities, supporting professionals in dealing with bereavement, and hospital service.

⇨ Read the Spring edition of PLMD Link

 

Autism friendly guides for businesses

There are more than 700,000 autistic people in the UK, but many struggle to find services and businesses that understand their needs. The National Autistic Society, in partnership with the Kusuma Trust, have produced three guides on ‘Accessible services’, ‘Accessible environments’ and ‘Accessible information’ that could be shared with businesses. 

⇨ Access the guides 

 

Events

Dementia and Hope: Addressing societal and environmental barriers affecting people with dementia

Join ‘Research in Practice’ and ‘Innovations in Dementia’ for an interactive two-hour webinar on Tuesday 27 June. Co-created and co-led by people with dementia, this webinar will share the vision to recognise dementia in terms of disability rights and citizenship, and to empower and give hope to those who are diagnosed and their families. There will be opportunities to discuss how this perspective could be effectively embedded in practice with people living with dementia and their families.

⇨ Find out more

 

Webinar: The LeDeR Programme explained… by people with a learning disability

Annual LeDeR reports talk about how people with a learning disability and autistic people in England have died. In 2021, to make the LeDeR report easier to understand, King's College London worked with Kingston University’s ‘Staying Alive and Well’ group (people with a learning disability). Along with Learning Disability England, they are producing resources including a storytelling video and webinars. These will be useful for people working in the sector, as well as individuals and families. 

The webinars, organised by the PCPLD Network, are free to attend and open to the public. 

⇨ Book your tickets 

 

Learning Disability Week: 19 – 25 June 2023

Learning Disability Week is organised every year by Mencap. This year they want to show the world the incredible things that people with a learning disability achieve, smashing misconceptions about what people can do and shining a light on the stigma many still face every day. 

⇨ Find out more about plans for the week on the Mencap website

 

Books Beyond Words book clubs

Books Beyond Words offer not just a place to read and understand together, but a place where people who communicate differently can socialise, have fun and make friends. The book clubs provide a sense of community and friendship, as well as understanding. 

In London on Thursday 22 June they are running training to teach people to become part of the Beyond Words Book Club Network and commit to setting up a book club at their organisation or local library/community space.

⇨ Book your place or find out more

Get involved

Volunteer opportunities with PMLD Link

PMLD Link is staffed entirely by volunteers. They would like to hear from family members or carers who might be interested in volunteering. They also want to expand their team so that it's more representative of adult social care and health services. People do not need a professional background to volunteer and there is support and a buddy system so no one will feel like they are ‘thrown in at the deep end’. 

⇨ Find out more

Read, watch and listen

Jane's Story - ‘Rare or Rarely Believed?’ blog

A growing evidence base is now demonstrating the link between neurodivergence, hypermobility and pain. Ehlers-Danlos and Hypermobility Disorders is a heritable and complex connective tissue disorder that affects the whole body and generally. It seems to be more symptomatic in girls, women and non-binary people. 

Jane Green (MBE) is Chair and Founder of ‘SEDSConnective’, a voluntary social mobility charity. She has written about her experiences on the Rare Disease UK website. 

⇨ Read Jane's blog 

More information is available about SEDSConnective via their website, Twitter or by emailing general@sedsconnective.org 


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