Experiences of being in hospital for people with a learning disability and autistic people
In particular, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) wanted to understand:
- whether people have been cared for in a way that meets their needs
- how well people feel they have been supported and involved in their care planning
- if staff understand and are able to meet their needs
The 'Who I Am Matters' report looks specifically at:
- Access to care
- Communication
- Care and treatment in hospital
- Other equality characteristics and quality of care
- Workforce skills and development
Who are the CQC?
The Care Quality Commission (CQC), the independent regulator of health and adult social care in England.
They make sure health and social care services provide people with safe, effective, compassionate, high-quality care and encourage care services to improve.
During February and March 2022, the CQC collected evidence of people’s experiences from 8 hospital trusts:
- Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- East Cheshire NHS Trust
- Isle of Wight NHS Trust
- Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
- South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust
- Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust
I do not believe that any clinician goes into the caring profession wanting to cause harm or distress to their patients, I believe they want to be able to care and support their patients to the best of their ability. Sadly, the truth is that huge numbers of staff simply do not have the knowledge or skills in caring and treating neurodiverse patients.
The CQC state:
"For too long, people with a learning disability and autistic people have faced huge inequalities when accessing and receiving health care. There have been a number of initiatives over the years to try and improve people’s experiences, but these changes have been far too slow.
When people do not get care and support that meets their individual needs it can lead to harm and premature death that can be avoided. Equity for people with a learning disability and autistic people is therefore a critical patient safety issue".
