A health watchdog plans to shake up of how it regulates the care of people with disabilities as it calls on people in Cumbria to share their views.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is calling on people in the county with a learning disability and those with autism, their loved ones, carers and friends to offer feedback on their care.
CQC research reveals that people with a learning disability and those with autism are more reluctant to give negative feedback on their care in case it increases pressures on staff or services.
The CQC says it has acted on intelligence throughout the pandemic and has carried out more than 3,500 risk-based inspections since last April.
The regulator says it has made improving care for people with a learning disability and autistic people a priority, which is why Debbie Ivanova, the deputy chief inspector of adult social care is leading a new programme of work to transform the way services are regulated for people with a learning disability and autistic people.
This work will focus on improving the way CQC register, monitor, inspect services and use regulatory powers.
“Listening to the lived experience of people with a learning disability and/or autistic people has to be at the centre of how we decide to regulate and improve care,” Mrs Ivanova said.
“It is so important to hear their voices and allow our approach to be shaped by this in order to properly address the challenges of closed cultures and inadequate care.
“Families and people with lived experience keep telling us that it’s so much harder to speak up in services that care for people with a learning disability or autistic people, and we’ve recognised this.
“The work I am leading will be about improving the way we can hear from people and making sure that their experiences drive the action we take.”
How people can share their views:
- With Healthwatch https://www.healthwatch.co.uk/because-we-all-care
- With CQC https://www.cqc.org.uk/give-feedback-on-care
People can also contact Healthwatch Cumbria on 0300 3038 567.
