Mencap continues to promote the healthcare rights of people with learning disabilities with their excellent Treat Me Well campaign.
The campaign is shaped around extensive research carried out ten years after the launch of Mencap’s influential Death by indifference, with the campaign report published in 2018.
Death by indifference led to the Confidential Inquiry into premature deaths of people with learning disabilities (CIPOLD) (see here) and its recommended Learning Disability Mortality Review Programme (LeDeR) (see here).
Mencap’s work has also led to much greater awareness of the issues facing people with learning disabilities in accessing healthcare and has provoked stronger commitments from healthcare organisations, with NHS England making learning disability a priority. However, there is still so much further we can go.
The 2018 report found:
- 75% of people with a learning disability said their experience of going to the hospital would be improved if staff explained things in a way that was easy to understand.
- Almost half (47%) of hospitals do not include information on learning disability in their induction training for clinical staff.
- Almost a quarter (23%) of healthcare professionals have never attended training on meeting the needs of people with a learning disability.
(Treat Me Well Campaign Report)
And that’s where we come in – you, us, everyone. You can support the campaign here to help spread the message and gain a greater understanding of the work being done. The Treat Me Well campaign page is jam-packed with stories, statistics and resources – take a look.
You can find your local Treat Me Well group through the website or learn how to form your own. If, like us, you’re from the London Borough of Sutton, you can find out more information about the campaign with a workshop to be held at Carshalton Methodist Church on the 18th September. Find out more here.
We may be small, but we’re keen to help!
Please get in contact via @TogBlogUK to see if we can help raise awareness for your organisation/initiative or help share your story.
Together We Grow 