Learning Disability
Parent Carers' Forum
Topics for Discussion
Some of the topics that the forum has been consulted about so far include:
- Day Service Modernisation
- Basic Personal Care M.O.T.
- Person Centred Planning
- Quality issues in residential day care services
- City Carers Strategy
- Nurse Training
- Direct Payments
- Accessible Toilets
Consultation with carers has made a real difference; by sharing their first hand experience and knowledge, carers have enabled service planners and providers to tailor their services according to the needs of those who use them. There are many examples of this, one being the modernisation of the Clifton Day Service, carried out by the City Council as part of the Day Services modernisation programme. The scheme has been widely regarded as a success due to the direct involvement of carers and service-users in the planning process.
Pressure from carers has also led to learning disability services adopting a Personal Care "MOT" checklist to ensure that their staff pay proper attention to service users' personal care and hygiene needs.
Another recent example of the difference made by parent carers is the new, award-winning fully accessible toilet in Nottingham city centre. Parent carers were involved throughout and had road-tested the early designs, resulting in a much better facility being built.
This list is by no means exhaustive. The forum is regularly consulted on a range of topics and forum members are also free to raise any issues they wish.
The agenda for each meeting is set in advance so if there are issues you wish to be addressed, please mention them when you come to the meetings in order for your concerns to be added to a future agenda.
