The learning disability improvement standards for NHS trusts
We have developed new standards to help NHS trusts measure the quality of care they provide to people with learning disabilities, autism or both.
Improvement standards
The standards have been developed with a number of outcomes created by people and families — which clearly state what they expect from the NHS. By taking this approach to quality improvement, it places patient and carer experience as the primary objective, as well as recognising the importance of how the NHS listens, learns and responds in order to improve care.
The four standards concern:
- respecting and protecting rights
- inclusion and engagement
- workforce
- learning disability services standard (aimed solely at specialist mental health trusts providing care to people with learning disabilities, autism or both)
The standards are intended to help organisations measure quality of service and ensure consistency across the NHS in how we approach and treat people with learning disabilities, autism or both. They are prominent in the learning disability ambitions in the NHS Long Term Plan and included in the NHS standard contract 2019/20. We aim to apply the standards to all NHS-funded care by 2023/24.
- The learning disability improvement standards for NHS trusts – Our standards have been developed through consultation with trust colleagues, people who use our services and their families/ carers.
- Easy read version: the learning disability improvement standards for NHS trusts – An easy read version of our learning disability improvement standards for NHS trusts.
Self-improvement tool
An improvement tool and user guide to bring people together and facilitate discussions on how well people with a learning disability are supported in acute (hospital) trusts.
- Reducing deaths of people with a learning disability in NHS acute (hospital) trusts: improvement tool
- Reducing deaths of people with a learning disability in NHS acute hospitals: user manual
Benchmarking exercise
In 2018 we commissioned the NHS Benchmarking Network to gather baseline information from providers on their compliance with the standards and the views of staff and people who use NHS services. Since then the Benchmarking Network have continued to undertake annual data collections.
Benchmarking participants receive detailed feedback to help them understand what they are doing well that needs to be sustained and build upon other areas where further improvement is required.
Consistently over 90% of NHS trusts have taken part in the benchmarking exercises and annual summary reports, based on aggregated data, are prepared which provide an overview of the themes and learning.