Spotlighting LDE’s The Good Lives Manifesto

Last week, Learning Disability England released the Good Lives Manifesto, proposing six imperative priorities that the next government must champion to influence positive change in the lives of those with learning disabilities.?

I can’t pass up the opportunity to dedicate this edition of The Handover to spotlight this vitally important manifesto. Although it’s up to our soon-to-be government to turn these words into actions, it will take the rallying of those working in the learning disability sector to make sure these priorities get the attention they deserve.?

Let’s unpack the six priorities from Learning Disability England and I’ll throw in my two cents on each:?

1. Be a champion for the rights of all people with learning disabilities, including people from minority ethnic communities and with high support needs?

This is non-negotiable. If our government isn't standing up for the rights of people with learning disabilities, we're missing the mark on where real progress needs to happen. It's been since 2009 that we've seen any fresh national policies for people with learning disabilities. And the closure of The National Forum and the Valuing Families Forum back in 2017 further quietened the voices of those with learning disabilities and their families. We can't have that.?

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2. Reform social care so it meets the rights of people with learning disabilities and their families and provides fair pay for social care workers?

The vital role carers play, and the sheer weight of their responsibility just isn't mirrored in their paychecks. The result? Their own lives are often packed with stress, which can take a toll on their ability to show up and provide care. ?

There needs to be some equality between what social care and NHS staff take home. While I’m not saying NHS staff are paid enough, comparable roles in the NHS are paid much more than in social care.??

The bottom line is, unless there is reform, we will continue to lose care workers to higher-paying industries where they may not want to work but have to, in order to keep up with the cost of living.?

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3. Have effective, reasonably adjusted health services that contribute to better health and raising life expectancy for people with learning disabilities?

While I agree that more work needs to be done to provide people with learning disabilities with better access to health services such as GPs and other health professionals, this is a very basic step, and it shouldn’t end here.??

The possibilities of what can be accomplished with a detailed care record shouldn’t be undermined – A combination of NHS data, data from social care platforms like ours at Log my Care, and real-time updates from smart devices. Pairing this data with AI and machine learning would mean being able to predict events such as seizures and challenging behaviour episodes.??

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4. Help people with learning disabilities get the jobs they want supported by a system that recognises contributions not forcing poverty?

The stats here speak for themselves. The Good Lives Manifesto states that 86% of people with learning disabilities want a job, yet only 5% of people with learning disabilities have one. We need to close this gap.??

What could this look like? More incentives and support for employers to hire people with learning disabilities, and empowering goal setting for the job seekers themselves.?

For example, Log my Care users are utilising the Outcomes and Goals feature to support people with learning disabilities to set objectives, break them down into manageable chunks, and to log daily progress toward achieving their goal. This means that carers have access to a huge history of action towards a goal and can better support them in reaching positive outcomes.??

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5. Make sure people with learning disabilities have the same access to housing options as their non disabled peers?

The longer-term theme in the market is quite positive. Supported Living has emerged as a real alternative to care homes. People with learning disabilities can have their own space and independence, with support available to them when they need it. The further development of Supported Living can only be a good thing.??

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6. Make this an accessible general election?

This is critical. People with learning disabilities need to be heard in the next general election. Adjustments must be made to make this next general election fair and accessible:??

Let’s ditch the mountain of text and format information in a way that people with learning disabilities can actually engage with. They need to be able to understand the different positions of the parties and who they can vote for.??

And let’s not rush anyone on election day. Support must be provided at polling stations to ensure that people with learning disabilities grasp the process and make choices at their own pace.??

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You can read Learning Disability England’s The Good Lives Manifesto here .??

See you for the next edition!