Meeting ‘Valuing People’ health targets: recommendations from a research workshop

Abstract

Accessible summary• This paper is about a workshop held by researchers from the University of Leeds.• The researchers looked at one area to see if people were doing things about health that the Government said they should in Valuing People. • The research found out that there is still a lot of work to do in the area to meet these targets. People came to a workshop to talk about this. They thought that: • Learning disability services should lead the way and draw up a plan about what needs to happen. • People who run health services should make sure they set targets for GPs and hospitals that fit in with the plan. • Government should make sure that the targets they set for GPs also fit in with Valuing People targets. • This research is important because it can show what helps health services improve for people with learning disabilities and what gets in the way. SummaryResearch at the University of Leeds has evaluated how well changes to healthcare proposed in the Government White Paper Valuing People (Department of Health 2001) were being implemented in one locality and their impact on people with learning disabilities. The project had a developmental aspect and incorporated two workshops over the course of the study to disseminate preliminary findings. These were used to help key stakeholders evaluate progress and to inform discussions about what should happen next in the fieldwork area. This paper discusses recommendations from the first research workshop at which preliminary findings from the study were presented. The workshop involved health and social care providers and managers, people with learning disabilities, voluntary and community organizations. It gives an overview of local issues relevant to the White Paper health targets and highlights those that need to be resolved before these targets can This paper is based on work carried out by a research team that was based at the University be achieved. These issues are likely to be replicated in other areas of England and Wales and have implications for leadership, strategy, the allocation of resources and structures of accountability in health and social care agencies.