Opening Doors shares health research with CQC for people with learning disabilities
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A big thank you to Andrew Borrett and Dan Barrett for presenting Opening Doors’ research to the PEN Advisory Group and colleagues from the Care Quality Commission (CQC)
Opening Doors self-advocates have conducted research into health books and health passports, accessing GPs, and health checks training for people with learning disabilities.
Based in Norwich with groups in Great, Yarmouth, Diss and Cromer, Opening Doors is a user-led organisation run by people with learning disabilities for people with learning disabilities. It will be celebrating its 30th anniversary this year!!
The Importance of Health Research
Opening Doors gathered the views and experiences of adults with learning disabilities via interactive workshops and questionnaires. Their research has enabled the people they support to have their say on the healthcare they receive.
By presenting their research findings at our most recent PEN Advisory Group meeting, Opening Doors has also provided insight into the lived experiences of people with learning disabilities to the members of PEN and colleagues from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) who attended.
Key Findings
Health books and health passports
Self advocates from Opening Doors produced a report with funding from health partners from across Norfolk. With support from Healthwatch Norfolk, it found that:
- Many people do not understand what a health book or health passport is or how to use it
- Only 26% of respondents said their health book or health passport is kept up to date
- Not everyone who would like a health book or health passport has one
Access to GPs
Opening Doors Health Experts Group have said:
- Letters asking you to go to see your GP are not easy read
- GP phone lines and numbers are too complex and there are too many options. People have reported falling asleep whilst waiting on the line to book an appointment.
- Most people require support to access their GP’s website. Only 1 in 9 people Opening Doors have spoken to can access the internet. Many are digitally excluded due to cost, not having skills to navigate complex websites and where residential homes do not allow people to use the internet.
- Waiting rooms can make people anxious
- GP services don’t flag that you have a learning disability or autism
- Questions the GP staff ask us are full of jargon and sometimes they talk to our staff, not to us
Health checks training
A joint project funded by Norfolk and Waveney Clinical Commissioning Group and Opening Doors found that:
- Most people asked prefer to be invited for their annual learning disability health check by phone
- Barriers to access to health checks included feelings of being nervous about going and finding GP waiting rooms difficult
- Health checks are at times only 30 minutes long. They often don’t lead to a health action plan so people are left confused about what happened.
Opening Doors have also produced resources to support health checks training. You can find these in their full report.
Learn More
Please find the full reports here:
