People with a learning disability and autistic people are more likely to experience poorer care and face inequalities, despite needing to use health services regularly. Their needs are not always met by the system, leaving people and their loved ones feeling diminished or ignored.
We are working with the Care Quality Commission to hear feedback from people who have a learning disability or autism.
It is the latest stage of our Because We All Care campaign.
Because We All Care campaign. What is it?
The NHS is facing added pressures at the moment. This means that it can be more challenging for people to receive the care they need.
Feedback from the public can play a vital role in helping health and social care services understand what is working and spot issues affecting the care of local people.
This is why we have launched a campaign to get more people to share their experiences of care.
Every experience matters
It is important we hear what needs to improve, as well as celebrate those health and social care staff who provide the best care they can.
Have your say
Please share your experience and help us make NHS decision-makers aware of what needs to change to improve access to care.
Healthwatch is completely independent and impartial, and anything you say is confidential.
- There are two different ways you can share your feedback online. You can either fill in a short form here or share your story directly with us here
- If you prefer, there is an Easy Read version of the form you can download here
- You can give us a call on 0808 168 9669
- Email your experience to us at [email protected] and we will come back to you if we need further information.
- Chat to you in person as we head around the county. You can find out where we are here
About our campaign
‘Because we all care’ is a joint campaign run by Healthwatch and the Care Quality Commission. The campaign aims to encourage more people to feedback about their care. Since the campaign launched, over 65,000 people have shared their care experiences. The insight they have provided has helped to highlight national and local issues and resulted in improvements in support.
Read about the campaign Ambassadors
A team of Ambassadors are also sharing their stories to show how important it is to leave your views. Read the experiences of two of them below:
Gail Smith, 45 years old
Gail, who has a learning disability, recently had to visit the dentist and was very nervous. The dentist could tell. However, they did little to make the experience more bearable. The dentist failed to explain to Gail what they were doing, which led to Gail getting really scared and asking the dentist to stop. The dentist ignored her request and continued to proceed with what he was doing.
This was a very difficult experience for Gail. She wants to share this experience to ensure that dentists are equipped to provide better care for people with learning disabilities, so that other people don’t have to live through the same experience in the future. She would like to encourage others to share their experiences of care to improve health and social care services for all.
Jack Chandler, 27 years old
Jack was diagnosed with autism when he was four years old. Jack has high-functioning autism which means on the outside he may seem to be handling things well, however he does need support and high levels of care due to his struggles with mental health. Jack’s mum, Michelle, feels that Jack’s type of autism has meant he has fallen through the cracks of the system. His autism isn’t severe enough for the system to prioritise his health and social needs, but he struggles enough for his condition to impact his quality of life. Michelle and Jack are using their voice to ensure the health and social care system is supported to tailor care for everyone with autism – regardless of its severity!
