Changing Values

Assessing the Value of the Internet in Health Improvement

The internet provides easier access to health information than ever before, but is it enabling us to lead healthier lives?

Government Policy in England: Inclusion in Mainstream Healthcare

The author reviews Valuing People's policy, the limited progress in taking the agenda forward since 2001,outlining some key actions that should be taken to promote better health outcomes for people with intellectual disabilities.

Healthcare Decision-Making By Adults with Intellectual Disabilities: Some Levers To Changing Practice

A number of factors have been suggested to explain the poorer health status of people with intellectual disabilities, including ignorance of health needs associated with particular disabilities, and the inadequate provision of social and professional support mechanisms for people with intellectual disabilities and their families.

History of Down's Syndrome

Down's Syndrome is a genetic condition which is the commonest identifiable cause of intellectual disability, accounting for almost one third of cases. It occurs equally in all races with an overall incidence rate of approximately 1 in 800 births.

Action for Health - How Is It Going?

The overall objective of Valuing People was to enable people with learning disabilities to access a health service designed around their individual needs, with fast and convenient care delivered to a consistently high standard and, with additional support where necessary.

Assessment in Primary Care

This article describes the expected health needs of people with intellectual disabilities in the community and how best to identify and address these needs.

"I Have Down's Syndrome - But Don't Feel Sorry For Me"

How Unusual is Anya? 'The fact that Anya's achieved such normality in her life against all the odds is an enormous tribute to her and her family.'

Legislation & Clinical Practice In Intellectual Disability

In almost all situations a competent adult's decision must be respected, and where a person lacks the capacity to make the necessary decisions it would not be unlawful to act, providing it is in his/her best interests. The exception is the treatment of a person's mental disorder.

My Role As A Supporter

The best bits are when a person tells me: "I've just seen Jackie and she's so much stronger than the person I met eight years ago - is that because you're supporting her?"

Intellectual Disability Policy In England

Valuing People: A New Strategy for Learning Disability for the 21st Century. An extract from the White Paper published in 2000.

Self Advocacy

Why It Is Important For People With Intellectual Disabilities To Have A Voice Of Their Own

Social Care Services And The Social Perspective

There have been major improvements in values, skills and services, but also a marked decline in some areas, notably the management of the transition from childhood to adulthood.

Top Ten Tips For Effective Consultation

It is important to know who has intellectual disabilities in Primary Care. There are ways of identifying someone without embarrassing them. These tips may be helpful from the moment the person with intellectual disabilities contacts the GP. People with intellectual disabilities need to have sufficient time to allow them to speak for themselves.

User Involvement

'It is no longer acceptable for organisations to view people with intellectual disabilities as passive recipients of services; they must be seen as active partners.'

The Wellness Book

The author raises concerns about what will happen to her daughter with Down's syndrome when her mother is no longer around to support her. She suggests one helpful solution, a 'Wellness Book'. The article is followed by two commentaries from different perspectives.

Working With The Baked Bean Theatre Company

Acting gives us all freedom of expression. We've got quite a few actors who can't talk, and acting really gives them a chance to express how they feel in mime.

Setting Up The Theatre Company

Commentary On Working With The Baked Bean Theatre Company

Shine a Light

A medical student in New Zealand reflects on a family placement, showing how his encounters with a three-year-old boy changed his understanding of the meaning of disability in someone’s life.

An Exception to the Rule? Practising Ethics in Practice

This article considers an ethical dilemma confronted by a junior doctor on a specialist learning disabilities team, and discusses the challenges and pressures implicit in this, together with the absolute necessity not to compromise ethical values.

Equality and Equity of Access to Healthcare for People with Intellectual Disabilities

This article highlights problems encountered by people with intellectual disabilities when they seek to access healthcare. Four key domains for change (practice, education, policy and research) are explored and some practical strategies for achieving change are identified.