Please see below for Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Learning Disabilities:
What is the Transforming Care Partnership (TCP)?
Transforming Care is all about making things better for people who have a learning disability and/or autism that sometimes have behaviour which can challenge. It is about children, young people and adults. Listening to what people and family carers is really important.
After the abuse at Winterbourne View Assessment and Treatment Unit there has been lots of work to support people with a learning disability and/or autism who display behaviour that challenges, to move out of specialist hospitals and live back, nearer their homes.
There are still people living in hospitals, and his has got to change. Lots more people will be moving back to live in the community, which is good for people.
Locally, Shropshire Council, Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group, Telford and Wrekin Council and Telford and Wrekin Clinical Commissioning Group are working together to develop a plan to help get Shropshire people back living in Shropshire.
In the meantime we are making sure that we keep up to date with the care of people who are placed out of area in order to plan for their return and to ensure they are safe.
What does TCP aim to do?
The local TCP has three key aims:
- Have good services in the local community so people don’t need to go into hospital in the first place
- Bring back people who currently are in hospital to live at home
- Make sure people feel safe and secure in their local community
How will TCP do this?
The local TCP will work with NHS England – which also currently buys care for people who have a learning disability and/or autism that sometimes have behaviour which can challenge, to reduce the number of out-of-area placements.
Over a period of three years (until 2019 initially) the TCP will look to reduce the number of patients within an inpatient (hospital) setting from the current numbers 29 down to 14. This means that Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin CCGs will have to provide services in a community setting for an additional 15 patients.
Whilst the local TCP is absolutely committed to making sure as many of the 29 identified people can come back to Shropshire to live in their local communities, the four organisations of the TCP has not yet fully signed-off the three-year plan. We need to make sure that the services are right and the money is available to support the people coming back, until this financial analysis work has been finalised, the plan remains not signed-off.
What are the timescales for implementing the plan?
The plan has been developed during 2016/17 and will aim to deliver its key objectives by 2019. Although, when this initial plan has been implemented, the work does not stop. It will then carry on to make sure that people continue to get the best possible care in the right place and at the right time.
What are the risks associated with the TCP?
Shropshire (including Telford and Wrekin) does not have any secure community-based premises for people who have a learning disability and/or autism that sometimes have behaviour which can challenge.
Also, in order to provide the best possible care for people returning back to Shropshire, person-centred care packages need to be developed by the specialist ‘complex care teams’ at the CCGs. This is likely to be a considerable increase in work for an already very stretched team.
The TCP is waiting to see if either of these options is accepted.