Transforming Care is an NHS England led initiative to improve services for people with learning disabilities and/or autism, who display behaviour that challenges, including those with a mental health condition. The ultimate aim is to enable more people to live with the correct support in their local communities and near their families.

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Greater Manchester became a fast track area for Transforming Care, making a shared commitment to getting people out of long stay, secure placements wherever possible; intervening earlier to avoid people needing to be sent away in the first place, and ensuring that those who do need some care and treatment in secure settings are not kept there any longer than absolutely needed. Everyone in a secure setting must have a care and treatment review meeting every 6 months which focuses on ensuring they are safe well cared for where they are, and that plans are being made to move them towards more inclusive settings whenever possible. Independent clinical experts attend all the meetings, and every review meeting also must have an expert by experience – either a person with learning disabilities or a family member. Families and professionals need to know that a ‘blue light’ CTR meeting can be called in children’s or adult services whenever it looks like a young person or their family are heading for a crisis that might necessitate secure provision.

 

In Greater Manchester the Transforming Care underpinning principles are as follows:

 

· All should be supported within the community where possible

· Those with severe and complex needs should be included in neighbourhoods, work environments and community settings

· Support should be provided in homes and natural settings

· Communal living arrangements should be in line with age appropriate communal living styles for the rest of the population

· Support provided to develop relationships within communities for those with severe and complex needs

· Meaningful lives and teaching of skills needed for community living for all

· Families and service users to be involved in all aspects of service delivery, design and monitoring

 

A number of workstreams have been convened to look at different aspects of meeting these outcomes. At the Project we are involved with the early intervention and prevention workstream, and the Confirm and Challenge group which meets to check that all recommendations and plans fit with the needs and views of those with LD and their family carers. Anyone who would like to find out more about being involved is welcome to contact us for details of the meetings or contact Lynn James-Jenkinson on her email address: lynn.james-jenkinson@pathwaysassosiates.co.uk