A practical guide for health and wellbeing boards (HWBs) on leading a local response to the abuse scandal at Winterbourne View hospital includes pointers on how to change local commissioning behaviour.
The resource published by the NHS Confederation aims to help HWBs successfully approach and tackle issues raised by the abuse and failings at Winterbourne View in 2011.
A practical guide for health and wellbeing boards (HWBs) on leading a local response to the abuse scandal at Winterbourne View hospital includes pointers on how to change local commissioning behaviour.
The resource published by the NHS Confederation aims to help HWBs successfully approach and tackle issues raised by the abuse and failings at Winterbourne View in 2011.
Developed in partnership with the Local Government Association, NHS England, Regional Voices, and funded by the Department of Health, Health and wellbeing boards: leading local response to Winterbourne View offers practical information to help HWBs lead work to help deliver a sizeable and permanent reduction in the numbers of local people who are inpatients in secure hospitals or assessment and treatment settings.
The government’s response to the Winterbourne View Review, published in December 2012, included a commitment to “end all inappropriate placements by 2014”.
It includes a series of questions for HWB members to consider, which cover discharge plans for all vulnerable individuals, the scale of local and out-of-area hospital placements for vulnerable people, the effectiveness of local partnership working to meet the needs of vulnerable people and the presence of strong, suitable safeguarding processes and procedures used appropriately.
The publication also signposts further resources which can help support a strong local response, including latest data from NHS England and status reports from each HWB area that identify progress across key issues and includes pointers on how HWBs can encourage change in local commissioning behaviour, support engagement with individuals, their families, carers and advocates and drive forward integrated working across the whole local health and care system.
Rob Webster, NHS Confederation chief executive, said: “What we must also do is have the highest aspirations for people with a learning disability, based on improved outcomes and improving care. This practical resource pack will help HWBs use their unique position to ensure this is the case. I would urge all HWBs to consider this report because, if we get things right for people with a learning disability, we will be able to get them right for everyone.”
