Our services Learning Disability and Autism Services Notes from our Hear Us Heroes Meeting in February 2024 Notes from our last meeting: 51 people attended our meeting on Tuesday 27th February 2024. Fatiha Ahmed welcomed everyone to Hear Us Heroes and welcomed Lucy and Linda from Meet N Match and Spring Projects who were delivering an activity on ‘Good Friendships and Bad Friendships’. We also welcomed Julie Clift, Specialist Learning Disability and Autism Nurse from the East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust who wanted feedback on the Hospital Patient Experience Strategy. Lucy told us about ‘Meet N Match’ being a friendship and dating agency helping people with a learning disability and autism. They have lots of social events in the North West. Linda has a Learning Disability and is a volunteer. She helps out with the ‘Meet N Match’, dating events, social events and is a friendship ambassador. Also this year Linda is the Co-Chair of the Lancashire Learning Disability Partnership Board. Lucy asked the group ‘What Friendship means to you?’. She created a friendship tree. Members of the group gave answers and Lucy wrote our answers on leaf shaped post it notes and stuck these onto the tree. Linda asked the group some questions asking who they thought was a friend. We all agreed that a friend was someone you want to spend time with on a regular basis and go out and about with, maybe for a coffee or a meal, not someone known in a professional capacity. Everyone enjoyed the group today and taking part in the activity. Lucy said that she had a Friendship Planning form which she would send to Michelle who would pass on the information. We spoke about people needing more time at appointments. Blackpool Teaching Hospital offer sunflower appointments. A patient can ring up and ask for a Sunflower Appointment and extra time and space will be given. Julie Clift, Specialist Nurse Learning Disability and Autism, gave a presentation on the ELHT Patient Experience Strategy. Julie wanted to know what experiences people had had in hospital good or bad. This information would help them with the ELHT Patient Experience Strategy. We said hospital passports were a good idea, we wanted people to speak in a way we could understand with leaflets to be in easy read. We said staff training was important and spoke about the Oliver McGowan Training and mandatory training. All hospital staff now have to have training on neurodiverse conditions and the training will take place over the next 3 months. Julie said the hospital needs to receive feedback from patients whether good or bad. A point was raised about maternity services for people with neurodiversity need to be made better. Another point was raised about Mental Health Wards. Julie said that the Mental Health Wards were not part of the hospital. A Mental Health worker was going to be employed doing the same work as Julie, within mental health services. Julie said that she will come back to a future meeting to give an update on the strategy. We spoke about the Learning Disability Register and how to get your name onto this. There is no Autism Register at the present time. People with difficulties can be referred to Julie’s team. The question was asked why do people not get to know about the service Julie Clift offers for people with a Learning Disability and/or Autism. Julie explained there are only 2 staff for the whole of the hospital trust. Julie said that 17 people with a Learning Disability access the hospital each day. Julie said that if someone goes into hospital for a day case always go prepared with an overnight bag. People with additional needs can have someone stay with them during their stay in hospital this includes people with dementia. Julie said that if someone has not been happy with the service they have received at the hospital it is important to inform the hospital. If anyone requires further information get in touch with Julie Clift. Michelle Carruthers has Julie’s details. Our next Hear Us Heroes meeting will be on: Tuesday 26th March 2024