Innovating for Improvement
Hft’s recent project, funded by the Health Foundation’s Innovating for Improvement programme, made innovative use of technology to reduce health inequalities and improve the health and well-being of people with learning disabilities, ultimately, improving outcomes.
The pilot created never seen before insights into people’s health and well-being has been used to reduce health inequalities for adults with learning disabilities in Bradford and Gloucestershire.
The innovative project, led by Hft’s Personalised Technology (PT) team, brought together two tools, Lincus, an easy-to-use programme using pictures which helps people to more easily communicate how they are feeling, and integrated it with the Health Equalities Framework (HEF) – an evidence-based outcomes framework which identifies the impact of services in reducing issues which can lead to inequitable healthcare. The project digitised the HEF, making it accessible on the Lincus platform via a tablet device and allowing the data to be easily collated and analysed.
The collated data provided a unique holistic overview of each person’s health and well-being, creating a complete picture of how someone is supported both within the service, at home and in the wider community. As more was found out about each individual, changes were made to the way each individual was supported, resulting in an overall improvement in their health and well-being.
This was the first learning disability-focused project to receive funding through the innovation programme.
Background
People with learning disabilities are now living longer, but they are also more likely to develop long-term conditions and at an earlier age than people who do not have learning disabilities. There is also evidence that they experience inequitable health outcomes compared with the general population with equivalent health needs.
Health issues in people with learning disabilities can be overlooked or misunderstood due to their difficulties in communicating their feelings. This can prevent diagnosis, delay treatment, reduce wellbeing and exacerbate existing conditions.
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