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This week, we are celebrating the Autism and Learning Disability Champion Awards for 2020 founded for hospital staff or teams that have provided an exemplary service and care for patients with a Learning Disability (LD) or who are Autistic.  Usually each year we have an award ceremony with a celebratory lunch attended by the winners, people who use our hospital services and our staff members. This year, due to COVID, we are celebrating online with each day dedicated to different champions.

We think it’s very important that in spite of the COVID pandemic we still take time out to recognise, thank and congratulate individuals and teams in the incredible care that they give to improve the experience and feelings of our wonderful patients. It’s inspiring to see in their amazing efforts that the trust’s Reasonable Adjustment Charter is making such a difference in promoting personalised and compassionate care, benefitting both their patients and staff. We hope the award winners inspire others to show small changes and reasonable adjustments can make a big difference. This is a reminder that it isn’t things that make changes – it is people.

Once again a big CONGRATULATIONS and a huge thank you from all the LD and Autism Liaison teams, our CEO Ann James, Chief Nurse Lenny Byrne, Deputy Chief Nurse Bev Allingham, and most of all from our patients.

Monday’s champions

Richard Littlejohn and Liam Taylor: A key element of the Autism pilot has been to collect data that can be used for trust reports required to demonstrate the various aspects of service use and improvement. Both Richard and Liam have responded quickly and thoroughly to the requests made. Their contribution and attention to detail has been instrumental in the service audit processes. This has been highly valued by the Autism Service.

The Minor Injury Unit at UHP: Since moving to the Nuffield site the MIU team, supported by Stuart Quarterman, have ensured that they are accessible to patients with additional needs. This has included working with the LD Team’s Independent Advocate: making an easy read leaflet so patients know whether they need to go to the ED or MIU, making a short film explaining where the MIU is and how to access it and sticking a green line inside the building so patients can make their own way to the x-ray room from the main reception and back again.

Tuesday’s champions

Abbie Vincent : Abbie has been an immense help to the Autism service both through her dedication to her role as Chair for aDAPt (Derriford Autism Partnership). During the first COVID lockdown, when even though she was  having to work from home, she took time to assist us with developing resources. This has helped the service to achieve areas on the work plan that would have been a challenge to complete without Abbie’s assistance. It has been a pleasure to have her working alongside us.

Kristina Ashe: Having supported Kristina to make easy-read leaflets for patients during the first lockdown the team’s Independent Advocate asked her to consider being a link practitioner for the department. Since she agreed Kristina has been incredibly proactive and ensured everyone who works within Rowan House has been enrolled on the Learning Disability and Autism Awareness e-learning course, colour photocopied a bank of accessible leaflets and put them in most of the clinic rooms and created a team G-drive with a link to the patient resources page of the Learning Disability Liaison Team’s page on the trust website.

Wednesday’s champions

Malcolm Collins: Malcolm volunteered to help us ensure that alerts are in the notes of Autistic patients that we have identified and to continue to do this in the future. This action has been extremely helpful to the Autism Service as we have been able to use the time that would have been spent on this task on other key areas of our work plan; therefore achieving more for this group of patients. These alerts support the identification of patients who may benefit from Reasonable Adjustments, so the fact that this is being done promptly has a positive impact on patient care.

Alison James: Alison has been nominated for this award due to the amazing work she has done within the specialist dentistry service for patients with learning disabilities. She works closely with the LD Team to ensure that people who are scared, worried or have extreme anxiety are able to get their dental treatment and has gone above and beyond in her care.

Thursday’s champions

Julie Overnell and Postbridge: Julie has been proactive in arranging for her team to attend the Understanding Autism training and is planning to set up further training bespoke to her department.  Postbridge have worked together with the Autism Service to react to challenges that have faced Autistic patients, particularly since the COVID restrictions added to the high anxiety that this group of patients already feel when attending the hospital. Julie and her team have been responded promptly and effectively when issues have arisen, ensuring that patients have the best possible experience on their ward.

James Metcalfe: James has been nominated for this award for making reasonable adjustments to ensure that people with learning disabilities get timely investigations. He uses the Learning Disability GA clinic regularly so that patients with additional needs can have the treatment they need.

Friday’s champions

Dr Mark Perry & Team: Some individuals who are Autistic can struggle with accessing healthcare due to a lack of knowledge and understanding of their challenges by healthcare professionals. Mark and the rheumatology team have taken the time to listen to a particular patient who has had years of difficulties within healthcare and whose health management has suffered as a result. They have taken on board advice from the Autism Service regarding the reasons for the historical events that have taken place and have looked past preconceptions to work together to provide the patient with individualised care. This willingness to be open to advice and to give the patient the time required with an understanding of the communication difficulties has been instrumental in a vast improvement in the patient’s quality of life and the start of rebuilding of trust of healthcare services.

Jill Sargent: Jill has been given this award for raising awareness of patients with a learning disability admitted to the ward, highlighting concerns of others who may not be alerted to the team and responding in a personalised way to individuals who may be more problematic when trying to obtain bloods and cannulation.

Follow the University Hospitals Plymouth Learning Disability Liaison Team on Facebook: DerrifordT and Twitter: @DerrifordT and the University Hospitals Plymouth Autism Service on Facebook: DerrifordAutism and Twitter @Derriford Autism