Do YOU Understand?

It’s estimated that around one million people have a learning disability in England. For NHS staff, this means that about 2.5 per cent of patients will have a learning disability.

 

NHS North East recently commissioned Blumilk to develop a staff engagement campaign aimed at encouraging employees to consider whether they are aware of the needs of this vulnerable group, and signpost them to training resources for those who are unsure or would like to refresh their knowledge.

 

Blumilk developed the PWLD (people with learning disabilities) ‘Do you understand?’ campaign which has been rolled out in two phases.The campaign uses a combination of posters, email footers, desktop wallpapers, bannerstands and pens to help raise awareness.  So far the campaign has generated lots of interest with over 3000 visits to the dedicated staff microsite and a number of requests for further training.

 

When receiving treatment, people with learning disabilities may require a different approach than other patients to ensure that they receive the same quality of care.  And those with learning disabilities are 58 times more likely to die before the age of 50 compared to other people - often due to avoidable causes.

 

We look forward to seeing the final outcome of this campaign that can make a real difference.