Good transport and travel training key to better access for adults with learning disability

A new inquiry by Buckinghamshire County Council’s Health and Adult Social Care Select Committee (HASC) shows howgood public transport and travel training can help adults with learning disabilities independently access a broader range of services. The inquiry also highlights the importance of making sureinformation about services and activities is easily understood by adults with learning disabilities and their carers.

The Committee looked closely at how adults with learning disability find out about and use community services in Buckinghamshire and has made 13 recommendations covering transport, access to information, safeguarding and ensuring facilities meet local need.

Margaret Aston, Chairman of the HASC Task and Finish group, said: “To really understand what the current situation looks like we talked to service users, their carers and people on the frontline providing services. They told uswhere there seems to be alack of services such as evening activities-the success of local providers such as Gateway and Social Link shows there isreal demand for this.

“We also found out thatthere isa lack of awareness about what’s available and accessible to adults with learning disability – there’s nowebsite or ‘what’s on’ guide to easily find out.Soit’s difficult to knowhow much of the issue of service provision is down to poor communication.”

Angela Macpherson, HASC Chairman, said: “Our role in the HASC is not only about monitoring performance and holding service providers to account, but also to identify how services can be improved, including those for adults with learning disability.

“It’s vitally important that weinvestigate the issues that really affect the lives of local residents and get their views about the services they use. We are therefore very grateful to everyone who took part in this inquiry including Carers Bucks, Talkback, the Learning Disability Partnership and the Learning Disability Providers Forum.”

The full report ‘Accessibility and promotion of Services for Adults with Learning Disabilities’ is available online at www.buckscc.gov.uk

The recommendations made in the report will be considered by the Buckinghamshire County Council’s Cabinet meeting on Monday 23 May.