Raising awareness of health services and access for children with a learning disability
Download (PDF 788.64 KB)Summary of report content
Healthwatch Hampshire facilitated a series of sessions with eight students at a community special school for children with complex learning disabilities. They also surveyed parents and carers about whether students had a hospital passport. 71 parents and carers completed it. They wanted to understand this group’s experience of health and social care.
Students wanted a variety of measures to reduce stress and anxiety in health care settings, including quiet rooms to wait in and darker lights.
Only 7% of the parents and carers said that their child already had a hospital passport. Only a quarter of parents and carers knew what a hospital passport was. When Healthwatch described the purpose and showed an example of a hospital passport 98% of parent-carers thought they would benefit them and their child.
The report contains three recommendations about accessible waiting conditions for people with learning disabilities and reviewing the use of hospital passports.