Evaluating services for people with learning disabilities in North Wales

IPC has been engaged on behalf of the regional partnership, North Wales Together, to evaluate their work on transformation of services for people with learning disabilities in the region.

We will assess key elements of the North Wales Together: seamless services for people with a learning disability programme. The ongoing goal of the strategy is to ensure services reflect ‘what matters’ to the individual, whilst building on family support, informal networks and community resource team models. IPC’s work will help to shape new services and approaches with valuable feedback and recommendations for the future.

Co-production sits at the heart of this work. IPC is undertaking the evaluation with service user organisation Barod Community Interest Company to ensure people with learning disabilities are involved at all stages including the evaluation design, delivery and analysis. Trained personnel from Barod, who themselves have learning disabilities, will be collecting and analysing qualitative data from a range of stakeholders through interviews and surveys, to feed into the comprehensive IPC evaluation. Image courtesy of Barod Community Interest Company.

The programme is based on the North Wales Learning Disability Strategy which was written by health and social care practitioners together with people with learning disabilities and their families and carers. The strategy is based around what people have said matters most to them:

• having a good place to live – perhaps close to family or friends
• having something meaningful to do – being able to contribute or have a job
• friends, family and relationships
• being safe – having access to services and support
• being healthy
• having the right support

To achieve the strategic vision, there are five planned workstreams:

• Integrated Structures
• Workforce Development
• Assistive Technology
• Commissioning and Procurement
• Community and Culture Change

The work began in 2019 and will last for 18 months, with IPC developing a theory of change to carry out the evaluation work, which will assess new service models and ways of working through qualitative and quantitative means. The final report will include recommendations for change and new directions whilst considering sustainability and how to embed best practice. As part of the ‘A Healthier Wales’ Transformation Programme it will also consider how this work can translate effectively to other regions across Wales.