People with learning disabilities, autistic people, their families and carers are being encouraged to share their views about a new vision for services across health and social care in Birmingham and Solihull.
Organisations including Birmingham Children’s Trust, Birmingham City Council, NHS Birmingham and Solihull, Solihull Council and voluntary community sector partners, who make up the Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care System, have agreed the need to create a consistent vision to support people with learning disabilities and autistic people of all ages.
Lisa Stalley-Green, Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Nursing Officer for NHS Birmingham and Solihull, explains more about the approach: “We have worked closely with people with lived experience and partners to develop draft visions for learning disabilities and autism to ensure they reflect the lives and aspirations of local people. We now want to involve a wider group of people, including professionals, providers, people with lived experience and parents/carers to help finalise our visions and shape our delivery plans in Birmingham and Solihull.
Cllr Tony Dicicco, Solihull’s Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health says: “This collective focus will help us as partners to prioritise our resources and co-ordinate our approach to improve the support and outcomes for people with a learning disability and autistic people. We need to know what is important to you.”
Cllr Mariam Khan, Birmingham’s Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care says: “It is so important that people with learning disabilities, people with autism and their families have a say in what services are available and how they can be accessed. Please help us to shape the delivery plans by taking part in the survey, so we can ensure that our vision reflects the needs of service users."
Councillor Karen McCarthy, Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Families at Birmingham City Council says: “I would encourage people to engage in this work and help ensure we get the visions for learning disabilities and autism right, so that they encapsulate the real experiences and wishes of local people and influence how resources are deployed to best effect.”
The surveys and strategies, including easy read versions, and dates for engagement events are on the Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board website. Paper copies of the surveys are also available in Birmingham and Solihull libraries.
The surveys close on Monday 6 March.