Support for people with learning disabilities

#NarrowingTheGapMSE

Supported Internships

The Mid and South Essex Foundation Trust has expanded its Supported Internship Programme so that it is now running at Basildon, Broomfield and Southend hospitals.

The successful programme, run in partnership between the Trust, South Essex College, and Chelmsford College, has seen eligible students receive training and support as part of structured placements.

The students gain skills for independent living while learning how to work in busy hospital departments. They are supported by dedicated job coaches throughout their placement, meaning the hospitals know how best to place them in clinical and non-clinical areas.

Dr Bola Owolabi meets Elliot Lind at Basildon Hospital

Watch the film about when Dr Bola Owolabi, Director – Healthcare Inequalities at NHS England, meets Elliot Lind, who secured a job at Basildon Hospital after taking part in the programme:

Understanding Inequalities

A scheme improving access to hospital services for people with learning disabilities reached the final of a national award.

The Understanding Inequality project, run in partnership by Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust and Healthwatch Essex, was in the running for the Learning Disabilities Initiative of the Year Award at the Health Service Journal Patient Safety Awards.

The project involved patients with learning disabilities who took part in workshops, making recommendations on how to improve access to hospital services.

Those recommendations are now being put into practice thanks to staff and patient champions, helping to improve the experiences of the 17,000 people with learning disabilities across mid and south Essex.