“So – with much excitement finally the Project Report for the Anticipatory Care Calendar (ACC) is launched.”
This report is the culmination of a lot of hard work, and has been delayed to enable the correct web links to the ACC to be on the report, as well as the most up to date information.
The ACC is a free paper based system hosted by the Innovation Agency (North West England Academic Health Science Network) – www.innovationagencynwc.nhs.uk/acc which aims to support the recognition, recording and response to health changes in people with a Learning Disability via a Traffic light recording framework and guidance via “Description and Actions” pages.
The Anticipatory Care Calendar was developed following the tragic and potentially preventable death of a young man called Robert, from Testicular Cancer.
Recent news reports about more untimely and frankly appalling deaths of people with learning disabilities highlights the need for social care staff to be more confident at observing health changes, and driving health care for this vulnerable group.
The ACC is a tool that could do just this and the project was to try and introduce it to services in the South East of Kent.
For a number of reasons, the introduction of the ACC was challenging – but the story does not end with the project, and with continued work alongside the Innovation Agency and Private and Voluntary Sector Providers it is now being used more and more with the free e-learning accessible to all.
Written by Sue Marsden, Specialist Learning Disability Community Matron
susie.marsden@nhs.net
www.kentcht.nhs.uk
Workforce Development for & with People with Intellectual Disabilities 