Inspectors are demanding action over failings in services for people with learning disabilities in the North West of England.
The inspectors found “significant areas of weakness” in the services provided by Sefton in Merseyside.
Alison Wilcox of NASEN: it’s vital that local authorities share best practice
The borough consists of a coastal strip of land on the Irish Sea. It is north of Liverpool and extends from Bootle in the south to Southport in the north.
The joint inspection by health watchdog the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and education body Ofsted is demanding an action plan.
Inspectors make demands
The inspectors want to see improvement in waiting times for health services. They also want to see better educational performance at key stages two and four.
Other demands are to see more school leavers with learning disabilities find work. They suggest that numbers remain “well below the national average” in the borough.
High waiting times
The joint report reads: “Waiting times for health services, such as speech and language therapy, paediatrics, audiology and occupational therapy are unacceptably high.”
Performance on waiting times is better in the northern end of the borough, which includes Southport and Formby, compared to places in the south such as Bootle.
The inspectors have carried out 15 joint reports around the country since last July. Only in Rochdale and Surrey have they also demanded a written statement of action.
Alison Wilcox, head of education with the National Association of Special Educational Needs (NASEN), said provision across the country is “mixed”.
She added that it was “vital” that best practice was shared between local authorities.
Councillor John Joseph Kelly: “We are working on a plan to implement the changes required”
Strengths
As well as criticisms, the Sefton report also points to strengths. One of these is that school exclusion rates are below the national average. Another is that the borough has managed smooth transitions for pupils changing schools and education.
Councillor John Joseph Kelly, Sefton spokesman for schools, said: “We have already identified many of the issues outlined by Ofsted and CQC and we are working with partners on a plan to implement the changes required.”
Dr Rob Caudwell, chair of Southport and Formby Clinical Commissioning Group, said it was working to ensure health services are more “equitable and effective for the future”.
Published: 24 January 2017
