Health facilitation in primary care

Abstract

This is a preliminary report on a quality improvement project for people with learning disabilities (PWLD) in one London Borough.The strategy document Valuing people required the implementation of a specific activity at two levels: both organizational development and individual health action plans.This activity was called health facilitation. It was left to local services to introduce health facilitation either by extension of existing roles or by creation of new specialist posts. Using neighbourhood renewal funding to improve access to health services, Barking and Dagenham chose to create new posts.This paper will focus on just one of these innovative posts, linked to improving transition planning for school leavers with learning disabilities.There was a pressing local need to improve continuity of care between child and adult services. Multiple methods were used to investigate this new Health Facilitator (HF) role.The HF carried out both service development and person-to-person work, with a wide variety of contacts. Developing ‘signposting’ and appropriate referral systems for young people led to improved access to adult services. In general, this developmental role was seen as making a positive contribution in addressing the gaps in current services for young PWLD. The findings of this evaluation have already led to changes within local services and shaped future workforce planning. © 2005, Cambridge University Press. All rights reserved.