Thread by @DFenney

The only downside of chairing/taking part in your own panel is that you can’t live tweet it, but I want to share some reflections for people who couldn't make it. #KFAnnual2022

🧵

https://twitter.com/DFenney/status/1587835098350624770

First @FaziletHadi opened the discussion by setting out the challenges facing disabled people at present, but also the importance of a #SocialModel approach, #NothingAboutUsWithoutUs and the principles of choice and control.

I then got to share the findings of the work @DisRightsUK and @TheKingsFund published this summer about the importance of involving disabled people in health and care service design - you can find it here (it's short and sweet!):

kingsfund.org.uk/publications/p…

It's so important that any work on #disability is designed and led by disabled people. I was really pleased that we brought together a panel where all of us had lived or living experience of disability in some way. It's not an 'us and them' issue!

But also important to remember that disabled people are a hugely diverse group in the UK. While we face a common experience of disabling barriers, how those show up will be different for everyone. So treating us as whole people is key.

Also, if you take a look at the report, you'll notice that none of our findings were particularly new. So this is definitely not a 'tick box' issue - inclusion requires constant attention.

Our three guests then talked about the work they're doing in different contexts to improve disabled people's involvement and to improve services and outcomes for disabled people who use those services. Here are a few highlights:

Tom from @NHS_DNDN talked about the importance of visible leadership of disabled people and the role of disabled staff networks, and the need to recognise changing and diverse needs among disabled staff and service users.

Christine from @NHSEngland @wdesnews talked about the Workplace Disability Equality Standard and how they were also supporting disabled staff through an innovation fund - and a need for organisations to recognise the financial case for this work, not just the moral one

(I also said something similar in an @HSJnews comment piece this summer, sorry it's behind a paywall!) hsj.co.uk/service-design…

And Mary from @WILTSCIL described how her DPO managed to take the power back in their local area - taking their contract and using it to do what local disabled people needed, not what commissioners thought was best – and producing something amazing in the process

In the discussion, how to support disabled staff was a key topic - not least because with the workforce crisis in health and social care, retaining and supporting disabled staff is one part of tackling this. But also, disabled staff have unique expertise to contribute.

Access to services also came up - and how to support disabled people with continuity of care - no one wants to have to explain their story 100s of times.

As my wonderful colleague @LauraLamming put it - our panel was 'small but mighty'. Certainly our audience seemed to think more people need to hear these stories.

I'm also really aware that in-person events are not accessible for everyone for lots of reasons, But also conscious that given these events *are* happening – if some of us can be in the room, it’s important to be there.

There's so much work to be done to improve disabled people's access to and experiences of health and care, and educating people and hopefully changing mindsets and spreading good practice is part of this.

Here ends my mammoth thread which probably should have been a blog - but I hope it's interesting and I'd love to hear what you think - particularly #DisabilityTwitter! - and what @TheKingsFund could be thinking about next in this space 🧵[End]