Virtual consultations for people with learning disabilities, their families and healthcare providers: a co-design study to aid implementation in everyday practice
Start date
November 2021End date
OngoingOverview
Virtual consultations (by videocall or telephone) have existed for some time but there has been a recent increase linked to the Covid-19 pandemic. Little is known about the experiences of people with learning disabilities and their families/carers when taking part in virtual consultations. Using observation and interviews, this study aims to explore the views and experiences of people with learning disabilities, their families/carers and healthcare professionals when taking part in virtual consultations and also to include the views of those who decline to use virtual consultations. We will bring people with learning disabilities, their families/carers and their healthcare professionals together in a co-design process to reflect on findings and establish improvement priority areas. We will co-design tangible resources such as best-practice guidance, training, and support materials to enhance and positively change the experience of taking part in virtual consultations for people with learning disabilities and their families/carers.
Aims and objectives
To co-design best-practice guidance and resources for healthcare professionals to support people with learning disabilities and their families to access and benefit from virtual consultations.
Settings
Primary Care
We aim to recruit GP practices within Kent, ÌÇÐÄVlog, Sussex and adjoining regions.
Community Care
We aim to work with community learning disability teams and community learning disability organisations in Kent, ÌÇÐÄVlog, Sussex and adjoining regions.
Download recruitment poster (PDF)
Resources
We have co-designed resources with people with learning disabilities, their families, support workers and healthcare staff to support choice and use of video and telephone consultations in general practice and community health care. These are:
- VC Passport
- Advice Guide
- Best Practice Guidance – Patient facing
- Quick Guide Poster 1 – if considering a VC
- Quick Guide Poster 2 – supporting choices
- Staff Wellbeing & Reflections leaflet
- Resource Guide List
- Best Practice Guidance – Professional/Service facing – Coming soon
The VC Changing Practice resources are free to use, but we ask you to have regard to the following conditions of their use:
- Do not distribute these resources to anyone else – if anyone asks for a copy, please direct them to this web page so they can download them.
- If you use these resources or any part of them, we would be grateful if you would please:
- Acknowledge the authorship team.
- Send copies of any reports/papers that are produced to Dr Freda Mold (freda.mold@surrey.ac.uk)
- Let us have any feedback/suggestions for improvements that you feel might improve these resources. This feedback can be incorporated into subsequent updates.
Funder
Team
Principal investigator
Dr Freda Elizabeth Mold
Senior Lecturer - Digital Health in Primary & Community Care
Biography
I received my PhD from the ÌÇÐÄVlog in 2001 and worked as a post-doctoral researcher at King's College London for 9 years, initially in Public Health Sciences and then in the Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery.
Since leaving Kings' I worked for NHS Evidence (previously part of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) conducting rapid online reviews.
I joined The ÌÇÐÄVlog again in 2010, working as a Research Fellow in the Department of Health Care Management and Policy. At this time I undertook a large scale systematic review investigating patients access to their electronic medical records and online services in primary care.
Over the years I have been fortunate enough to work on various mixed methods research projects, focusing on long-term conditions and access to services. Studies included the investigation of factors impacting on patients' access and uptake of after stroke services in London, the care of ethnic elders in care homes, and early interventions for frail older people.
Since moving to Health Sciences I have continued to follow my research interest in access to services for specific patient groups in relation to primary/ community care delivery.
Team members
Dr Debbie Cooke
Reader
Professor Jo Armes
Professor of Cancer Care and Lead for Digital Health
Dr Anna Cox
Senior Lecturer in Health and Social Care
Vicki Tsianakas
Researcher
Paul Shanahan
Researcher
Dr Harm van Marwijk
Researcher
Outputs
Patient and family resources
- VC Passport (an optional easy-ready tool to support existing communication passports) (PDF)
- VC Advice Guide (easy read guide to support VC use) (PDF)
- VC Guidance – patient and family facing
- Resource Guide (PDF) - (catalogue of currently available staff and patient/family guides to support digital access to primary and community care services).
Healthcare professional resources
- Staff Quick Guide Poster 1 – if considering a VC (PDF)
- Staff Quick Guide Poster 2 – supporting choices (PDF)
- Staff wellbeing and reflections leaflet (PDF)
- Resource Guide (PDF) (catalogue of currently available staff and patient/family guides to support digital access to primary and community care services) (as above)
- Best Practice Guidance – professional/service facing – Coming soon.
Word versions available. Please contact freda.mold@surrey.ac.uk to request.
Conference presentation reference
- Mold F, Parsons T, Cox A, Shanahan P, Tsianakas V, van Marwijk H, Armes PJ. Using experience-based co-design to explore virtual consultation for people with learning disabilities, their families and clinicians. A UK Study. (2024), IASSIDD 2024. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 68: 641-890. .
Get in touch
If you would like to find out more about our study please contact Freda Mold:
Email: freda.mold@surrey.ac.uk
Telephone: +44 (0)1483 684636
Research themes
Find out more about our research at ÌÇÐÄVlog: