Green Light Champions launch new checklist to improve support for people with learning disabilities and autism
More than 60 Green Light Champions from across Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) came together on Tuesday 3 November to celebrate the launch of the new Green Light Champion Checklist, a practical resource designed to improve support for people with learning disabilities and autism.
The checklist has been co-produced over the past 12 months by Green Light Champions, experts by experience, and staff from across the Trust. It has been developed to help champions carry out their roles more effectively by providing clear prompts, guidance and practical actions that can be embedded within teams.
The project is rooted in the nationally recognised Green Light Toolkit, an audit framework containing 27 standards that support mental health trusts to deliver fair and equitable services for people with learning disabilities and autism. While the toolkit has been in use for around a decade, there is recognition that more work is needed nationally to ensure services consistently meet people's needs.
NSFT has established itself as a national leader in this area, with 217 Green Light Champions now covering 94 per cent of Trust teams. Building on this success, NSFT was selected as one of only three organisations nationally to take part in an NHS England commissioned improvement project delivered through the Royal College of Nursing (RCN).
The new checklist has been designed to create a consistent approach across all services and supports the Trust's Learning Disability and Autism Kitemark Accreditation programme. Alongside the checklist, a supporting resource document provides links to additional information, tools and guidance to help champions drive improvements in their services.
Speaking at the launch, Geoff Brennan, Nursing Lead for RCN Mental Health Programmes, said: “NSFT is one of the leading trusts in the country for driving the Green Light Project and its involvement of service users and experts by experience to better support those with learning disabilities and autism is phenomenal.”
Anthony Deery, Chief Nurse at NSFT, said: “The checklist is a fantastic piece of work that keeps staff focused on the needs of people with learning disabilities and autism. Everyone across the Trust has a role to play in championing the rights of those who may experience disadvantage. I would like to thank everyone who has been involved in the development of the checklist, and to our Green Light Champions - your work is incredibly valuable and important.”
Sue Bridges, Consultant Nurse for Learning Disability and Autism at NSFT, said: “I am incredibly proud of the work undertaken by our Green Light Champions and Expert Group. The Green Light programme and the Learning Disability and Autism Kitemark Accreditation Programme work hand in hand to support the delivery of fair, equitable, and accessible services for all.”
The project team will present the checklist at the RCN headquarters in London in January, with ambitions for the resource to be adopted nationally.