• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

North Wales Collaborative

North Wales Social Care and Well-being Improvement Collaborative

  • Cymraeg
  • Home
  • About
  • Priorities
    • The people we support >
      • People with learning disabilities
      • Unpaid carers
      • People living with dementia
      • Children and young people with complex needs
      • People with emotional and mental health needs
    • The way we work >
      • Commissioning
      • Workforce
      • Safeguarding
      • Social value forum
      • Digital, data and technology
      • Mwy na geiriau (More than just words)
    • Population Assessment and Regional Plan
    • Regional Integration Fund
    • Regional Innovation Coordination Hub
  • Blog
  • Get involved
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Engagements / Covid-19 impact on people with learning disabilities

Covid-19 impact on people with learning disabilities

LnRiLWZpZWxke21hcmdpbi1ib3R0b206MC43NmVtfS50Yi1maWVsZC0tbGVmdHt0ZXh0LWFsaWduOmxlZnR9LnRiLWZpZWxkLS1jZW50ZXJ7dGV4dC1hbGlnbjpjZW50ZXJ9LnRiLWZpZWxkLS1yaWdodHt0ZXh0LWFsaWduOnJpZ2h0fS50Yi1maWVsZF9fc2t5cGVfcHJldmlld3twYWRkaW5nOjEwcHggMjBweDtib3JkZXItcmFkaXVzOjNweDtjb2xvcjojZmZmO2JhY2tncm91bmQ6IzAwYWZlZTtkaXNwbGF5OmlubGluZS1ibG9ja311bC5nbGlkZV9fc2xpZGVze21hcmdpbjowfQ==
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
Feedback from people with learning disabilities about the impact of Covid-19 and lockdown

Lead Organisation: Regional Partnership Board


This feedback was collected by the North Wales Learning Disability Transformation Team from the people they work with about their experiences between March and July 2020.

Changes due to lockdown

Day service settings shut down and social care and health community staff worked from home. In-house services appeared to adapt less quickly to lock down though contracted out services such as HFT, Tyddyn Mon, Co-options were able to adapt more quickly and offer online activities to those known to their services. Some quotes from families in North Wales are listed below;

We felt we weren’t in the loop initially and that we were abandoned.

Did services talk to families because we should have put our heads together?

Our world suddenly became very small

Citizens report losing their employment or having been away from volunteering opportunities having had a detrimental impact on their wellbeing.

If it had not been for Conwy Connect, Transformation team, All Wales People First and the participation groups what would we have had? We needed to be connected. We need those activities to continue.

Coming out of lockdown/shielding

  • Families and providers are anxious about individuals leaving isolation particularly given their physical health vulnerabilities.
  • Support has to be bespoke and person centred and practitioners are having to rapidly review and redesign each person’s day, requiring a great deal of input to review complex behaviour support plans and so on.
  • There are concerns from people with learning disabilities and their families around approaches being taken to shielding and the restricted use of “bubbles” within shared supported living. While well intended, the result of some of these practices could have significant impacts on the rights, liberty and relationships of people with learning disabilities, do not always adhere to national guidance and therefore have a disproportionately draconian effect on people with learning disabilities living in these settings.

Workforce and availability of support

  • Support workers report feeling exhausted. The workforce was depleted by people being off sick, self-isolating or furloughed. Again this is supported both by Paradigm and local experiences. Social care staff feel underpaid and undervalued particularly when compared with health colleagues.
  • Gwynedd reported having the buildings available to provide respite, breaks and day services for people. Their issue was the lack of availability of staff. The care homes and 24 hour supported living services had to be prioritised, meaning staff hours were taken away from bespoke domiciliary support options that might have alleviated the stress on families.

Digital inclusion

  • One local supported living provider reported challenges in supporting people with learning disabilities to access Zoom and other technologies as staff did not always have time to sit with individuals.
  • A lack of skill and knowledge amongst those supporting people with learning disabilities, a lack of or restricted internet access and lack of access to equipment are the main issues barriers to digital inclusion. 
  • Statutory day services have stated they would have liked to have offered more virtual activities and meet ups, the digital infrastructure and skills were not in place to set this up.
  • A number of citizens and advocates reported reluctance amongst providers and carers to allow people with learning disabilities to access the internet citing risk and confidentiality factors.

Guidance and availability of accessible information

  • Agencies referenced the pressures of receiving large amounts of guidance, usually by email from several authorities at a time of pressure on their services. This was exacerbated for national providers who had to familiarise themselves with English and Welsh guidance. 
  • While easy read guidance and videos have been helpful, the production of materials has not always been timely and circulation of materials has been patchy. 

Contact

Learning.disability.transformation@flintshire.gov.uk

Date completed

Tagged With: alone, Coronavirus, electronic, electronically, electronics, emotional, happiness, ID, IDD, intellectual development, Intellectual disabilities, intellectual disability, isolated, isolating, learning disabilities, learning disability, life satisfaction, loneliness, lonely, mental, Online, QoL, quality of life, quarantine, quarantined, SARS, segregated, shield, virtual, virtually, wellbeing

Primary Sidebar

Recent posts

people standing on rock during daytime

North Wales Together: Walking and cycling events to celebrate Learning Disability Awareness Week

Capital Team visit to Anglesey

North Wales services unite to launch new dementia support tool

  • What’s on for Dementia Action Week?
  • Dementia Support Tool
  • RPB Carer Representative

Footer

Partners

Isle of Anglesey County Council
Gwynedd Council
Conwy County Borough Council
Denbighshire County Council
Flintshire County Council
Wrexham County Borough Council
Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB)
Public Health Wales

Contact details

Email Us!

Bluesky: @nwrich.bsky.social


Accessibility Statement

Account

You are not logged in.
Login

Search

Copyright © 2025 NWSCWIC · Site by DarkStarDigital