Good communication underpins choice, relationships and wellbeing, yet the evidence for what actually works in long-term care has been thin. A new King’s College London blog by research assistant Emily Urwin sets out early findings from the Improving Communication with Adults with Learning Disabilities (ICALD) programme, and it’s worth ten minutes of your time.

The team ran a realist review of the evidence, checked against the experience of people with learning disabilities, carers and professionals, then built on it through workshops, focus groups and interviews to map a Theory of Change for improving practice.

Key takeaways:

• Communication works best when staff hold genuine regard for a person’s ability to communicate and take time to know them beyond task-focused care.
• It should support enjoyment and shared experience, not just meeting wants and needs.
• Documentation only helps when it’s kept current and actually used day to day.
• Training that includes adults with mild to moderate learning disabilities as contributors makes a real difference.
• Organisations need to treat communication as a human right, backed by leadership and ongoing support.

The findings have already shaped a new workforce development programme for social care staff, now heading into real-world testing. The team has also produced a set of short animations illustrating each element of good communication support, a useful resource for training sessions. View the animations.

Read the original blog: What does good communication look like for adults with learning disabilities living in social care?

More on the project: Improving Communication with Adults with Learning Disabilities