Learning-disabled people's experience of general hospitals

As more people with learning disability move from long-stay hospitals into the community, contact with general hospital services will increase. Yet, how people with learning disability experience general hospital settings has remained a largely unresearched area. Despite the Department of Health's (DoH's) 1992 guidelines regarding learning-disabled people's access to hospitals, research reveals several areas where the needs of people with learning disability have not been considered. This small-scale study sought to hear from learning-disabled people themselves about their hospital experiences. Thirteen interviews were conducted over 3 months. The interviews were then transcribed and, using grounded theory, a series of key concepts developed. Findings highlighted that, particularly in the areas of 'fears about treatment', 'communication', 'general nursing', 'consent to treatment' and 'doctors', learning-disabled people had a lot to say, much of which was critical of service provision.