Laura Expert by Experience
Laura Broughton was a CQC Expert for some years. Her work included helping with the high-profile CQC review of nearly 150 learning disabilities services, prompted by the Winterbourne View scandal.
Being part of this review was a good experience for me. It gave me the experience of what it is really like for other people who have a learning disability. What happened at Winterbourne View was terrible and should have never happened.
Some of the people I met should have more help in getting a better life. They were often bored and distressed and staff talked to them not as adults but as though they were children. Some of the people weren’t treated as individuals and certainly not in a person centred way. I felt some people didn’t get the opportunities they should have because they couldn’t speak or because others felt their behaviour was challenging.
As well as being valuable work in itself, the Experts by Experience programme provides much needed paid employment opportunities for people who sometimes find it hard to get work. Laura continues:
It was good for me because I'm now a lot more confident. I've got a paid job as an Expert by Experience. Having a paid job is new for me as it is with a lot of people who have a learning difficulty. I have a voice and I was able to help other people living in these services to have a voice.
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