Care pathway initiative for people with intellectual disabilities: impact evaluation

AIM: To improve the integrated care of individuals with learning disabilities. BACKGROUND: We report on the evaluation of a care pathway initiative in learning disability services. METHOD: Three separate care pathways were developed and implemented as part of a pilot project. Improvements in parameters were independently verified. RESULTS: Service providers and people with learning disabilities welcomed the introduction of care pathways into their services. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the introduction of care pathways leads to increased communication within services, greater satisfaction and improved outcomes. These gains were achieved without an increase in resources.