'We shouldn’t underestimate the fundamental importance of remaining compassionate in highly challenging circumstances'

For my Blog this week I just would like to share a (slightly abridged) piece I received from Dr Ruth Berry (Professional Lead for our LYPFT Learning Disability Psychology Team). She wrote this for Learning Disability Awareness Week; I think it speaks to the core of what we need to do, and continue to do better, in care, but equally, across society more generally.

Reflections on working in learning disability services

I’ve worked with people with a learning disability for more than 25 years. For me, the challenges and rewards remain the same and are fundamentally about relationships and values. The resonances with the broader culture are so strong right now as all disadvantaged people fight for the right to be treated as equals.

People with a learning disability really struggle in this fight because it is so hard for them to articulate their position and to be heard. This is especially true for those who have more severe levels of intellectual impairment and additional needs. These are the people whose needs are especially complex and difficult to meet, often resulting in a downward spiral that can result in admission to hospital. Many people outside of Learning Disability services will have heard of one such hospital, Winterbourne View, and the horrendous events there, involving the patients being treated in humiliating and degrading ways. It’s no exaggeration to say that these people were tortured by the staff being paid to care for them. Long reports have been written about the many factors that fed into this abusive situation. For me, a key issue is the dehumanisation of people who are experienced as ‘difficult’ and ‘other’. Once this ‘othering’ has happened, poor and even abusive treatment is legitimised. If we are to resist this pull, we need to be mindful of this tendency to split into groups of ‘them’ and ‘us’ and find ways to remain connected to those people who may, on the surface, feel quite different to us. 

We shouldn’t underestimate the fundamental importance of remaining compassionate in highly challenging circumstances and this is something we can all strive for and support each other in. COVID is amplifying all the tensions, divisions and differentials in privilege that have always existed. The difference now is that they are front and centre and call for us to engage with them, however uncomfortable that might be. 

If there is one maxim to underpin this way of relating it’s to see the person first, not get caught up on the superficial and surface differences. I take hope from knowing there are staff in our organisation who do this day in, day out and can teach us all to keep on reaching out in a curious and compassionate way and to keep trying to do our best for those who are most in need.

Dr Ruth Berry, Consultant Clinical Psychologist & Professional Lead for the Learning Disability Psychology Team.