An Ethical Advisory Group in a Learning Disability Service

Abstract

This, the third paper on the work of an ethics group in learning disabilities uses the perspective of group members/participants to identify the nature and scope of the group’s work and its achievements. Fairly lengthy audiotaped interviews were undertaken with 15 individual members which were subsequently transcribed and content analysed to obtain information about the ethics group: its purpose, focus, perceived benefits to service users and staff from different professional disciplines, and manner of operation. The fact that the group had been in existence for a reasonable duration, but with slightly changed membership, meant that members would have a historical record of the diversity of individual cases presented for the group’s attention. The ethics group was perceived as benefiting service users, professional care staff and the Trust organization as a whole. Its style of approach was to seek out consensus for a specified course of action and to offer both pragmatic and trial/error solutions. Issues considered by the group, more frequently than not, involved allegations of exploitation of users (either sexual, psychological or financial) and the associated balance between risk, autonomy and promoting independence. Suggestions were put forward to enhance the effectiveness of the ethics group including raising its overall profile within the Community Trust – widening membership, monitoring outcome and increasing clerical/administrative support. The main generally perceived advantage concerned the process of giving reassurance to professional care staff and in helping problem-solving and decision-making centred around care provision for individual adults with learning disabilities.