Ealing Services for Children with Additional Needs (ESCAN) Patient Research Report

Healthwatch Ealing launched a project around children with additional needs living in the London Borough of Ealing. These services are provided by the Ealing Services for Children with Additional Needs (ESCAN), which is based at Carmelita House in Ealing Broadway. The building offers access to services and facilities such as treatment rooms and rooms for parents' & carer's assistance.

On this occasion, we have carried out a project that looks at the experiences of people accessing services that support children with additional needs within the Borough. As the Healthwatch Ealing committee was considering Enter & View visits to ESCAN as part of its 2020-21 programme of activity, this study was undertaken as an initial review of the services, in order to increase our awareness and understanding of the service quality and delivery from a patient’s perspective.

This report had certain limitations. We aimed to get feedback from 100 parents & carers but, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown, our research was cut short. As a result, conclusions regarding the user's sentiment toward some aspects of Ealing services should be reviewed with caution. Where relevant, we have highlighted these data points and recommend that the reader reflects upon these findings within the context of the current pandemic.

Feedback was collected from 64 parents & carers who visited Carmelita House for assessments or reviews. Overall, parents & carers gave highly positive feedback on the quality and delivery of the services. Out of a total of 64 respondent experiences received, 80% (n.51) were positive, 8% (n.5) were negative and 12% (n.8) were neutral.

Additionally, the overall experience feedback in each service category was overwhelmingly positive and it is noteworthy that there were three services with no negative feedback. Parents & carers highly praised staff attitude & behaviour.

The findings are discussed in more detail in the main body of the report, which is complete with recommendations, areas of good practice, and next steps. A formal response from the service provider and commissioning body is included.