Our mission at HRD Consultancy is to ensure that every individual with learning disabilities, intellectual disabilities, neurodivergent, are able to thrive and reach their full potential.

As a leader of a learning disability organisation your commitment to providing high-quality, values-based, and psychologically informed care for individuals with learning disabilities is commendable. 

Your dedication to empowering them to lead fulfilled lives in services tailored to their needs sets you apart as a caring and responsible leader.

However, amidst your focus on the well-being of service users, it's crucial not to overlook the mental health of your staff. 

After all, they are the backbone of your organisation, and their well-being directly impacts the quality of care they can provide.

Common challenges

1.The Weight of Responsibility

As a leader, you carry the responsibility of ensuring your staff can deliver the best care possible. This can sometimes become overwhelming, leading to stress and anxiety.

2. High Demands

The nature of the job demands empathy, patience, and understanding, which can be emotionally draining over time.

3. Staff Retention

The...

We've had some big wins this week so we're celebrating these amazing champions and all the challenges they are conquering. 

Wimbledon's Wheelchair Winners

This year's Wimbledon wheelchair winners have left us in awe with their outstanding skills and unwavering spirit.  

It's time to give these remarkable athletes a round of applause and celebration for proving that disability is never a barrier to greatness! 

See, wins and achievements by people with disabilities often receive little attention in mainstream media. So I say, it's time to change that!

It's time to shine a light on their triumphs and contributions, both here on the sports field, as well as in every aspect of life. 

Representation matters, and seeing individuals with disabilities excel in their fields is a source of inspiration for us all.

From sports to arts, academia, and beyond, their presence makes our world richer, more diverse, and infinitely more compassionate.

Check out the winners on...

Embracing a New Reality: How Visualisation Can Help You Develop New Goals for Your Family

As a parent of a child with additional needs, you may have found that life is not exactly how you thought it would be.

You may have faced challenges and struggles that you never imagined, and you may have had to adapt to a new reality.

However, I want to reassure you that you're not alone, and there are ways to move forward and create a new vision for your family.

One powerful tool that I've found can help you develop new goals for yourself and your family is visualisation.

Visualisation is a process of creating a mental image of something you want to achieve. By using your imagination to see your goals as already achieved, you can create a clear picture of what you want to achieve, and it can help you to stay motivated and focused on what you want to achieve.

I've put together a few tips on how you can use visualisation to develop new goals for your family:

• Start with a clear goal: Think...

Lack of Focus

As a leader in learning disability services, you play a vital role in improving the lives of those with disabilities. From my experiences, I've noticed a lack of focus among some leaders, which can hinder progress and impact the quality of care.

So I thought I'd share with you the power of visualisation and how it can help your service stay on track towards achieving your goals.

Visualisation is a powerful tool that can help you and your team to clearly see and understand your objectives.

By creating a visual representation of your goals and desired outcomes, you can gain clarity and focus on what is important.

It can help to clarify complex ideas, communicate them effectively to others and keep everyone on the same page.

To make your visualisation effective, I've put together a few tips for you to keep in mind:

• Keep it simple: Use clear, concise language and avoid cluttering your visualisation with too much detail.
• Make it relevant: Focus on what is important and...

Overcoming self-doubt

As a leader in the learning disability service industry, I wanted to share and discuss a common challenge that we can often face from time to time: struggling with our own belief in our abilities.

I know firsthand how difficult it can be to maintain a positive mindset and outlook when facing obstacles, and I believe that this is a challenge that we need to address in order to provide the best possible service to our clients.

When we doubt ourselves as leaders, it can have a direct impact on the quality of service that we provide.

Our team members look to us for guidance and direction, and if we are not confident in our abilities, it can create a sense of uncertainty and confusion that can be detrimental to our overall success.

However, I also believe that there are ways to overcome this challenge and develop a more positive mindset. Some tips that have helped me in the past include:

• Focus on your strengths: Instead of dwelling on your weaknesses, focus on the...

What would you do if CQC or Ofsted walked into your service?

If CQC or Ofsted were to walk into your service today how would you feel? 

How confident would you be as they walked around?

Would you know that they would only see good or outstanding practice? 

Would they see a service with a plan for ensuring the emotional well-being of every service user? 

Could they identify your service as being trauma-informed

Would they see psychological principles underpinning all of the care that you provide?

One of the things that has been highlighted recently is that actually getting a “good” rating from Ofsted or CQC does not always mean that everything is ok behind the scenes

I’m going to be honest with you now….

When my relatives come over at Christmas or for major birthdays in the year they will be greeted with a beautiful, organised home. 

However, there is always one door that’s closed and beyond limits...

We’re almost two weeks into 2023 and how are those New Year’s Resolutions going? 

Perhaps you don’t make them because in the past you’ve not managed to keep them.  Perhaps you’ve made them and you’re starting to lose the momentum again. 

I know I have a handful of journals that end part way through January. 

I was struck at the swimming pool yesterday that the pool and changing rooms seemed quieter than the previous week.  The “New Year New Me” fitness regimes are starting to dwindle.

• Did you make some decisions regarding the way forward for your care service this year? 
• Or did you make resolutions regarding how you would act as a parent or carer for people with learning disabilities? 
• Maybe you’ve decided that this year will be a time for greater empowerment for the individuals with learning disabilities that you support. 

However, already you can feel yourself slipping back into your...

As 2022 draws to a close, I suspect like many other organisations I have been reviewing what has occurred in 2022 and planning what 2023 will bring for HRD Consultancy.

Having left my post in the NHS in December 2020, this year marks my full second year as HRD Consultancy and it has been a busy year of growth. I have found it so inspiring to meet so many people who are also working in this field and have been blown away by the innovation that I have seen.  

I want to say a Massive Thank you to everyone who has been supporting me through this last year. 

Every post shared or liked, every comment made, every contact, helps to build the message of HRD Consultancy. So thank you all for taking the time to join me on this journey. 



Earlier in the year I gained the support of two wonderful assistants, Celina from CMDG Virtuals, who has been supporting me with my social media and Sumeera Zafar from Sumodi Ltd, who has been supporting me with all...

It has been so exciting to see the support for the Christmas Kindness initiative over the past few weeks.  We’re several days into it now, but even if you’ve missed a few days, it’s not too late to get involved. 

Just do a day or two, or whatever you can manage.

Individuals with learning disabilities and other additional needs are often given so few opportunities to get involved with their local community, so few opportunities to engage with their neighbours and this can lead to feelings of isolation.  

Christmas can be isolating

Our time of lockdown during the pandemic highlighted the concerns of loneliness and how this impacts on our mental wellbeing. 

With statistics showing that over 50% of people with a learning disability also having a mental health difficulty - as leaders of learning disability services or parents of those with a learning disability, we need to be doing everything we can to support those in our care.  

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