A Consett man has been named on a prestigious 'Leader's List' for his work making sure the NHS is inclusive and speaking up for people with learning disabilities and autism.
Paul James has Lowe's Syndrome - a condition which means he is visually impaired and has a learning disability. When he was a child his mum was told he "wouldn't walk or talk", but Paul has confounded those expectations and now been honoured for his dedication to helping break down barriers for those with autism and similar conditions.
The County Durham man works for NHS England's health improvement team on its learning disability and autism programme. Now he has been named on the Leader's List which is put together by non-profit Dimensions, Learning Disability England and the Voluntary Organisations Disability Group.
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The idea behind the list is to "celebrates the extraordinary stories and achievements of individuals across the UK, encouraging more people with disabilities to be their own spokespeople and show the world what they can do". Paul's work in the NHS has included creating easy-read guides to help staff and offering them training, while also running programmes encouraging people with learning disabilities and autism to access healthcare.
He told ChronicleLive: "I'm visually impaired, I have a learning disability and Lowe’s Syndrome. I have worked for the NHS now for nearly two years. Before this I worked for my local council and I used to be involved in a self- advocacy group.
"My mum was told when I was a child I wouldn’t walk or talk, when I grew up I didn’t see many options and I couldn’t see myself achieving what I now have. I had my first paid job at 29 and didn’t know what the future would hold.
"For people who have a learning disability a paid job is so much harder to get in reality. I always knew I wanted to improve the lives of people with a learning disability and autistic people."
Paul has his own website and is an advocate for those living with a learning disability and Lowe's Syndrome. He said he was "really passionate about healthcare".
He added: " I don’t see it as a job because I am so passionate about what I am doing. I don’t see this job as one challenge, it has a lot of challenges within it because it is so varied and each one is really important and makes a positive impact.
"I support the NHS to understand more about people with a learning disability and also support others who have autism to make changes to healthcare for people who are autistic. Also my role is not really to convince people but to advise and work alongside others to help them understand more.
"There are lots of health inequalities that people with a learning disability and autistic people face. This has been shown in LeDeR reviews. I work to improve healthcare in primary care so a lot of my role is to make those services more accessible to people."
LeDeR reviews are "learning from lives and deaths" and look at the health and social care people who have autism or a learning disability have experienced. Paul explained how he has worked on projects including annual health checks for those with learning disabilities and autism, health action plans, helping through the Covid-19 pandemic and supporting people with easy-read documents and letters.
He added that part of his job was making sure health professionals were aware of the legal requirement to make "reasonable adjustments" - saying: "I don't see my job as convincing people, I am advising people and supporting professionals to understand the issues that people with a learning disability and autism face.
"I support them to know how to provide better quality care for these people. We think about ways to improve how people can access primary care and help health professionals understand the different care that each person may need."
Ken Bruce, BBC Radio 2 DJ and Leaders’ List award ceremony host, said: "I have had the privilege of hosting the Leaders’ List Awards Ceremony for several years, yet the achievements of the Leaders never cease to amaze me! I have been inspired by all the stories and am very proud to be part of an event that rightfully celebrates these achievements. A huge congratulations to Paul and all the winners."
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