Integrated Learning Disability Healthcare Services

Full service description

The Learning Disability Healthcare Services are commissioned to reduce the health inequalities faced by people with learning disabilities and as such have two key aims:

• To facilitate improved access for people with a learning disability to all mainstream health services.
• To provide specialist healthcare services for people with a learning disability when required.

The delivery of our services, in line with these aims, will be facilitated by:

• Working with mainstream healthcare services to support them to make reasonable adjustments in order to improve access to services by people with a learning disability.
• Supporting service users as required by facilitating their access to and use of mainstream healthcare services and support.
• Facilitating the development of Health Action Plans for all service users who wish to have one.
• Supporting and guiding the development of information on general healthcare services and specialist learning disability services for service users, their families and carers.
• Facilitating increased involvement by service users, their families and carers in the planning, provision and audit of services to help ensure that services meet the needs, and respond to the wishes, of people with a learning disability.
• Providing specialist and/or multidisciplinary assessments, case management  and treatments across a range of settings.
• Providing training to professionals, carers and service users around better understanding and meeting the healthcare needs of people with learning disabilities.

To achieve this we strive to ensure that the following principles underpin our work. Our services will:

• Work collaboratively with colleagues in Social Care and the wider health community to create a seamless network of services that are easily accessed by service users, their families and their carers.
• Be flexible, responsive and appropriate.
• Ensure appropriate therapeutic interventions are delivered in order to meet assessed needs.
• Enable people to receive support whilst remaining within their local community and home setting.
• Ensure that service users who require out-of-area placements are actively supported and monitored, and, repatriated closer to home as soon as is appropriate.
• Promote the availability of good quality information to help service users, their families and carers make informed choices.

Learning Disability Healthcare Service Teams

The service comprises of 4 teams that each work in partnership to deliver the identified outcomes for individuals that maximises both health benefits and resource efficiencies.  Clinical pathways integrate all the service elements to deliver seamless care with the patient at the centre of their care. The 4 component teams are:

Community Learning Disability Healthcare Team
Learning Disability Hospital Liaison Team
Complex Healthcare Team (Intensive Outreach Service)
Intensive Support Team (Intensive Outreach Service)

Referral method

Referrals can be made through SystmOne or by completing a referral form. Forms can be requested by contacting the Kestrel Centre.