Agenda and supporting papers - Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust

Item 11
DETAILED REPORT
Trust Board 5 July 2013
Subject
Prepared by
Approved by
Presented by
Quarterly update on acute hospital standards for people with Learning
Disabilities
Associate Director of Nursing/Nurse Consultant Older People
Director of Nursing & Midwifery
Associate Director of Nursing
Purpose
People with Learning Disabilities have an equal right to healthcare. It is important, therefore,
that the Trust has services, staff and support which enable people with Learning Disabilities
to use our services. This report details the work undertaken to review the working of the
Learning Disabilities Liaison team, the scope of practice for this team and to improve how
people with Learning Disabilities are supported as they use Trust services.
The Trust needs to ensure that our healthcare services provide a high standard of care and
treatment to people with Learning Disabilities, which takes into consideration and makes
reasonable adjustments for their complex needs and disabilities. The Trust is committed to
supporting the Getting It Right Charter - ensuring that we focus on the needs of individuals;
to see the person not the disability (Annex 1).
The Trust Board is required to review compliance with the national Monitor framework for
standards of care for people with Learning Disabilities - this report provides detail of the work
towards compliance (Annex 4)
Background
People with learning disabilities often have specific health needs, in addition to the general
health needs which the rest of the population face throughout life. However, for various
reasons, they often struggle to access the same level of healthcare services – both in terms
of primary and secondary care. The range of specific needs people with Learning
Disabilities have included:
• Communication – abilities to read and write, verbal communication, sensory needs.
• Memory – ability to tell the time, remember everyday facts, medication compliance.
• Social – ability to forge relationships, deal with people, organise themselves, manage
financial and domestic affairs, risk awareness, unemployment.
• Physical needs may be linked to their learning disabilities e.g. immobility, obesity,
swallowing difficulties, incontinence.
• Challenging behaviours in a small number of cases.
• Medical/health conditions often related to learning disabilities e.g. dental care,
diabetes, epilepsy, coronary heart disease, respiratory disease, hypothyroidism,
Gastro-Intestinal conditions and cancers, mental health issues.
(Royal College of Nursing 2006 – Meeting the health needs of people with learning disabilities)
The Death by Indifference report by Mencap (2007) highlighted the fact that people with
learning disabilities receive poor care and treatment from healthcare services. The report
concluded that: