Agenda and supporting papers - Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust

Item 11
• Challenge in respect of the ‘Getting it Right’ Charter.
• Review of numbers of people with Learning Disabilities supported in hospital over the
past three years.
• Joint agreement on the areas of the operational protocol which needed revising.
• Evaluation of the LD Liaison team structure, with discussions regarding further
support/resources needed to extend the service and establish seven-day working
• Agreement on further review/feedback processes.
A summary of the feedback and agreed actions from this review is presented in Annex 3.
The partnership working, commitment to continuous improvement and desire to develop
further the LD liaison team were commended by the commissioners. Working with
community LD services across Plymouth, Devon and Cornwall services is a challenge - but
there was commitment from both NEW Devon and Kernow CCG LD commissioning
managers to facilitate better involvement, breaking down of barriers and improvement in
working relationships between primary care, community services and secondary care.
Scope of practice of the Learning Disabilities Liaison team
The Learning Disabilities Liaison Service was established in November 2009 to provide
support to clinical teams across the Trust in the care and treatment of people with LD. The
LD liaison team forms part of the wider Derriford liaison team, supporting clinical teams
across the Trust in the management of patients with complex needs. Derriford liaison team
includes specialist liaison nurses for mental health, learning disabilities, alcohol and
vulnerable adult services. The LD liaison team has recently undergone organisational
change: a team leader has been appointed with two other Clinical Nurse Specialists; the
Clinical Nurse Specialist for vulnerable adults in the Emergency Directorate also forms part
of the team and supports patients through the urgent care pathway. This newly configured
team has now established an extension to the working hours/days to provide an evening and
weekend service.
Following the review of service and the operational protocol, a Standard Operating
Procedure for the working of the LD liaison team has been developed. The roles of the
Learning Disabilities liaison team are to facilitate the meeting of individual healthcare needs
for people with Learning Disabilities with complex needs and support clinical teams to best
meet the needs of individuals. This involves liaising with the community learning disability
teams, community providers, families and acute hospital clinical services and co-ordinating
support, planning and treatment delivery for referrals of people with Learning Disabilities,
who may require help to access acute services. The LD Liaison team will:
• Facilitate and co-ordinate of patient care – focusing on needs of the individuals and
incorporating Hospital Passport information and ensuring that reasonable
adjustments are made to take into consideration the individual’s complex needs.
• Ensure appropriate assessments and information are made available to inform the
patient care plan.
• Provide assurance that legal requirements are met re clinical decision making, under
Mental Capacity Act.
• Develop effective working relationships – between clinical teams, relatives,
providers/carers involved with the individual, community services.
• Ensure good governance is maintained and national standards are met - with respect
of care planned and delivered, communications, patient information and involvement.
• Promote staff awareness, education and training re need of people with Learning
Disabilities.
• Provide leadership in the developments and approach to care for people with LD.