Document type
Clinical pathways
Place
Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB
Output type
Clinical Pathways

Learning Disabilities

Bridging the Health Inequality Gaps faced by patients with a learning disability is part of the 10 year plan.  The latest LeDeR [mortality review] indicates that there is now around 20 year discrepancy in average age of death.

Key National requirements and aspects  of the DES requirement are:

  • Quality Annual Health Checks – Send out the Carers Preparation Tool and easy read checklist and make sure you are using the National Template.  See weblink below for more tools and information
  • Print an Annual Health Check Action Plan – Use the weblink below to contact your learning disability link nurse to learn how to gain the most out of this
  • Flu Vaccine for all LD patients – there is easyread information available on the weblink below and the nasal spray has been approved to be offered, off license, for those refusing the injection
  • Accessible Information Standard – make sure you have recorded and use someones preferred means of communication.  Consider SCR additional information
  • Reasonable Adjustments – make sure your whole practice understand the reasonable adjustments they can make
  • STOMP-LD this is the requirement to reduce the over prescribing of psychotropic medication.  There is a pathway to support you in doing this.  See weblink below to LD nursing site
  • LeDeR – the deaths of all people with a learning disability over the age of 4 must be reported to the National mortality review.  Details on how to do this are on the web link below

The Purple Star Strategy can help with training and support to enable change.

For Information on the Purple Star Process and how to use the learning disability nursing service to meet your patients with a learning disabilities needs go to:

               www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/ldprofessionals

For support from the community learning disability nurses with meeting the health needs of a patient with a learning disability please make a referral via the referral form (link on the left).

Please direct all patients with a learning disability and their carers to the community learning disability nurses web pages for easyread  Hertfordshire related information on LD services and how they can help themselves  to stay healthy:

              www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/ldmyhealth

Annual Health Checks and Flu Vaccines - Carers Preparation Tool - Annual Health Checklist, Annual Health Check Action Plan, and the flu vaccine refuse or consent record can also be found on this link.

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