What is a learning disability?

Learning disability is defined as:

• Significant impairment of intellectual functioning (usually defined as full-scale IQ below 70)
• significant impairment of adaptive/social functioning
• recognised before the age of 18.

Tips for successful remote consultations with patients with additional needs

To make consultations with patients who have additional needs, such as learning disabilities, as successful as possible, it can be helpful to:

• allow more time for them
• check regularly that the patient is finding the consultation helpful
• consider whether other forms of communication would be more suitable
• augment the consultation with written material and follow up via email
• have family members or carers present
• apply a lower threshold for a comfort follow-up call the next day than you would normally.

How to prepare your patient for a hospital visit

• Ask the patient's carer to fill in a Hospital Passport (Download below) for them to take into hospital. This contains basic information to help them and the hospital staff if admission to hospital is needed or when attending an appointment.
• encourage the patient to watch the UCLH Learning Disabilities videos or RFL Going into Hospital video prior to their visit
• notify the appropriate hospital acute liaison nurses for learning disability patients that the person is coming in to the hospital:
  • Royal Free London: Sarah Lally
    • t: 020 7794 0500 ext 39517 / 07903 225 052
    • e: s.lally@nhs.net
  • Barnet and Chase Farm Hospital: Tamara McNamara
    • t: 07931 290 623 / 020 8216 4474 
    • e: tamara.mcnamara@nhs.net
  • UCLH: Sarah Cope
    • t: 020 3447 8238
    • e: sarah.cope5@nhs.net
    • print off/encourage the patient to read the relevant easy-read leaflets on the UCLH website
  • Whittington Health: Ruth Wetherall
    • t: 020 7288 5358 / 07876 145 298 
    • e: ruth.wetherall@nhs.net
  • North Middlesex Hospital: Suzanne Akudo
    • t: 020 887 2000 Ext 3775
    • Northmid.learningdisabilities@nhs.net

Hospital Passport

Useful resources to help you carry out annual health checks for people with learning disabilities.

• RCGP step-by-step guide for GP practices carrying out annual health checks for people with learning disabilities
• MenCap annual health check resources
• NHS England annual health check resources

Easy-read leaflets: under Downloads

Easy-read patient information leaflets for people with learning disabilities and for their carers and clinicians are available on a variety of conditions and medications from: 

• the EasyHealth website
• the Bild website
• the Royal College of Psychiatrists, including information about capacity and consent
• MenCap has produced a hospital communication book to help ensure people with learning disabilities get equal treatment and service when visiting the hospital.

Mental Capacity assessment for Learning Disabilities

People with learning disabilities have the right to make their own choices wherever possible under the mental capacity act 2005. For practical support and assessment templates, visit the NCL mental capacity page.

See also the RCGP info sheet on the Mental Capacity Act (2005) and the RCGP Mental Capacity Act Toolkit.

Cancer screening

Barnet Mencap has co-produced a cancer screening guide with family carers and support workers across NCL to help support people with learning disabilities to access care.

Area specific guidance for Barnet

BUDDS Down Syndrome pathway

• BUDDS: Combined care pathway to support professionals and families with Down Syndrome

Say No to Abuse

• Patient leaflet: Safeguarding adults from abuse in Barnet
• Patient leaflet: What happens after you report abuse

My Health Matters

In Barnet, a new Health Action Plan called My Health Matters has been developed. My Health Matters folders are given out to everyone with a learning disability in Barnet. Service users, carers and families can contact the service via the duty desk to arrange training by phoning t: 020 8359 6161.