How the Learning Disability Liaison Service can help:
- Support people with a learning disability through their visit or stay in hospital
- Help patients to understand their care and treatment pathways
- Make sure reasonable adjustments are made
- Listen to and involve family and carers in the patient’s care
- Develop easy read information where required
- Promote the use of Health and Care passports
Our skills include:
- Act as a link between the hospital and community services
- Provide advice on Mental Capacity Act and Best Interest Framework
- Support staff to understand how a learning disability can affect a person and how it may present
- Provide support and advice to staff on how to make reasonable adjustments to enable access to care
- Provide Learning Disability Awareness Training
- Provide support and advice to staff regarding communication methods
- Provide support to ensure safe discharge planning
- Uses education to broaden understanding of emotions and provides skills in how to manage them.
How you can help:
- Let the team know if a family member of someone you care for is in hospital or if they have a hospital appointment
- Make sure a patient health and care passport is available for use
- If the patient has any communication aids, please bring them with you
- Let hospital staff know if there are any specific needs, likes or dislikes that will help them whilst they care for the patient
Our formal pathways include:
- Discharge care pathways
- Planned admission care pathway
- Emergency admission care pathway
Making a referral
If you have any queries, or want to make a referral, please contact the Learning Disability Liaison Service:
Learning Diasability Liaison Service
Queen Elizabeth Hospital
Gateshead Health
Gateshead
NE9 6SX
