Welcome to the Learning Disability and Autism Clinical Network
This intranet page has been developed as a resource to support and inform colleagues of developments in delivery of services for adults with learning disabilities and/or autism. This applies to support that can be provided through our specialist learning disability services, services for autistic people and across our mainstream services.
We welcome feedback, comments and contributions to our programme of work and content – perhaps you would like to become involved in one of our projects or propose one – so please do get in touch by emailing: Alastair
The network exists to collaboratively create, learn, share and develop ways of working that support people with learning disability and autistic people to enable their human rights to live well, stay safe, and be healthy through addressing health inequalities (Purpose Statement, Terms of Reference)
The Learning Disability and Autism Clinical Network refers to a diverse group of colleagues contributing to the delivery of the Trust vision of Clinical Excellence as applied to Adult Learning Disability and Adult Autism Services. Work supported through the Clinical Network has a pan-borough focus, supporting alignment of processes and equitable working practices and provision across our Trust.
The Clinical Network is supported by multidisciplinary practitioners with interest and experience in working alongside adults with learning disabilities and/or autism from across our Mersey Care services and teams. It is inclusive of professional groups and is pan-borough in membership. Whilst there is a Core Group of colleagues who meet monthly with primary representation from across specialist learning disability and autism teams, participation with the Network is not exclusive to this meeting (see: How to get involved).
You can support this Clinical Network in a number of ways, with three key areas of access and engagement. Main levels of participation are in respect to:
- Core Group membership (places are necessarily limited)
- Project (Task and Finish) Group membership
- Keeping in touch via the intranet pages and updates
We offer a number of spaces at each monthly Core Group meeting to those who are interested in finding out about having greater involvement in this work programme.
We want to encourage and support engagement from all our colleagues across the Trust, from those who specialise in working with adults with learning disabilities and/or autism to those who may have limited experience in provisioning healthcare support for these populations.
Everyone has something potentially valuable to contribute to the projects and outputs of the Clinical Network and we welcome your support. Please just browse the monthly updates to see which projects are underway at present to which you may wish to contribute.
If you would like to find out more and can’t find what you are looking for in these pages, and you work within the services currently represented at the Core Group (see: Core Group membership and contacts) reach out to your local Core Group member for discussion. Otherwise, just email Alastair
The strength of a network is in its membership, so please stay informed and connected. We provide monthly updates (see: Core Group meeting summary presentations).
We welcome all our Mersey Care clinical teams and services to access the resources promoted by the Learning Disability and Autism Clinical Network and encourage broad membership of our project groups. However, membership of the Core Group is necessarily limited to support meaningful discussion and consistent representation in our monthly meetings. Note there are multiple ways in which you can support the Clinical Network (see: How to get involved with the Learning Disability and Autism Clinical Network) with Core Group members ensuring we have a direct interface with our specialist teams and Special Members representing other teams/services where significant key touchpoints in clinical operation and delivery are identified and/or interest expressed.
Below we list the Mersey Care Teams currently invited to participate within the Core Group and the representatives of those teams. We also provide details of our growing list of Special Members. These colleagues should serve as your local points of contact where Network items may have implications for local delivery.
| Team/service name | Member name and job title |
| Liverpool CLDT |
Charlotte Marshall, Clinical Psychologist Georgia Fair, Highly Specialist Occupational Therapist (Deputy Chair) Liam Thomas, Enhanced Care Home Learning Disability Practitioner |
| Sefton CLDT |
Daniel Walsh, Specialist Physiotherapist Max Jenkinson, RNLD |
| St Helens CLDT |
Amanda Smith, RNLD and Clinical Lead Dionne Broda, RNLD within ISF Beth Cronin, Specialist Physiotherapist Alastair Barrowcliff, Consultant Clinical Psychologist (Chair) |
| Knowsley CLDT |
Karl Jones, RNLD/Clinical Lead Sarah McGing, Advanced Speech & Language Therapist Shannon Smyth, RNLD within ISF |
| Warrington CLDT |
Debbie Kerr, RNLD/Training & Development Facilitator Laura Edwards, RNLD Nicola Evans, Clinical Lead/ Strategic Health Facilitator Rachel Boswell, RNLD/Team Manager |
| Wavertree Bungalows |
Amy Peacock, RNLD/Team Manager |
| Byron Ward |
Bethan Bell, Consultant Clinical Psychologist Eleanor Dibbert, Health Care Assistant Stephen Quinn, Support Worker |
| Liverpool/Sefton Autism team |
Andrew Barlow, Clinical Specialist Eleanor Taylor, Clinical Psychologist John Rogers, Joint Team Manager |
| Former Mid Mersey Autism areas |
Elizabeth Doherty, ASC Diagnostic Practitioner Clare Spooner, ASC Diagnostic Practitioner Sonia Anderson, Consultant Clinical Psychologist/Clinical Lead |
| Low Secure (LD) services |
Johannes Cronje, Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist and Clinical Director |
| Special members/Teams |
Rachel Mayner, Nurse Consultant Learning Disability and Autism Amy McMeekin, Service Lead, The Life Rooms Alison Paul, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Lead Alexandra Shepherd, Senior Clinical Skills Facilitator, Clinical Skills Team |
Please access and share meeting summaries, below. Here you can keep up to date with key projects being pursued and where new project group members are being sought.
|
Month/Year of meeting |
Team summary |
|
November 2023 |
Coming soon |
|
October 2023 |
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September 2023 |
|
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August 2023 |
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July 2023 |
|
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June 2023 |
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May 2023 |
We have a number of clinical pathways specific to working with adults with a learning disability that have been developed and are recommended by the Core Group for use across the Trust. Others are currently in development and/or being reformatted to follow a Standard Operating Procedure structure. Details of links and leads are provided in the table below - the leads will welcome contact if you are interested in contributing to the specific area of development or have questions about the information provided.
|
Pathway |
Leads |
Link |
|
Assessment of Learning Disability: Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) |
Alastair Barrowcliff Damian Howard |
Awaiting ratification (target launch Jan 2024) |
|
Assessment of Autism in Adults with a Learning Disability: Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) |
Karl Jones Debbie Kerr Louise Bell |
Ongoing workstream (completion date tbc)
|
|
Reasonably Adjusted and Accessible Care Plans: Clinical Guidance and Templates |
Sarah McGing Beth Cronin |
Ongoing workstream (completion date tbc)
|
|
Reasonable Adjustment Care Plan: A Template Care Plan |
Task completed and sitting with SLT |
Awaiting ratification (target launch tbc) |
|
Support for parents with Learning Disability: Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) |
Diane Roberts Max Jenkinson
|
Ongoing workstream (completion date tbc)
|
|
Working with Behaviours of Concern: Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) |
Bethan Bell Sarah Wastell |
Ongoing workstream (completion date tbc) |
We have a range of clinical resources you can access through this page.
All of the clinical resources accessible here have been recommended by the Clinical Network. They are included here where they are not yet available on Rio (note we have checked for copyright).
If you have a tool, resource, or guidance that would be useful for use across services for adults with a learning disability and/or autism please let us know.
|
External resource |
Description |
Link |
|
Clinical Outcome Routine Evaluation-Learning Disabilities 30-Item (CORE-LD30)
|
The CORE-LD30 is recommended as a useful broad ranging pan theoretical measure of psychopathology for use with an ID population. Domains (problems/symptoms; risk to self; risk to others) may prove to be useful for research and clinical purposes. |
See: https://doi/10.1111/jir.12551 Blank record form |
|
Glasgow Depression Scale for Learning Disabilities (GDS-LD)
|
Useful measure of depression in people with a learning disability for both clinical and research practice. It is not intended as a diagnostic tool, although a clinical cut-off value is recommended. |
See: https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.182.4.347 |
|
Glasgow Anxiety Scale for Intellectual Disability (GAS-ID)
|
Useful measure of anxiety in people with an intellectual disability for both clinical and research practice. It is not intended as a diagnostic tool. |
See: https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2788.2003.00457.x |
An update regarding this comprehensive work undertaken within the Trust will follow very soon.
Easy Read Mental Health Act information
(to follow)