27 November 2024

Our Learning Disability Network is celebrating its first year. The team includes around 90 colleagues from across the Trust who support each other with training and advice and they’d love to see you at their next meeting on Wednesday, 22 January on MS Teams from 9.30am to 11.30am. Contact Georgia.Fair@merseycare.nhs.uk

Since the launch a year ago, the network has:

  • Met quarterly for training and peer support
  • Delivered training about learning disabilities, communication and eating, drinking and swallowing, person centred care, the decision support register and mental capacity.
  • Developed a repository of resources for staff to use in practice
  • Co-hosted a Mersey Care Champions event with Autism, SEND and Patient Experience Champions to start development of a Mersey Care Champions Charter

Network lead Georgia says: “If you are passionate about improving lives and reducing health inequalities, please join us. You’d be really welcome as a Learning Disability Champion, We meet quarterly for training and support with the role. We’d love to meet you”.

Learning Disability Champions:

  • Advocate for people with learning disabilities (and their carers) accessing adult mental health and community services.
  • Promote awareness of Learning Disabilities and reasonable adjustments
  • Liaise with Specialist Learning Disability services
  • Are a source of information and support for your team regarding Learning Disabilities, reasonable adjustments and the Green Light Toolkit.
  • Share information from the Learning Disability Champions Network with your teams.

And would you get out of being a champion?

  • Increased clinical skills through an increase in knowledge and skill-set by, for example, attending learning disabilities champions events /training, receiving recent research information and being engaged in clinical conversations within Learning disabilities Champions meetings.
  • Attendance at a quarterly learning disabilities champions meeting with an added CPD/Training offer
  • Opportunity to share best practice and innovations from your service with other Learning Disabilities Champions
  • Increased connection and networking with the Learning disabilities service and request advice and support as needed
  • Attendance at specialist groups when appropriate (e.g. Learning Disabilities and Autism clinical network)

Georgia adds: “This is the difference we can make: our podiatry service have introduced a sensory box to their clinic space. Wendy Brown (LD champion) shared an excellent example with us. She told us about offering the reasonable adjustment of an extra-long appointment and the availability of the sensory box for a service user who is usually easily overwhelmed. The box was such a success, the appointment was completed in 25 minutes without any distress. Both the service user and his father were very pleased with the outcome. That’s fabulous to hear and something we can all consider.”

Return to Secure Care news