Portsmouth Community Learning Disability Team

We are a specialist team of clinicians delivering services to people with a learning disability in the Portsmouth area. The service works closely with the Learning Disability Social Work Team. 

What we do:

• Work with mainstream healthcare services to support them to make reasonable adjustments in order to improve access to services by people with a learning disability.
• Support service users as required by facilitating their access to and use of mainstream healthcare services and support.
• Facilitate the development of Health Action Plans for all service users who wish to have one.
• Support and guide the development of accessible information in general healthcare services.
• Provide specialist assessments, case management and treatments across a range of settings.
• Provide training to professionals, carers and service users around better understanding and meeting the healthcare needs of people with learning disabilities.
• Enable people to receive support whilst remaining within their local community and home setting.

The service comprises four teams that work in partnership to deliver the identified outcomes for  individuals.  

• Community Learning Disability Healthcare Team
• Learning Disability Acute Liaison Team (QAH)
• Complex Healthcare Team 
• Intensive Support Team.
   

The Community Healthcare Team is based at Civic Offices in Portsmouth and includes community nurses, associate practitioners, a Consultant Psychiatrist, Psychology, Speech and Language Therapy and Occupational Therapy. The team directly supports adults with a learning disability and provides information, advice, education and support to carers and other health and social care professionals.  Much of its work concerns communication, epilepsy, health promotion, mental health, psychological wellbeing and challenging behaviour, where these require specialist healthcare support.  The team also provides support on other issues including anger management, continence, issues related to ageing, nutrition, relationships, sensory loss or impairment, sexuality and sexual health.

The Acute Liaison Team comprises of Learning Disability Nurses from Trust working in partnership with Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust. The nurses work in Queen Alexandra hospital and support patients with learning disabilities throughout their planned hospital admission journey during outpatient’s appointments, and, with pre-admission planning as well as during emergency admissions.

Their role is to ensure patients with learning disabilities understand their diagnosis, treatment options and support investigations and treatment.  The team can also offer support to carers of people with learning disabilities.

Other areas that the team can help with include; compliance with the Mental Capacity Act, Safeguarding Adults, desensitisation work, helping departments make 'reasonable adjustments', and discharge planning.

The Complex Healthcare Team comprises of specialist nurses, associate practitioners, and has strong links to the full multi-disciplinary team within the Community Healthcare Team. The team provides specialist healthcare interventions as appropriate, as well as clinical support to facilitate assessment and treatment, advice and training for the service user, their families and carers.  They also support people that come under Continuing Healthcare funding, supporting with assessments, monitoring, training and Decision Support Tools.

The Intensive Support Team comprises of specialist nurses, a behaviour specialist and associate practitioners with strong links to the full multi-disciplinary team within the Community Learning Disability Team.

The service has been developed to meet the additional support needs for people with a learning disability who also have complex psychiatric or behavioural needs living in Portsmouth. The team can provide intensive support to facilitate assessment and treatment which may include direct observations, formal assessments, role modelling, clinical support, and advice for the service user, their families or carers. The team is highly skilled in positive behaviour support interventions.

Contact the team on 0300 123 4019 during office hours (Monday to Thursday 8.30am - 5.00pm and Friday 8.30am - 4.30pm)

If you are unsure which team to refer to please use the Location Finder to find your local Community Learning Disability Team.

Email us at ldhealthadmin@solent.nhs.uk

Referrals to the teams will be accepted (from any source) in relation to adults (aged 18 or over) with a learning disability and a healthcare need, which together create problems in the provision of care, treatment and/or management.  The support required must go beyond that which is reasonably available from generic services.

Referrals can be made through SystmOne or by completing a referral form. Forms can be requested by contacting the Kestrel Centre on 0300 123 4019 or via email at ldhealthadmin@solent.nhs.uk

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