The role of a learning disability nurse
Learning disability A learning disability is to do with the way someone's brain works. It makes it harder for someone to learn, understand or do things. nurses are one of the best people to ask for help because they know lots about supporting people with a learning disability A learning disability is to do with the way someone's brain works. It makes it harder for someone to learn, understand or do things. .
If you want to see the learning disability nurse, it is important to ask.
The GP surgery or hospital may not know that you need them.
About learning disability nurse support
A Learning Disability Nurse or Learning Disability Liaison can support you, your family, and your carers when you need to access healthcare.
The nurses work with people who have a learning disability to make sure their health needs are identified and appropriately met. They can provide support, advice and guidance Guidance means being given clear instructions to be able to do something well. to address health inequalities and make sure you have fair access to the healthcare you need.
Their support may include:
- Helping you understand the care and treatment
- Helping you make your own decisions about your care
- Involving relatives and loved ones in decision making
- Developing easy read Easy Read is a way of making written information easier to understand. Pictures are usually added next to the writing. information
- Supporting safe discharges into the community A community is the people and places in an area.
- Promoting the use of a hospital passport.
Who they work with
Learning disability nurses work together with other health professionals like occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech and language therapists, psychologists, art therapists, and psychiatrists to provide the best possible coordinated care for people with learning disabilities.
Who to ask
To access a learning disability nurse, start by asking your GP or
social worker
A social worker is someone who can help you get the support you need. Social workers usually work for your local council.
for a referral to be made to your hospital or community nursing team.
If you need to attend a hospital for an appointment or as an inpatient, you should contact the NHS The NHS is the National Health Service. The NHS gives free healthcare to everyone in the UK and includes things like your GP (doctors) surgery and hospitals. Trust's learning disability services or Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) directly before going, for them to put support in place.
Join the Learning Disability Register
If you have a learning disability, joining the
Learning Disability Register
The learning disability register is a list of people with a learning disability that the doctor’s surgery looks after.
is one of the most important things you can do for your healthcare.
It helps your GP understand the support you need, like more time at appointments or information in Easy Read.
You can ask your GP to add you to the learning disability register today.
A learning disability nurse provides specialist support to people with a learning disability in a healthcare setting like a doctor's surgery, hospital or health clinic.
They can help:
- Support people with a learning disability through their healthcare and treatment
- Make sure reasonable adjustments are made
- Involve family and carers in the patient’s care
- Develop easy read information
- Support a safe discharge into the community.
It is important to ask for support. Speak to your General Practitioner (GP), or your local learning disability team if you have one. You can also ask social workers, community nurses and hospital staff. Family members and carers can also request support from a learning disability nurse on behalf of a patient.
If you have a hospital appointment, it is best to contact the hospital's PALS team in advance so they can put support in place.
Yes, we have an easy read guide about the role of a learning disability nurse.
Most doctors surgeries have a learning disability register that helps them know who may need extra health support. Lots of people are missing from the learning disability registers, so it is a good idea to check you are on it.
You need to ask your doctor to add you to their learning disability register. To help you do this, we have a tool that builds a letter for you to send to your doctor.