Caring, safe and excellent

Learning Disabilities

People with a learning disability find it harder than others to learn, communicate and do every day things.   A learning disability is lifelong and usually has a significant impact on a person’s life.  According to Mencap, there are around 1.5million people (2.5% of the population) with a learning disability in the UK. 

People with a learning disability are more likely to have health problems than other people.  However, in more recent years, the health of people with a learning disability has been improving as better health and social care has become available.

In Oxford Health NHS FT, we have a Strategic Health Facilitator who works with community health services and mental health services.  Their role aims to ensure that people with learning disabilities can use the same health service as everyone else by:

• Improving awareness and understanding of the health needs of people with learning disabilities
• Reducing the health inequalities faced by people with learning disabilities
• Improving access to mainstream NHS services for people with learning disabilities

The Strategic Health Facilitator:

• Works with colleagues in community services, mental health services, prison services, hospitals, GP practices and specialist learning disability services to help and support them in making their services accessible and effective for people with a learning disability
• Educates health staff about the health and communication needs of people with a learning disability
• Informs staff that every person with a learning disability should have a Health Action Plan, an Annual Health Check by their GP and a Hospital Passport if they are a patient in our Community Hospitals
• Advises staff on where to go if they need further help and support

For further help and information, please contact the Learning Disability Teams across Oxfordshire.  There are three community based teams in Oxfordshire which are part of the Ridgeway Partnership (The Oxfordshire Learning Disability NHS Trust).  The Learning Disability Teams are multi-professional and are available to anyone who has a learning disability. 

Contact:

For people living in Oxford City: 01865 323357

For people living in North Oxfordshire:  01295 257727

For people living in South Oxfordshire: 01865 897974

(These teams are part of the Ridgeway Partnership)

Useful Links

Mencap:  The voice of Learning Disability

My life My choice:  A self-advocacy organisation run by and for people with learning difficulties in Oxfordshire

We aim to ensure that people with learning disabilities can use the same health service as everyone else