Blackburn with Darwen
Integrated Health Team for Adults with a Learning Disability
Learning Disability Service
The service is part of Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust’s health services provided for adults with a learning disability and their carer’s who, are residents of Blackburn with Darwen.
“Our service aims to improve the health of people with a learning disability through the provision of specialist assessments and interventions alongside support to mainstream health services.”
We believe that people with a learning disability have a right to:
- Equal access to healthcare
- Respect & understanding
- Receive services that are in their best interests, when they are not able to make decisions for themselves
- Appropriate support to make decisions
- Have choice, information and equal opportunities
What does the Learning Disability Service offer?
- Work directly with people with learning disabilities to promote good health and well-being
- Provide support and advice to carers, care providers and other professionals, to improve the way they help the people with learning disabilities that they care for
- Develop our own and other health workers’ professional skills so that we are better able to provide healthcare to people with learning disabilities and their carers
Adult Team
- The adult team works with people with learning disabilities who are over 18 years of age, 16 if they have left full-time education or 16-18 and in transition to adult services
- The team’s key functions are to enable services to develop their capacity to meet the health needs of people with a learning disability and to work with people whose behaviour is challenging or presents a risk
Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust, website link for Adult Learning Disability Service
Referrals
The service has an open referral policy and accepts referrals from anyone, including carers and people with learning disabilities themselves. New referrals are assessed at an Integrated Intake Meeting, where the team decides whether a person is eligible for the service and how we might be able to help them.
To assist in this process, we ask that the person making the referral provides evidence that the individual being referred has a learning disability and is registered with a GP. It is also important that the person being referred has given their consent for the referral to be made, or if unable to consent their carers
Referrals will be processed and reviewed to determine clinical need, appropriateness for service response and prioritised accordingly.
Referrals can be made by completing and emailing our referral form and enquiries can be made by either telephone or in writing, to the following: -
Adult Learning Disability Service
Referral Hub
Darwen Resource Centre
Edward Street
Darwen, BB3 1AY
Tel: 01772 520202
Email:
Eligibility
To be eligible for the service, people must fulfil the following criteria:
- Have a significantly reduced ability to understand new or complex information, to learn new skills (impaired intelligence)
With:
- A reduced ability to cope independently (impaired social functioning). Which started before adulthood, with a lasting effect on development
- Be registered with a GP in the Blackburn with Darwen area
Or
- If not registered with a GP, consider themselves to live in the area
Those placed in theBlackburn with Darwenarea by another local authority or PCT after 01 April 2007 whilst eligible the local authority/PCT will be charged for service delivery.