On this page you will find out about how our services can help service users who have a learning disability and / or autism.
We are committed to ensuring that everyone who visits our services are treated equally. We are here to help you every step of the way.
If you have a learning disability and or autism, we will:
- Offer support to service users, families and carers when they are attending our services including our intermediate care wards
- Support people to access appointments
- Ensure reasonable adjustments are identified and put in place for service users, families and carers if they are needed
- Work with community services and care providers
- Support with accessible information – this means giving people information in a way they can understand
- Ensure service users with learning disabilities and / or autism are protected from harm
- Make sure our staff know how to best support people who have a learning disability and / or autism
Reasonable Adjustments
We will ask if our service users require any reasonable adjustments to be made to improve how they can access to our services. We will do all that we can to put these adjustments in place to make sure people have the best experience they can of services which will help them achieve positive outcomes. Reasonable adjustments may include things like:
- longer consultation times
- allowing carers to attend appointments with people
- providing a quieter space for people to wait
If you think you would be helped by having reasonable adjustments, please ask the service. You can do this before your appointment or whilst you are there.
Watch the video below from Mencap about asking for reasonable adjustments.
Health Passport
The aim of a health passport is to provide health and care staff with all necessary information about a patient to help meet their needs better.
Some of the questions in the passport include:
- How the patient prefers to communicate
- Allergies
- Sensory needs
- Things the patient likes and dislikes
Download the health passports on the Wirral University Teaching Hospital website.
5 steps to health
Options 5 steps to health is a framework designed to support people with a learning disability to lead healthier lives. It emphasises simple things that can be done to improve wellbeing and health:
- Eat well
- Be active
- Drink water
- Get enough sleep
- Be happy and healthy
The steps help people who have a learning disability to make positive lifestyle choices to improve overall health.
Download the 5 Steps to Health or 5 Steps to Health Easy Read version on the Options website.
Oliver McGowan Training
The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training is used to train all health and care staff on how to care for people with a learning disability and autistic people.
The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training is named after Oliver McGowan, whose death shone a light on the need for health and social care staff to have better training.
All staff receive learning disability and autism training appropriate to their role.
Find out more about the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism (Easy Read).
