Information for people with learning disabilities
By Margaret Rogers
When you have learning disabilities it can feel like climbing a mountain when you need to find help 
and information relating to your difficulty. The Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities has launched a resource which brings information and practical hints to hand in one easy to read booklet.
The booklet is full of practical tips for people with learning disabilities, their family and carers or someone who supports a person with learning disabilities. It provides all the information you could need in order to get the best out of the NHS whilst explaining what to expect. You can read real life examples of challenges and how they can be overcome as well as advice on how to access the help which you need. You will also find useful contacts to get further information.
The booklet was funded by the Valuing People Now programme. It draws on the Foundation’s extensive work on access to health care for people with learning disabilities.
‘Through our many years of work to improve health outcomes for people with learning disabilities, we know that people with learning disabilities and family carers often lack information about how to get the best care from the NHS. Health care systems can be confusing and stressful for anyone and it is difficult to know what extra help you can get if you are disabled,’ says Alison Giraud-Saunders, Consultant at the Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities.
She adds ‘The resource is organised into sections including: what the NHS is; tips about looking after and making decisions about your health, and how to go about using the NHS, as well as practical tips about what it’s like to go to the doctor or nurse or to go to hospital for an appointment. Each section draws on the real experiences of people with learning disabilities and is illustrated by stories to show what a ‘good’ service from the NHS looks like.’
‘We hope that this new resource will prove a real help to people with learning disabilities, their families and supporters and make a significant difference to their experiences of the NHS,’ Alison concludes.
To download the booklet just click here.
