West of England Learning Disabilities Collaborative: Learning Session 2

Hosted by the West of England AHSN in collaboration with NHS England and NHS Improvement (South West) Learning Disability Programme Lead Nurse.

People with learning disabilities die, on average, 16 years earlier than the general population. People with profound and multiple learning disabilities have an average life expectancy of 46. Many of these deaths are from avoidable causes, such as sepsis. The West of England Learning Disabilities Collaborative was established earlier this year to address this, by joining forces locally to focus on three key priority areas:

• Using NEWS2 and soft-signs tools to support early identify physical deterioration
• Increasing uptake and standardising the quality of annual health checks
• Increasing uptake of flu vaccination, including promoting the nasal vaccine as a reasonable adjustment for people with a severe needle phobia

At this second learning session, there will be opportunities to learn about recent successes in these areas, as well as the chance to network and join forces with others working to support the Collaborative’s three key priorities. There will be space to consider, in a supportive environment, the many ways in which reasonable adjustment can be applied across services and systems to help us achieve our priorities and improve health outcomes for people with learning disabilities.

Be a part of an ongoing cross-system collective effort to reduce premature mortality and improve health outcomes for people with learning disabilities, and

• Expand the ways in which you can help to address the three collaborative priorities, by joining forces with other proactive people
• Be part of a network of like-minded individuals from across the West of England
• Use the day to plan and reflect on the ways in which you can make a difference within your organisation
• Address ambitions outlined in the Long Term Plan
• Be part of creating evidence for the future