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On this page you can find up to date links, documents and other publications publicly available, we urge you to check our membership page for further information for Care England members only COVID-19 (LEARNING DISABILITY) page.  (for login details members please send email to info@careengland.org.uk


Mental health, learning disabilities and autism: Guidance
Published 25 March 2020 | Last updated 30 November 2021
This guidance concerns the impact of COVID-19 on the use of the Mental Health Act and supporting systems to safeguard the legal rights of people receiving mental health, learning disabilities and specialised commissioned mental health services. It will be regularly updated to reflect the rapidly changing context and questions/concerns and feedback from the sector.


COVID-19 vaccination training – Guidance 

Published 22 February 2021 Last updated 16 September 2021
These documents provide top tips on communicating with people with a learning disability and autistic people and highlight the range of reasonable adjustments that should be considered to ensure that a vaccination appointment goes well.


Recommendations for government from The Action Group for people with learning disabilities and autistic people
Download document, June 2021


COVID-19: providing unpaid care to adults with learning disabilities and autistic adults – guidance 
Published 24 April 2020 | Last updated 24 August 2021 — see all updates
Guidance for people who are providing unpaid care to adults with learning disabilities and autistic adults during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.


COVID-19: supporting adults with learning disabilities and autistic adults – guidance
Published 24 April 2020 | Last updated 24 August 2021 — see all updates
Guidance for care staff who are supporting adults with learning disabilities and autistic adults during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.


Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (DNACPR) and people with a learning disability and or autism – letter 4 March 2021 NHS England 

Letter from Professor Stephen Powis, Ruth May, Dr. Nikki Kanani, Professor Bee Wee, Claire Murdoch and Dr. Roger Banks.


Outcomes for disabled people in the UK: 2020  18 February 2021

Outcomes for disabled people across areas of life: education, employment, social participation, housing, well-being, loneliness and crime. Analysis by disability status and by age, sex, impairment type and severity, country and region based on survey data.


Information about the covid vaccine: For people with a learning disability and autistic people – YouTube video 

Information about vaccines: For people with a learning disability and autistic people – YouTube video 
This is a short film from NHS England and NHS Improvement developed for people with learning disabilities and/or autistic people.
It describes what a vaccine is, how vaccines are made, why you should get a vaccine, whether a vaccine make you ill and how to decide whether to have a vaccine or not.


Covid-19 vaccines and learning disability groups 8 January 2021 There has been a lot of information about the Covid-19 vaccines and priority groups recently, but where do people with learning disabilities fit in? Learning Disability Today


Deaths of people with learning disabilities from COVID-19 – report 12.11.2020 University of Bristol
In July 2020, the Learning Disabilities Mortality Review (LeDeR) programme published a short report describing key information relating to the first 50 completed LeDeR reviews of deaths of people with learning disabilities whose deaths had been attributed to COVID-19.


COVID 19 deaths of people identified as having learning disabilities: summary 12.11.2020
The Department of Health and Social Care, with the support of the Chief Medical Officer for England, commissioned Public Health England (PHE) to review the available data on the deaths of people with learning disabilities in England during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.


Learning disability support and care services in the UK – July 2020
Care England, the largest representative body for independent providers of adult social care, has prepared this briefing in order to better elucidate the learning disability sector in the UK at present and highlight how it has been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Download full and short version of the document from the members only section. Click here to log-in


CQC letter – Concerns about mental health, learning disability and autism services – 07.05.2020


Supporting disabled people through the coronavirus outbreak – correspondence 31.03.2020
A joint statement from the Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work, the Minister for Care, and the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Children and Families.