Personal and integrated empowerment is the way forward, says NICE

NICE published an impact report in November 2021 on how its guidance is used to improve the health and care of people with a learning disability. An easy read version of the report has also been published. In this article, we summarise some of the key messages from the report.

NICE published an impact report in November 2021 on how its guidance is used to improve the health and care of people with a learning disability. An easy read version of the report has also been published. In this article, we summarise some of the key messages from the report.

All NICE guidance is relevant to a person with a learning disability. NICE has also produced a suite of guidance, standards and advice specific to people with a learning disability, to help them live well. A core principle is that care and support services for people with a learning disability should be person-centred, empowering      them to make their own choices about what is important in their life. The data in the report highlights the high levels of inequality for people with a learning disability, such as outcomes and long-term hospital stays, and      areas      for improvement.

Accessing the support and care people need is an important step in reducing health inequalities. Identifying someone with a learning disability and then implementing any reasonable adjustments needed, will improve access to services and is recommended in the NICE guidance on care and support of people growing older with learning disabilities. The report highlights the case of a young man with autism spectrum disorder, ADHD and a learning disability who failed to receive his COVID-19 vaccination until appropriate reasonable adjustments were made for him. This included accessible communication, in the form of easy read information with pictures.

The report also focuses on support and future planning. While adults using learning disability support services report that they had satisfactory experiences of care, only 41% say they have as much control over their daily life as they want. NICE recommends that practitioners enable people with a learning disability to think about what they want from life as they age and ensure that care and support are tailored to their needs, strengths, and preferences. Thinking about the future is also an important aspect of person-centred planning, and NICE has produced a quick guide on person-centred future planning and several other quick guides on social care topics.

NICE worked with key stakeholders when developing the report and identified five priority areas to support improving health for people with a learning disability, including the uptake and quality of annual health checks, providing reasonable adjustments and integrated local commissioning of health, social care and education services. To see improvement in these priority areas will require cross-system and joined-up working. Further information on the activities being undertaken by NICE and our partners to encourage the implementation of NICE guidance to help address these priority areas can be found in the report.