A&E launch Learning Disabilities Champions to support patients
A sister in our Emergency Department has spearheaded the launch of a network of learning disability champions to support patients and train staff.
Rachelle McCarthy joined forces with colleagues in the Acute Learning Disability Liaison Team (ALDLT) to deliver the training and build the network.
“I have a son with a learning disability and so I consider how he and his peers could struggle in a healthcare setting in a few years, if they have no one to advocate for them at the time,” said Rachelle.
“I wanted to find a way to allow us to deliver a more personalised, compassionate and inclusive healthcare experience.”
According to the National Office for Statistics (ONS) on average, women with a learning disability die 23 years younger than women in the general population; in men that figure drops to 20 years.*
NHS England’s 2022 Learning Disabilities Mortality Review found the average age at death for adults with a learning disability was 63 – significantly lower than the average ages of 82 for men and 86 for women in the general population.
Barriers for this patient group including clinicians not recognising the learning disability, or not understanding the difference between symptoms and how their disability might present, a lack of a former carer to advocate for the patient, and even just the patient walking out of ED because they are overwhelmed with the noise, busyness, and unfamiliarity.
Rachelle joined forces with Sam Souter Learning, Disability Nurse Specialist, and Emily Wheelhouse, Assistant Speech and Language Therapist – both in the Acute Learning Disability Liaison Team and employed by Nottinghamshire Healthcare Trust but based at QMC – to look at how we could improve the experience and outcomes for this patient group.
So far, 20 learning disability champions have been recruited in the Emergency Department, and trained in different communication approaches, de-escalation techniques, advocate skills, and active listening. They support people coming into ED and can also support inpatients.
“We were really pleased when Rachelle approached us regarding having learning disability champions in ED,” said Sam. “The team recognises that having support for such patients at the front door is vital for ensuring optimum care throughout the hospital.”
Emily added: “The champions’ training sessions focus on awareness, reasonable adjustments, and tackling health inequalities amongst our patient group. As we have speech and language therapy in the team, this training has been designed with a communication focus, showcasing the importance of adapting our communication to give patients with a learning disability the best access to physical healthcare.”
The team is working with Nottingham Hospitals Charity to create emergency grab-bags – with water bottles, fidget toys, ear defenders, etc – to help people cope with the anxiety and overstimulation caused by the hospital environment.
Nigel Gregory, Chief Executive of Nottingham Hospitals Charity, said it was proud to support the initiative, adding: “The team’s work in training staff and providing essential resources like emergency grab-bags is making a real difference, ensuring compassionate and inclusive care for every patient.''
Rachelle is also looking into creating adapted/simplified patient leaflets and discharge information.
The champions can be identified by a traffic light badge. The success of the scheme – which is being rolled out across the Trust – will be reflected in an increase in referrals, uptake on Champions training, reduction in complaints, and direct feedback from patients and staff.
Rachelle said: “We have barely scratched the surface; there is so much more we could be doing to make sure this patient group have a better experience in our hospitals and also, improve outcomes.”