Adult Learning Disability Service of Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust

Tuesday, 2 October 2018

More blogs to celebrate our 1st birthday!

As it's our 1st birthday we continue to revisit some of our blogs. On Monday we selected our favourite blogs by self advocates. Today we select some of our most popular blogs and why some people choose a career of supporting people with learning disabilities!

Adam uses an iPad to communicate - this is a wonderful blog by Yasmin, our Speech & Language Therapist. She explains how technology is helping people to communicate.

Doors opening for a RNLD - I knew Janice when she was a student nurse, now she is Associate Director of Nursing at King's College Hospital!

Enough is enough - making reasonable adjustments - this is our most visited blog, with over 19,000 visitors!

From atypical to the big bang - the portrayal of people with autism on the small screen - autism is becoming an ever growing presence in the media. I argue although this is great - are we overlooking people with autism and learning disabilities, women?

From Postman to Professional: My Learning Disability Nursing Journey - this from Lee who re-joined us at Oxleas as team manager for the Greenwich team!

From student nurse to clinical director - my career pathway - this is amazing story of Lorraine's career pathway and the wonderful people she met along the way!

Greenwich Learning Disability ResearchNet: Our Presentation at the Psychiatry Conference - this shows the brilliant work of ResearchNet and they are spreading the word!

Light at the end of the tunnel - the 10 year NHS plan - this is our second most visited blog and the story of Peter and Sunny standing up for the rights of people with learning disabilities!

Our inspirational son Oliver - this is a very touching blog by Oliver's mum - Paula and she speaks about her passion for NHS staff to receive training about autism and reasonable adjustments.

The achievements and tribulations of a nurse - a blog about me!

3 reasons why I became an intellectual disability psychiatrist - written Dr Lilly Lines, a wonderful blog!

Who’s valuing who? the power of what you say - a personal blog by me, regarding the type of language we use sometimes doesn't value everyone.

Get the flu jab!

It's flu season and you need as much protection as possible. Here's an attempt from the 'Can You Understand It?' team at a flu leaflet.

Monday, 1 October 2018

Celebrating with our self advocate bloggers!

We have been going a for a year! We have been visited 194,752 times. To celebrate this we are revisiting some of our most loved blogs by self advocates!

Congratulations Sarah for winning three swimming European Open medals! - by Sarah Casey

Fairness, understanding and communication is key to good health - by Peter Cronin

John and Sunny talk about Learning Disability Nurses - John Clarke and Sokhal

LGBT or LGBTQ? Just involve us please - by Richard

Richard's story - by Richard

Second class citizen's - health inequalities - by Peter Cronin

Sikhism, learning disability and me - by Sunny Sokhal

Victim of crime - some disabilities are invisible - by Peter Cronin

Tuesday, 25 September 2018

Oxleas Learning Disability Bulletin for September 2018

Welcome! The purpose of this bulletin is to keep you in touch with news from the learning disability world in a monthly digest. We hope to include information on the latest policy and research along with easy read information. If you have any requests for information or if you want to share with the Oxleas learning disability community please send them to Steve Hardy or Jill Davies.

If you would like to receive an email alert about future bulletins please send an email to Steve Hardy.

All links are written in blue or grey and worked on the 25th September 2018.

Stories of the month!

Please visit The Rightfullives Exhibition. You will read some powerful stories.

'An unconditional love': Couple with Down syndrome celebrate 25 years married

Watch the wonderful River Island Diversity Campaign!

Big Brother Gets Tattoo Of Little Brother With Down’s Syndrome On Arm, He Loves it

Bath NHS jobs for trio after learning disability placements

Justice for LB Toolkit

Man fights to save 22-year-old brother from nursing home

Government response to the Learning Disabilities Mortality Review (LeDeR) Programme 2nd annual report

An interview with Armani Williams, the first NASCAR driver on the autism spectrum

Blogs

You will find loads of blogs from RNLDs at LearningDisabilityNurse.com

Disclosure of autism at work holds risks and benefits

Employers must tap into the talents of workers with autism

Fairness, understanding and communication is key to good health!

'He'd scream for hours': Mum starts community to help other families

Light at the end of the tunnel - the 10 year NHS plan

My son has a learning disability. It doesn’t have to mean his early death

People with autism have plenty to offer companies, with the right support

The importance of ‘reasonably adjusted’ care

Book of the month!

Ten Rules for Ensuring Miscommunication When Working With Autistic People and People with Learning Disabilities

Easy Read

A response to the LeDeR report on deaths of people with learning disabilities

Screening tests for you and your baby: easy guides

Events

30th October 2018

Women and Girls Conference 2018, National Autistic Society

7th Noveber 2018, Stirling
Post-diagnostic support for people with a learning disability and dementia

7th August 2018, London
Launch of the Greater London Learning Disabilities Community of Practice

26th November 2018, London
London Learning Disability Mortality Reviewer (LeDeR) Training

28th November 2018, London
Learning Disability Today Exhibition

Guidance and resources

Medication Pathway

10 Ways To Make Your Synagogue More Accessible To People With Disabilities

A patient passport that’s all about me published by nhs England

Autism: ‘If only I knew then what I know now’

Autistic man fed-up of being called a liar reveals five things you should never say to someone with condition

How to Teach Autistic Children: 15 Steps

Justice for LB Toolkit

Mental Capacity (Amendment) Bill

Ordinary residence guide: determining local authority responsibilities under the Care Act and the Mental Health Act

Magazines

Mencap Matters - Autumn 2018

News about people with learning disabilities and autistic people

Become a Treat me well Champion

Research

Autistic children need the world to acknowledge the significance of the challenges they face

Bricks for autism: how LEGO-based therapy can help children

Children's complex care needs: a systematic concept analysis of multidisciplinary language

Depression Hits 20% of Young Adults With Autism

Genetic studies intend to help people with autism, not wipe them out

How a ‘pacemaker’ for the brain could ease autism traits

New survey reveals support workers are amongst the happiest in their jobs

Prader-Willi Patients Can Present Autism-related Symptoms, Australian Study Reports

Study quantifies prevalence of autism in India

Wearside study could be key to longer lives for patients with learning disabilities

See you in October!

Thursday, 6 September 2018

A Dream Takes Flight!

Wednesday, 29 August 2018

Fairness, understanding and communication is key to good health!

I am so pleased that people with learning disabilities and autistic people have been recognised as a priority in the NHS 10 year plan. We all worked for this and now its time for us all to come together.

NHS England are asking us all for ideas and what should be included in the NHS plan. Here's my ideas:

Annual Health Checks

Everyone should be offered an annual health check. I know GP's are supposed to do this but this doesn't happen for everyone. Health checks are so useful and important for people with learning disabilities. Some medical problems can be picked up and dealt with at health checks. Also mental health is as important as physical health, so this should be included.

Reasonable adjustment training

I've heard a very sad story about a young man named Oliver McGowan. He died in hospital after being given a medication that he didn't want and it said in his hospital passport he was allergic to. I know that some doctors and nurses don't read hospital passports but Oliver's story is proof that they can be the difference between life and death.

You can sign Oliver's petition to make sure that all healthcare staff receive training HERE.

When I broke my arm I went to hospital, asked the nurses to call my mum. They said I am an independent man and do I really need my mum with me. They always make so many assumptions by looking at you. Because I talk quite well everybody thinks I'm totally independent but I still need support, understanding and my mum to be with me when I am unwell.

Here's some suggestions of what should be in the training:

This should be developed and delivered by people with learning disabilities and/or autism, families and professionals.
This should be with nurses and doctors in front of us. Where we can tell our stories, what helps, what can go wrong and answer their questions.
How people communicate and recognising that people are in pain.
Knowing about and using hospital passports.
Use pictures, signs, photos to communicate everything.
Offer the first appointment at the GP or a double appointment.
Have a quiet room in the GP surgeries or outpatients.
Doctor's and nurses dress in everyday clothes if needed.

At Lewisham Speaking Up Parliament this Friday we are talking about early deaths, the NHS plan and the work we do with Lewisham Hospital. It is great that the NHS are including us but there still is a long way to go. There needs to be fairness, understanding and communication if this plan is too work.

Peter Cronin

Self Advocate