Delivering change for adults with learning disabilities
We’ve created a new NES team to design and deliver education and training for the full range of health and social care staff working with adults with learning disabilities.
The team includes staff from our Psychology and Nursing, Midwifery & Allied Health Professions (NMAHP) directorate. The intention is to replicate the collaborative multi-disciplinary and multi-agency working which is so vital for people with learning disabilities.
The goal is to ensure all staff have the right knowledge and skills to effectively support people with learning disabilities, their families and carers, to lead the lives they want to.
Scottish Government’s Keys to Life strategy (2013) demonstrated that health inequalities are a significant issue for people with learning disabilities. The team plans to address this by focussing on four main areas in partnership with stakeholders.
Our four priorities are:
- promoting equal health, especially addressing additional issues raised by the pandemic
- enabling services to positively support people who show behaviours which pose a significant negative impact to health, wellbeing and life quality to themselves and those who care for them
- improving psychological care and support
- ensuring trauma informed practice
We’ve developed a questionnaire for people working with adults with learning disabilities in health or social care to complete. It’s part of our introductory newsletter and we invite your feedback so we may begin to gather views on training within these areas.
Team members
Psychology
- Dr Jill Jones, Head of Programme Learning Disabilities and Autism / Neurodevelopmental Disorders
- Dr Allyson McDougall, Principal Educator Learning Disabilities
- To be appointed - Principal Educator roles to complete the team
NMAHP
- Johnathan MacLennan, Head of Programme Mental Health, Learning Disabilities and Dementia
- Samantha McEwan, Principal Educator Mental Health, Learning Disabilities and Dementia
- Amy Smith, Senior Educator Learning Disabilities
- Catriona Jamieson, Senior Educator Learning Disabilities
You can contact us via our shared email address: LearningDisability@nes.scot.nhs.uk
November, 25 2021