HEALTH SERVICES FOR ADULTS -
Community Learning Disability Team
 

The CLDT is a team of Health Care professionals offering a service for people with a learning disability and their carers whether family carers or professional carers.

The overall aim of the CLDT is to ensure that the provision of health care to people with a learning disability is as comprehensive as possible, local and integrated and directed at meeting the preventative, treatment, care and support needs of individuals.  This requires that the Community Learning Disability Team (CLDT) offer services that are geared towards the following:

	The promotion of good health amongst the population of people with a learning disability
	The provision of continuing care to people with long term needs and their immediate carers
	The alleviation of specific health related problems by the provision of a wide range of assessment, therapies, rehabilitation and training input
	The provision of professional advice and support to clients resettled into the community from long stay hospitals
	Liaison with Social Services to develop joint planning for individuals, including the opportunity to engage in Person Centred Planning, Health Action Planning and Communication Passports
	The provision of care and support to people based on individual care plans in which the individual and/or their advocate has been given the opportunity to develop and manage their own plan
	Continuing to develop clear and integrated local planning with the local authority, North Yorkshire Health Authority, users and carers and the independent and voluntary sector.

The CLDT consists of a team of full and part-time professionals including Nurses, Health Care Assistants, a Speech and Language Therapist, an Occupational Therapist, a Physiotherapist, a Consultant Psychiatrist and a Clinical Psychologist.  There is also a Team Manager.

Nursing staff members are concerned with the health care needs of service users, and work to promote health gains detailed in the Health of the Nation document for people with learning disabilities.  They also design therapeutic programmes to increase service users’ personal competence and health, and give advice and support to carers and professionals about the management of health related problems.

The Team Assistant has a role supporting the nurses and other personnel and works with individuals and groups under the supervision of qualified staff.  Her job is more practical and she undertakes work involving the transportation of people, the support of people at outpatient appointments and assists in the running of health promotion and health surveillance activities.

The Speech and Language Therapist has a role in the promotion of people’s communication and also makes assessments and recommends treatment for eating difficulties.

The Occupational Therapist works to maintain and enhance people’s ability to function as independently as possible.

The Physiotherapist undertakes the assessment and treatment of a wide range of physical problems and works, not only to assist service users to achieve higher levels of mobility, but also to prevent difficulties with posture and mobility.

The Psychiatrist is responsible for the assessment and treatment of service users who have a variety of health care needs, including a mental health difficulty in addition to any learning disability.

The Clinical Psychologist undertakes a caseload and offers support in relation to the specialist assessment and therapeutic intervention of a wide range of issues including challenging behaviour.

In addition to their own specialist roles, CLDT members also undertake the following work:

• Group-work with service users and their carers
• Training and consultancy to direct carers and others
• Support and supervision of trainees from a variety of professions
• Planning of future services
   

The area covered by the CLDT :

The CLDT covers the Hambleton and Richmondshire areas, with some minor boundary variations. There are about 350 people with a learning disability in this area.
 

Who will the CLDT see?

The CLDT will see people with a learning disability i.e. those who fulfil the criteria of having an impairment of intellectual and social functioning that has been present since childhood.

The Clinical Psychologist has specialist assessments that are used to determine whether or not people meet these criteria.
 

If you want to refer someone to the CLDT :

If you know or care for someone who would benefit from a referral to the CLDT, then they will be very pleased to hear from you.  A professional, a person’s carer or their GP can make a referral.  A person can also refer himself or herself.  Normally, people make referrals by letter or on one of the CLDT’s forms, but a verbal referral can be made.
 

What happens next?

After someone has been referred, the CLDT will make arrangements to visit the person, together with their carers as appropriate.  This generally happens in about two weeks from the time of the referral.  Some members of the CLDT do have a waiting list and it may take some time to arrange the first appointment.  If this is the case, they will let you know how long you’ll have to wait, and when the first appointment will be.
 

What if I am new to the area?

If you are new to the area and would like information about the team or about other services for people with a learning disability, the CLDT will be pleased to hear from you.  Generally, one of the CLDT will come to visit you to see how the service may be able to help.
 

If you want to contact the CLDT :

The CLDT office is generally staffed from 8.45am – 5.00pm.  Sometimes when you phone, you may get the answering machine, but leave a message and someone will call you back.  If you have an urgent query, or need to speak to one of the CLDT team members quickly, the secretaries know where they are and will ask someone to contact you as soon as possible.