Learning disability

The NHS has a crucial role to play in helping people with a learning disability, autism or both lead longer, happier and healthier lives.

The NHS Long Term Plan aims to improve people’s health by making sure they receive timely and appropriate health checks, while improving the level of awareness and understanding across the NHS of how best to support them as patients.

More people with complex needs will be supported to live fulfilling lives at home rather than in hospital, while thousands will be offered a personal health budget, giving them choice over the type of support they need to live the life they choose.

The Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent system successfully transitioned from concentrating solely on the Transforming Care Programme to one of a wider strategic learning disability and autism partnership (LDAP) on 1 April 2021.

This has provided increased oversight across the system and has ensured renewed commitment to deliver the LDAP outcomes from each agency. The partnership has appointed the National Autistic Society (NAS) to support the ICB champion role and will provide additional capacity, expertise, and advice for the system.

In addition, the Board is also working alongside the local self-advocacy group to secure support for people with lived experience who would wish to share their personal stories with the Board as well as establishing an Expert by Experience (EbE) focus group to embed lived experience and the service users voice across the entirety of the LDAP programme.

Further work is required to set out our collective vision, aims and objectives for the system in a co-produced way with local people with lived experience.

Strategy to help disabled and neurodivergent people to live their best life launched

The Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board have been working with Staffordshire County Council and Stoke-on-Trent City Council, and people with lived experience, to develop a new strategy designed to help disabled and neurodivergent people in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent to live their best life. ‘Living My Best Life: Staffordshire’s Plan for Disabled and Neurodivergent People 2023 – 2028’ is designed to make sure disabled and neurodiverse people have safe, healthy and happy lives. To read the full strategy, download this easy read version.