A collaboration has been launched with the aim of addressing health inequalities and supporting people with learning disabilities and/or autism (LD&A) across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.
Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust (LPT) will lead the LDA Collaborative in partnership with Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Integrated Care Board (ICB).
For the purposes of the Collaborative, closer working arrangements will be embraced between the local NHS, Leicester City Council, Leicestershire County Council, Rutland County Council and other stakeholders, including voluntary and community organisations.
Aims include ensuring that everyone with a learning disability has a health check undertaken each year; ensuring that person-centred, proactive and preventative care is being delivered; providing access to specialist services and early intervention when needed; supporting admission to acute mental hospitals only when necessary; supporting timely discharge; co-ordinating health and social care across the system; ensuring systematic learning from any deaths of people with LD&A; providing more support to families; and working with neighbourhoods and the voluntary sector to reduce health inequalities.
David Williams, Director of Strategy and Business Development for LPT, stated: “Forming a Collaborative builds on our commitments to work together to champion better outcomes for everyone with a learning disability or autism.
“For too long there have been gaps in care pathways – people don’t always get the integrated care they deserve. Working together as a Collaborative demonstrates our commitment to removing those gaps and barriers, ensuring everyone can access integrated care and lives and outcomes can be improved.”
Laura Smith, Acting Assistant Director, Learning Disability and Autism, LPT, added: “This Collaborative brings that belief closer to happening. By combining the work of local authorities, NHS providers and commissioners into one virtual team, we have already removed barriers and provided more seamless, flexible, person-centred services.”
