Welcome to the Learning Disability Liaison Team at Musgrove Park Hospital.

We are learning disability nurses based at Musgrove. We are here to support anyone with a learning disability who is over the age of 18 to access the hospital and to receive an equal health service to someone without a learning disability.

We will help in assessing and recommending reasonable adjustments which might be needed for the person, regarding areas such as communication and understanding, mobility issues, behavioural challenges, or any other aspects of the person's disability. We are able to support with acute admissions, planned admissions and outpatients investigations or clinics.

End of life care for people with learning disabilities can present additional challenges. This might be due to capacity issues, fears about diagnostic overshadowing, understanding of what is a very abstract topic, or a multitude of other factors. We can assist patients, families and carers if discussions with hospital staff are needed to consider a move to palliative care.

We can assist people with their understanding of a very complex topic with Easy-Read resources, and help to offer reassurance about their care. We can also support people to understand what their choices might be and what services are available to them.

Where a person lacks the capacity to understand the issues around their care, we can facilitate Best Interest discussions between hospital staff and families, carers or advocates in order that decisions can be made on the person’s behalf.

Once the person is ready to leave hospital we can ensure that support from community learning disability services are followed up by referring to them directly.

We are available Monday to Friday, 8am till 4pm (excluding Bank Holidays).

You can contact us on: LearningDisabilityLiaison@SomersetFT.nhs.uk

or

07825 193448 / 01823 342367

Ruth Pym and Louise Atkinson