Learning disability, physical and mental health

• The Downs Syndrome Association and the Division of Mental Health at St. George’s have come together to produce a detailed website dedicated to educating people about intellectual disability, providing valuable resources for health care professionals on topics such as the diagnosis, causes and prevalence of common intellectual disabilities, the developmental transitions through various life stages and the top ten tips to effective communication .

          Further resources include:

          clinical communication - guidance on negotiating consent and checking understanding 
          health action plans - guidance for GPs and primary care teams 
          health guidelines for treating adults with intellectual disability and physical and/or mental health problems

          how to manage a patient with learning disability in A&E

• Having a learning disability increases the likelihood of developing certain physical conditions.  Here, Dr. Glyn Jones shares a matrix of the clinical syndromes associated with learning disability. 

• Better Health, Better Metrics.  People with learning disabilities often have worse health than the general population.  The Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities is working with Primary Care Trusts and other services to improve this situation.

• The British Institute of Learning Disabilities encourages good practice among practitioners and provides training and consultancy events to inform and motivate. 

• The College has established a programme for the accrediting inpatient Learning Disability services (AIMS-LD)