Learning Disability Services in Lincolnshire
Amendment
In August 2024, this chapter was reviewed and updated. Beaconsfield Centre was removed from the list of community hubs and the link to LPFT Learning Disabilities website was updated in Section 2, Therapy Services. Information about Funded Nursing Care was also added into Section 3, NHS Continuing Healthcare.
There is a Section 75 agreement arrangement (National Health Service Act 2006) between Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) and Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board (LICB), under which the Learning Disability Service teams carry out certain health related functions on behalf of Health (LICB). The partners agree that LCC shall act as Lead Commissioner to commission both health and social care in exercise of the Council Functions and NHS Functions in respect of Adult LD Services. Health (LICB) contributes to a pooled fund to enable the Adult Care Learning Disability service to deliver health and social care provision.
Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LPFT) offers a range of services to support people with learning disabilities in the community.
The service works with service users, families, social care, and health partners to enable adults with a learning disability living in Lincolnshire to receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time.
They provide specialist health support to people with learning disabilities who require assessment and/or treatment for their physical or mental health, including support with behaviours of concern.
The service includes:
- a single point of access (SPA) for all referrals;
- three community hubs – a multi-disciplinary team which provides the whole range of specialist learning disability professions;
- countywide community home assessment and treatment team.
The service works with adults over the age of 18 who have a learning disability and associated physical and/or mental health needs who are registered with a Lincolnshire GP.
Learning Disability Community Team practitioners can make referrals to the SPA by completing the Learning Disability Service Referral Form in conjunction with reading the Learning Disability Service Referral Guidance. Both documents can be found in Section 11 Service Specific Procedures in the Local Resource Library.
The service is provided via community hubs, based at the following sites:
- Beech House, Boston;
- Beaconfield Centre, Grantham;
- Units 1 and 2, St George’s Site, Lincoln;
- Johnson Community Hospital, Spalding.
There are also a number of satellite clinics which are used to enable choice and care close to home, when required.
The community hubs provide an integrated multi-disciplinary approach to supporting people with a learning disability. Each hub has specialist nurses, psychology, physical health liaison nurses, psychiatry, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and, speech and language therapy.
In each hub there are liaison nurses for physical health. Liaison for mental health and autism sits within the LPFT Transforming Care Team. These liaison services work with local health services and service users and carers to ensure equal access to mainstream services, helping to develop reasonable adjustments and provide appropriate training for professionals.
Practitioners can make a referral to the LPFT Transforming Care Team via SPA by completing the referral form.
See: LPFT Transforming Care Team Referral Form
Please note that the referral form states to refer directly to the Transforming Care team. However this is for LPFT services only. Adult Care practitioners will need to complete the form and send via SPA.
Working closely with the community hubs, the Community Home Assessment and Treatment (CHAT) Team provides home assessment, intervention and treatment anywhere in Lincolnshire to service users in their home environment, whether that be a family home, supported living or a care home.
The CHAT team works to a Positive Behaviour Support model to provide intensive support to people who are experiencing a deterioration in their mental health, or an increase in behaviours of concern and associated risk to self and others. The service will respond quickly and positively to assess the level of risk and put in place a plan of care to address the immediate concerns, initially for 72 hours, with additional support for a further two weeks.
Once the immediate risks have been addressed and a clear plan is in place, the CHAT Team will liaise with the community hubs who will continue with the ongoing care plan as needed.
For more information see: LPFT Learning Disabilities website.
All services for NHS Continuing Healthcare, apart from Funded Nursing Care (FNC), are completed in-house by Learning Disability Practitioners who hold a Registered Nurse qualification. The Practitioners are the lead in this process and are responsible for collecting the evidence that is required.
The CHC Review Flow Chart can help to clarify the process for practitioners.
This process only applies to service users who are over the age of 18, who have a diagnosis of Learning Disability and associated physical and/or mental health needs who are registered with a Lincolnshire GP. Once the NHS Continuing Healthcare assessment has taken place, this information is forwarded to the Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board (LICB), whereby they ratify the decision and send confirmation letters. All further reviews are also undertaken by the LD practitioners and forwarded to the LICB.
Funded Nursing Care
If, during the process of completing the Decision Support Tool, the recommendation is not NHS Continuing Healthcare but the person has needs that would be eligible under Funded Nursing Care, then LCC can make that recommendation as part of the NHS Continuing Healthcare process. However, once in receipt of Funded Nursing Care, any reviews for this will be undertaken by the LICB.
‘The Lincolnshire Learning Disability Partnership Board is working towards making things better for people with learning disabilities and their families in Lincolnshire.’ (LLDPB).
For further information see: Lincolnshire Learning Disability Partnership - VoiceAbility website
Last Updated: August 12, 2024
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