About Our Service
The Learning Disability and Autism Team are a part of the Safeguarding Team and sits within the Corporate Services of the trust.
Our Team covers the whole of Manchester University Foundation Trust which includes Oxford Road Campus, Wythenshawe Hospital, Trafford General and North Manchester General.
We are an advisory service for all adults aged 18 years + who have a diagnosed Learning Disability and/ or Autism.
Our Drive is to empower staff throughout the trust to be confident in working with patients with Learning Disabilities and Autism and to be able to deliver efficient and effective personalised care to these individuals.
In order for staff to do this our team offers advice and support, we also offer the opportunity for training, both on a grand scale, targeting all areas of the trust and on a bespoke scale which is more specific to particular areas.
We are a new and expanding service and are keen to support staff in any way possible, feel free to contact us for any more information about our service or to enquire about support and training opportunities.
Contact Us
Please contact us via our shared inbox, one of our team will be allocated your request and will attempt to respond to you in a timely matter.
Email: LDASD.Support@MFT.nhs.uk
We are not and emergency service, we operate between the hours of 8:30am and 4:30pm, Monday to Friday (excl. Bank Holidays).
Good to know
What is a learning disability?
A learning disability is a reduced intellectual ability and difficulty with everyday activities – for example household tasks, socialising or managing money – which affects someone for their whole life.
People with a learning disability tend to take longer to learn and may need support to develop new skills, understand complicated information and interact with other people.
The level of support someone needs depends on the individual. For example, someone with a mild learning disability may only need support with things like getting a job. However, someone with a severe or profound learning disability may need fulltime care and support with every aspect of their life – they may also have physical disabilities.
People with certain specific conditions can have a learning disability too. For example, people with Down’s syndrome and some people with autism have a learning disability. (Mencap https://www.mencap.org.uk/learning-disability-explained/what-learning-disability )
What is autism?
Autistic people see, hear and feel the world differently to other people. If you are autistic, you are autistic for life; autism is not an illness or disease and cannot be ‘cured‘. Often people feel being autistic is a fundamental aspect of their identity.
Autism is a spectrum condition. All autistic people share certain difficulties, but being autistic will affect them in different ways. Some autistic people also have learning disabilities, mental health issues or other conditions, meaning people need different levels of support. All people on the autism spectrum learn and develop. With the right sort of support, all can be helped to live a more fulfilling life of their own choosing. (National Autistic Society http://www.autism.org.uk/about/what-is.aspx )
Reasonable adjustments for people with a learning disability in hospital
Video: https://youtu.be/DMV06K1oanA
Resource: Reasonable adjustments for people with a learning disability in hospital
Hospital Passports
You may have a Hospital Passport or a My Health Passport. If you don’t have one you can complete a this at home or with support from your Community Learning Disability Nurse.
You should bring a copy with you into hospital to give to the doctors and nurses looking after you. It gives them important information about you, including any reasonable adjustments you need, and helps them make sure that all your needs are met.
Resource: Traffic Light Hospital Passport
Resource: My Health Passport
Resource: Health Passport Guide
