Learning Disabilities
Are you concerned about coronavirus?
Please click on the picture above for some easy read information. If you have any worries, please contact your surgery and we will be happy to help.
Click HERE to watch a video on how to wash away the viruses from your hands!
And if you click on this picture it will take you to Learning Disability England.
We hope you find these resources helpful at this difficult time.
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Annual Health Checks are available at the Lander Medical Practice for patients with a learning disability. It is important to regularly check your physical health. We will send invitations to you each year. This is a very valuable service to your health. If you would prefer to make your own appointment please telephone 01872 243700 and book a 20 minute appointment with your Doctor.
Here is a video that will help explain about the Annual Health Check - please click HERE
At your health check…
The Doctor will talk to you about your health.
You can have your family or carer to help you to answer the questions if you want.
The Doctor will ask you about your weight and height.
The Doctor will ask you about any tablets you take.
The Doctor will also ask you about...
Smoking and alcohol
Healthy eating and exercise
Sexual health
Looking after your teeth and going to the dentist
Having your eyes tested at the opticians
At the end of the health check the Doctor might ask you to arrange to see your another health professional.
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People with learning or intellectual disabilities such as Down’s Syndrome are known to have significantly poorer health than other people. This is because they find it more difficult to talk about symptoms and are less likely to make appointments to talk about their health problems and also because health professionals don’t always know how to meet their needs.
We aim to remove barriers that prevent disabled people from receiving an equal health service and ensure quality care for individuals with a learning disability in the community and community hospital setting.
What is a learning disability?
This is a significantly reduced ability to understand new or complex information and learn new skills (impaired intelligence), with a reduced ability to cope independently (impaired social functioning), that starts before adulthood and has a lasting effect on development. Learning Disability has replaced outdated terms such as - mentally handicapped.
There are varying degrees of learning disability (mild, moderate, severe, profound) requiring different levels of support.
A learning disability is a permanent condition.
SAFE PLACES
The Lander Medical Practice is a member of the 'Safe Places' Scheme.
Safe Places helps people with learning disabilities if they feel scared or at risk while they are out and about in the community and need support right away.
People who might need to use Safe Places carry a Safe Places card with emergency contact details. If they need help, they can go to public places, like shops, community centres and libraries, that have a Safe Places sticker in their window and ask staff there for help.
Click on the card to show a map of all the Safe Places in Cornwall.
Cornwall 'CHAMPS TEAM'
CHAMPs stands for Cornwall Health and Making Partnerships. We are a team of 10 people with learning disabilities and/ or autistic spectrum conditions. We help to make sure that people with a learning disability and/or autistic spectrum conditions get equal access to health services.
The main things we do are:
Consent
Patients may have difficulty understanding and retaining information you are giving them, please refer to the GP or discuss with the Learning Disability Team.
Visit us on Facebook
Screening
A 30 minute film has been made to help support people with learning disabilities, and their carers to improve access to screening
https://phescreening.blog.gov.uk/2016/08/22/new-film-can-help-ensure-equal-access-to-bowel-scope-screening/
A new one-off bowel scope screening test is being implemented across England for men and women at the age of 55. The implementation will be completed over the next few years and it hopes to save up to 3,000 lives per year.
This film uses simple language and pictures to explain this new test in areas where bowel scope screening has been implemented. The film is aimed specifically at people with learning disabilities and their carers but can be used by everyone to help ensure equal access to screening.
For further information you can contact the Screening Nurses listed below.
Contact for Lander Medical Practice
Pam Godwin
Primary Care Liaison Nurse Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
07500 443321
Primary Care Liaison Nurses
Karen Clark - Camborne and Redruth; Edward Hain - 07717 586 762
Pam Godwin - Helston; Falmouth; Newquay - 07500 443 321
Ruth Kimberley - Bodmin; Launceston; Stratton; Saltash - 07767 371 426
Kiley Cox - Liskeard; St Austell; Fowey - 07717 736 146
Screening Liaison Nurses
Sharon Ashby - West Cornwall - 07789 946 563
Deborah Rees - East Cornwall - 07717 586 043
Updated October 2019