Evidence for interventions
The 2021 NICE report ‘People with a Learning Disability’ identified five priority areas for people with LD:
- Annual health checks.
- Reasonable adjustments and accessible communication.
- Supporting people to live independently in the community.
- Integrated local commissioning of health and social care services.
- Health and social care workforce development
Annual health checks
A systematic review of studies regarding health checks for people with LD found clear evidence that they typically lead to the detection of unmet, unrecognised and potentially treatable health conditions. Targeted health checks are an important measure to help to tackle the unmet health needs and inequalities experienced by many individuals with LD, and may help to bridge the gap in life expectancy compared with the general population.
Reasonable adjustments
The Confidential Inquiry into premature deaths of people with LD (CIPOLD), highlighted the lack of reasonable adjustments provided to people with LD as a contributory factor in a number of avoidable deaths.
Supported employment
An interim cost-benefit report on supported employment in Kent found that the scheme was able to save the local authority money compared with paying for LD day care, as well as providing financial income and a sense of purpose for individuals with LD.
Commissioning of care placements
A review looking into the commissioning of care placements for individuals with LD found that many are being supported in out-of-area placements. Not only are these placements often far removed from the personal support networks of individuals, but they are also generally more expensive compared with providing local care placements. The use of expensive outof-area placements limits investment in local services and therefore has the potential to lead to a long term reliance on out-of-area placements. This is not only bad for the individual but also the local authority provider.