Supporting people with lifelong disabilities

Annual NHS Health Checks for people with a learning disability

People with a learning disability often have poorer physical and mental health than others and annual health checks which aim to address this health inequality, are carried out by GP practices.

In West Sussex 5,130 people with a learning disability aged 14 years and over are registered with a GP and in 2023-24, 76.5% of those people benefitted from an annual health check (76.4% in 2022-23).

For the second year we have exceed our target of 75% of people with a learning disability having an annual health check. This is the result of everyone working together to promote and support people to attend their appointments.

Employment

Being in suitable paid work can improve poor health and mental wellbeing. The ‘supported employment’ model has been used successfully for decades to support people with significant disabilities to secure and retain paid employment.

Supported Employment West Sussex is a partnership in which Aldingbourne Trust WorkAid and Workability from Impact Initiatives provide employment support to people with lifelong disabilities, physical and sensory issues, an acquired brain injury, and those who are carers.

There was an improvement in employment figures for people aged 18-64 years with a learning disability in 2023-24, up from 2.8% to 3.1%.

Learning from people with lived experience

We continue to involve people with lived experience of social care and their family and friend carers in the design and commissioning (planning, purchasing and monitoring) of services, for example, in the scoring of tenders for the new day opportunity model and in the recommissioning of our Direct Payment Support Service.

Our Learning Disability and Autism Partnership Boards are important channels for people with lived experience to express their views and over the past year the Boards have been involved in developing the new model for day opportunities, the council’s Personal Relationship policy and plans for early preventative support.

People with lived experience are also involved in the recruitment and training of social care staff.

Peer support
Peer support is the help and encouragement that people with lived experience of care provide to one another. Peer support projects are well developed within mental health services and the benefits are well documented.  Within the area of learning disability, however, peer support is not so well established and we are, therefore, developing a local model informed by recommendations made in 2022 from people we support. 

Working with Lifelong Services providers

Whilst the whole social care market is challenged by the cost of living and workforce issues, we continue to see excellence in our provider services. 79% of care homes and 97% of supported living providers in West Sussex have been rated as either ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ by the CQC. This is backed up by findings from external reviews.

Our Quality Assurance and Market Support Team engage with the adult social care market to maintain and drive improvement and provide targeted support to services where quality issues are identified. 

Our Provider Forum meets six times a year to share information, highlight best practice, and to seek feedback on policies and commissioning projects that impact the market.

Autism diagnosis and the neurodevelopmental programme

(Neurodevelopment refers to the brain’s development of pathways that influence our performance and functioning.) Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust is the local provider of diagnostic assessments of autism spectrum conditions for adults across Sussex. In recent years there has been a significant increase in the numbers of people, both nationally and locally, who are seeking an assessment for suspected autism and/or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) which has led to significant delays in assessments.  The unprecedented need for these services is far exceeding current capacity and as a result, the service is having to prioritise those who are in the greatest need.

Further information on the neurodevelopmental programme can be found here.

Supported Living

This service is designed to help people with a wide range of needs to retain their independence by being supported in their own home and where independent living is not possible, in places that feel like home.  People have their own tenancy and are responsible for their own bills and cost of living.

From November 2023 to March 2024 we funded 135 more supported living placements than the previous year with 1,146  people with lifelong disabilities or mental health conditions living in the community.

Learning disability dementia service   

The service, launched in Autumn 2022, is provided by Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and is funded by the Sussex Integrated Commissioning Board. The service carries out memory assessments and regular brain screening for people with Down’s Syndrome aged 30 years and over to identify early signs of dementia. It also undertakes memory assessments for older people with a learning disability who are experiencing signs and symptoms of dementia. The service also provides support to people who receive a dementia diagnosis and to their carers.