Background: The emphasis of mental health services has changed to become more recovery focussed and is increasingly looking towards new roles such as peer support as a part of service provision (NHSE, 2019). However, services for people with learning disabilities and mental health difficulties have lagged behind with people with lived experience…

Background: Inpatient mental health settings have been described as "obesogenic," due to factors including psychotropic medication, high-calorie food provision, restricted physical activity and sedentary lifestyles. No research has investigated the prevalence of obesity among forensic inpatients with learning disability, despite this…

In the UK, the Mental Health Tribunal is a long-established safeguard for patients detained under the Mental Health Act. This gives such patients an effective appeal mechanism to ensure legal protection of their liberty. This act contains sections that allow for civil detention in the case of mental disorder. The right to apply to the tribunal…

Objective: To determine the psychometric properties of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) in patients with a learning disability and examine it's utility for conducting mental capacity assessment. Method: This study was a cross-sectional, instrument validation study in an inpatient hospital setting, located in the East of England. The sample…

It has been well documented that people with learning disabilities receive poor care in acute settings. Over the last few years, a number of learning disability liaison nurse services have developed in the United Kingdom as a response to this, but there has been a failure to systematically gather evidence as to their effectiveness. This article…

Experiences of eight staff working with people who have a learning disability and complex mental health needs were explored by interviews and analysed using the free association narrative interview approach (Hollway & Jefferson 2000). Participants reported that organisational factors such as not having enough permanent staff and having to manage a…

People with a learning disability face a number of challenges when seeking access to hospital care which are often distinct from those faced by the general population. Numerous statistics indicative of these challenges are represented in the academic literature. Previous research has suggested several reasons for the continued existence of these…

Since the 1970s, medical staff have routinely disclosed the diagnosis of cancer to their patients. However, this has often been carried out unskilfully causing distress to the patient and impairing their ability to comply with treatment. In response, the government has invested in "Advanced Communication Skills training" for oncology staff.…

In Australia, general health and medical services are subsidised by the government. This includes care for people with disabilities, screening and diagnostic services for common diseases, including cancer, and care and treatment for various medical conditions. In Western Australia, the majority of state-provided health services are well documented…

Background: Buccal midazolam is widely used in children for the emergency treatment of epilepsy, and these children are graduating into adult learning disability services. Aims: The aim of this paper was to appraise the evidence for buccal midazolam as a treatment for prolonged seizures in adults with learning disabilities. Method: A literature…