This week our health promotion team are working closely with Sunderland University to pilot health tests in Sunderland for people with a learning disability.
So far we have been to Fulwell Resource Centre and Sunderland People First and we will also be going along to Washington Resource Centre with our Pop Up Clinic.
We are offering a simple finger prick test known as capillary testing where we obtain a tiny blood sample and we can check you are not pre diabetic or that you have high cholesterol.
We are also working closely with audiology at Sunderland Royal and we are offering hearing tests by using a simple quick test.
Everyone who has joined in has been amazing and we have enjoyed working with you. The test have already picked up cases of raised cholesterol, ear infection and hearing loss. It is hoped following the pilot this may become widely available.
Here are some pictures of people who took part.
We want to make sure that people with a learning disability have a good experience when using health services. One way to do that is make sure that we know as much about you as possible.
The summary care record holds extra information about you and is kept at your doctors, it can be shared with other health professionals if you consent to this.
Please click on the leaflet below to find out more about the summary care records. It would be great if you could tell your doctor’s surgery things about you that could be added to your record that will make your experience better.
We have been working closely with our local hospice, St Benedict’s to develop information for people with a learning disability who may be reaching the end of their lives.
These helpful leaflets can be found under the ‘Palliative Care Section’ in Other Health Services.
We have added some helpful videos under the ‘Going to the Doctors Section’ for people with a learning disability and their carers about the importance of asking for a review of medication.
We have also added videos under the ‘Professional Resources section’ for GPs and Psychiatrists.
We recently attended the Stadium of Light to deliver an awareness session in relation to the health needs of people with learning disability and autism to hundreds of doctors and nurses in Sunderland who were at their monthly time in time out session.
The session went well and we would like to offer a huge thank you to both Beverley Brown and Matthew Rutherford who spoke form the heart and were very professional.
There has now been an easy read information leaflet developed for primary care to give to a patient with learning disabilities where they feel an urgent 2 week referral is required for urgent tests. This can be very confusing for people and this leaflet will help the person to understand what to expect.
Members of the community treatment team for learning disabilities are hosting a charity evening on the 8th of September at the Alexandra Pub in Grangetown, Sunderland.
Please click on the link to find out how to get your tickets for the event of the year!!
Following on from our launch and training session at the TIME IN TIME OUT at the Stadium of Light we have provided all GP practices with a useful guide to the best care for people with a learning disability.
