Learning Disabilities

How we support those caring for an adult with learning disabilities and other useful contacts.

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We want to encourage carers of adults with a learning disability to become more involved in the planning and delivery of learning disability services in Hertfordshire. One way is by attending our events or meetings for Learning Disability Carers if you care for a relative or friend with a learning disability.

We have Carers Engagement Workers, who will:

Provide you with the opportunity to meet and talk to other carers with similar experiences to your own through our Learning Disability Carers’ meetings and events.
Make you aware of consultations, one-off workshops or focus groups, or project working groups.
Share information relevant to your caring role. If you’re caring for an adult with a learning disability and want us to keep in touch with you please contact us so that we can make sure you receive updates and communications relevant to your caring role.

Our Learning Disability Carers’ Meetings

The meetings are usually held regularly throughout the year face to face as well as virtually via Zoom.

The meetings provide an opportunity to catch up with other carers and hear from speakers on issues relevant to learning disability such as healthcare, direct payments, supported housing, and day opportunities. The aim of the meetings is to provide carers with the opportunity to talk about their experiences of community, health, and care services in Hertfordshire for those with a learning disability and their carers with the organisations planning and providing them.

Information and views you share at the meetings are fed directly into the Hertfordshire Learning Disability Co-production Board via reports and a small group of family carer representatives. The Board is made up of representatives from Hertfordshire County Council, NHS organisations including Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT) and voluntary organisations that provide services to people with learning disabilities and their relatives/carers as well as carers and service users. For more information on Co-production in Hertfordshire CLICK HERE.

We are always looking for carers to become Carer Representatives. All carers receive training for this as well as a small payment for attendance and travel. For more details about becoming a Family Carer Representative, get in touch.

Keeping you updated

We now have a monthly Involvement bulletin sent via email to carers, which includes Learning Disability events and news as well as a newsletter which is produced twice a year. If you wish to receive this please contact us to confirm or provide your email address.

Have your say

The Involvement team hold regular meetings for carers. Some give carers the chance to hear from speakers who talk about particular services, others are a chance to discuss your experiences of health and social care – what is working well and what needs to improve.

We want to find out what topics you would like us to cover at these meetings or as part of our programme of workshops and events. For example, did you want to know any more about a particular financial or legal matter, health or wellbeing information, services for you as a carer or something related to caring for the person you look after?

News and Events

Adults in Hertfordshire with a learning disability or autism spectrum condition and their relatives / family carers are to be invited to a Big Health Get Together organised by Hertfordshire County Council and the Herts and West Essex Integrated Care Board. The event will take place in Hatfield on Monday 18th March 2024, 10.15am – 3pm. There will be discussions about improving local services and staying well. Save the date – details about how to book will follow be shared soon.

Hertfordshire County Council is helping Hertfordshire residents with a learning or physical disability find a job or volunteering post through the Connected2Work project. You can find out more by calling 0300 123 4049 or visit www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/connected2work

You can now get extra pages for the Purple Folder

The Purple Folder is for adults with a learning disability to complete with support from their relatives, carers, or health or care professional working with them. It contains information about the person’s health and care needs and they can use the Purple Folder when they see doctors, opticians, pharmacists, or other health or social care workers.
The information in it helps people ensure they give the person with the learning disability the care and treatment best for them. For more information about the Purple Folder call Hertfordshire County Council’s Health Liaison Team on 01438 845372. They are open Monday to Friday 9am – 5pm.

If you or someone you know with a Purple Folder needs more pages you can download and print them from Hertfordshire County Council’s website via this link – Purple Folder Extra Pages.

Hertfordshire County Council is making information more accessible for people with a learning disability

Hertfordshire County Council have developed a website for people with a learning disability (and their carers) that gives information to help with their health. The website can be accessed using the link http://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/LDmyhealth

The website currently includes:
• Easy-read leaflets regarding Community Learning Disability Nursing, Health Liaison Team, and Specialist Epilepsy Nurses (useful for when discussing a possible referral with someone).
• Information regarding Annual Health Checks with printable documents: Carers Preparation Tool and Easy Read Checklist.
• Information regarding Purple Folders with printable easy-read information. Provides contact details to get a purple folder and extra pages.
• List of Purple Star Services in Hertfordshire. (The Purple Star is a quality kite mark and is offered to all health providers who are willing to review their service, to undertake training and improvements to provide a reasonably adjusted, equitable service for people with a learning disability).
• A ‘How to Stay Healthy’ section that has printable easy read health information: breast monitoring, testicle monitoring, and constipation monitoring.

The website continues to be reviewed and updated regularly.