NSFT team celebrates a decade of tackling health inequalities
A Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) team dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of people with learning disabilities and autism is celebrating 10 years of making a difference.
Established in 2016, the Learning Disability and Autism Liaison Team, based in Suffolk, was created to address the significant health inequalities experienced by people with learning disabilities and/or autism.
Only recently, a report commissioned by NHS England - The Learning Disabilities Mortality Review - looked at deaths recorded between 2021 and 2024 and found those with a learning disability died, on average, 19 years younger, than the general population.
It is something NSFT’s Learning Disability and Autism Liaison Team has been working to tackle for the past decade by working closely with GP practices across Suffolk; helping people access annual health checks and making healthcare services more accessible through personalised support, reasonable adjustments and easy read information.
The team have been able to shape the support they provide by working with people with learning disabilities and/or autism; developing an understanding of their needs and educating healthcare professionals.
As a result, uptake of annual health checks has risen dramatically from around 30 per cent when the service began to approximately 84 per cent today, exceeding national targets.
The multidisciplinary team includes clinical health professionals with backgrounds in learning disability, mental health, general practice and speech and language therapy, supporting people to overcome barriers that may prevent them accessing healthcare. From helping individuals attend appointments after years of avoiding healthcare settings to creating innovative communication tools and health resources, the team's work is helping people live healthier, longer lives.
Jerry Newman, Learning Disability and Autism Liaison Nurse, said: "When we started, our goal was to reduce the health inequalities faced by people with learning disabilities. Ten years later, we've seen what can happen when healthcare is made truly accessible. Every annual health check, every reasonable adjustment and every barrier removed is an opportunity to improve or even save someone's life. I couldn't be prouder of what the team has achieved, and we're as passionate today as we were when we started."
The Learning Disability and Autism Liaison Team talk about their work in NSFT’s latest Mental Health and You podcast which will be available from Wednesday 16 September.
You can listen to the podcast via the NSFT website.