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Living well

We support adults with learning disabilities across Kent.

The community learning disability nurses and community support workers work in a multidisciplinary team to provide nursing care for people with learning disabilities.

We work with individuals, families and carers with a wide range of abilities and needs in a diverse range of settings, providing both general and specialist care.

Healthcare

Promote equal access to healthcare

People who have a learning disability may find it difficult to recognise changes in their health, experience challenges or had previous negative experiences when attending health appointments. This can lead to inequalities and their health needs not being met.

We aim to reduce to those inequalities, reduce barriers and promote equal access to healthcare.

Some of what we do includes:

  • helping to identify individual’s health needs, identifying any unmet health needs and helping and accessing healthcare support
  • supporting individuals and their carers understanding the person’s health needs and liaison with primary and secondary care (such as doctors and hospitals)
  • support annual health checks and health screenings such as dentist, opticians, cervical screening, breast screening
  • Helping and advising around reasonable adjustments to access healthcare appointments
  • development of hospital passport and distress passports.

We may signpost and make referrals to other professions such as speech and language, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, psychology, social services, other healthcare services and continuing health care.

Attending annual health check

Watch our video about attending a annual health check.

Accessible information

We provide information around health in a range of accessible formats. We develop bespoke information tailored towards the individual’s specific needs.

This can support individuals to make decisions about their healthcare and treatment.

Desensitisation

Some people can find medical interventions and environment difficult. This can be because they have had negative experiences in the past or don’t know what to expect.

We can help identify the cause of the anxiety and the barriers to accessing services.

We can support by liaising with other services to help access to healthcare appointments and environments with reasonable adjustments and developing a person-centred bespoke desensitisation programme.

Examples include:

  • blood pressure taken
  • having a blood test
  • attending the dentist
  • accessing healthcare environments.

Liaison with other services

We provide named links to services to help joint working, share expertise and promote the well-being of people with a learning disability. Services include:

  • doctor’s surgeries
  • mental health teams
  • main hospitals
  • community healthcare services.

Life changes

Transitions

Throughout a person’s life they can experience many changes, including leaving school, moving from child to adult services, moving home, changes in our health, and changes in family circumstances. Some of the things that we do include:

  • support, if required, moving from child to adult healthcare services
  • providing accessible information to support understanding of the changes they are experiencing
  • following a dementia pathway offering baseline assessment for everyone referred who has Downs Syndrome and is aged 30 and over.
  • baseline assessment for people with a learning disability if they are experiencing changes in their memory
  • information or advice with appropriate age-related health screening, such as bowel screening, abdomen aortic aneurysm screening (AAA), breast screening, cervical screening etc

End of life and bereavement

Learning disability nurses can support people who are receiving end of life care in several ways:

  • support at appointments, to help with asking questions, checking on referrals and follow up support.
  • provide accessible information to help someone to understand to the best of their ability what is happening and to enable them to express their views and wishes and choices around their care
  • provide practical support with understanding what will happen as someone becomes less well
  • work with hospices, multidisciplinary teams, hospitals and community teams to provide co-ordinated care
  • support people, their carers and families with Advance Care Planning, where wishes about treatment and preferred place of care can be recorded
  • provide support and education to care teams in residential settings and others that live with them provide support to carers and families after death.

Living well

Sex and relationships

We support individuals who are finding maintaining and understanding relationships difficult.

We can do this this by:

  • assessing what understanding and support an individual needs
  • providing group sessions
  • offer individual support
  • signpost or make onward referrals to other services such as sexual health
  • provide resources to care providers for them to use with individuals they support.

See our Apple tree page for more information.

Healthy lifestyles

Eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly and being a healthy weight can help us to live longer. It also helps to reduce the risk of us getting some diseases including cancer, diabetes, heart disease, having a stroke, osteoporosis and being overweight.

Some people need additional support to understand why a healthy lifestyle is important.

We do this by supporting individuals and carers with the following:

  • providing support to help understand why we should and what we need to do to live a healthy lifestyle and what could happen if we chose not to live a healthy lifestyle
  • providing sessions around how to live well
  • liaison with specialist services such as doctors, diabetic specialist nurses
  • signpost to other services such as the One You service. We can also support people when accessing other services.

Mental health and well-being

Sometimes people can experience changes in how they are feeling and they may need additional supporting in identifying and managing it. For some people who cannot tell others how they are feeling this can be shown as behaviours towards themselves or others.

How we can support includes:

  • helping individuals to understand and manage their own emotional wellbeing
  • carry out functional behaviour assessment and support carers and providers with positive behaviour support
  • liaise and work with the mental health experts
  • signpost and onward referral to other services.
99%

Friends and Family test (FFT) question - percentage of positive responses

(Survey feedback from October to November 2022)

Your comments

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June 2022
Weald

The nurses healed my wound and were so kind and professional.

June 2022
Maidstone

Nurse always takes time to explain things and really cares. If she sees a problem she tries to solve it. (Complex Care)

June 2022
Total Health Excellent West PCN

She takes care of me, she is positive and smiling always.

June 2022
Maidstone

I am very pleased with the care I have received to dress my leg. All the ladies were lovely and friendly and made me feel at ease with everything.

June 2022
Deal/Sandwich

The nursing team is great, cannot complain about any of them.

June 2022
Paddock Wood

The nurses always treat with upmost care and consideration.

June 2022
Canterbury

These nurses are all wonderful! I don't know what I would do without them.

June 2022
Tonbridge

Nurse very friendly, all the team have been very helpful and looked after me. Reliable service.

May 2022
Tunbridge Wells

The nurse answered all questions asked. She was polite, kind very considerate. She even came back to do bloods after the doctors rang asking us to go to them. Above and beyond. Thank you.

June 2022
Folkestone/Hythe/Rural

With the care provided, the quality of life is good.

May 2022
Maidstone

Martha is always extremely professional, with a pleasant manner.

May 2022
Total Health Excellent West PCN

The nurses are kind and helpful. Lovely to see Denise again, nice to be told what is being done and why.

May 2022
Tonbridge

The nurse always comes when they say they will, they are all lovely.

May 2022
Edenbridge

The staff were the reason I kept going when things were really bad. I am very grateful to them.

May 2022
Sevenoaks

I have been treated by three nurses over the past few weeks, each and everyone of them has been first class.

May 2022
Maidstone

Kati is always like a tonic when she visits. So reassuring and supportive. Mum seems to listen to Kati and has so much respect for her advice. (Complex Care)

May 2022
Canterbury

Feel in safe hands and always nice to have someone to talk to.

April 2022
Sevenoaks

They come out quickly, good communication, handover all relevant information, helpful.

April 2022
Tunbridge Wells

Very loving and considerate. Listens to any concerns I have and acts on them.

April 2022
Tonbridge

I have been happy with the help I have from the nurses. They are always cheerful and ready to do anything I have asked for. Always respond to any phone calls and are 100% reliable. Thank you all.

April 2022
Paddock Wood

The nurse was very kind and put me at ease.

April 2022
Folkestone/Hythe/Rural

Made me feel at ease throughout every visit and reassured me all the time.

April 2022
Faversham/Whitstable

I always feel so much better when the nurse has been, I can talk to her about everything that is worrying me.

April 2022
Tunbridge Wells

They have had a life changing effect on us and that is not an exaggeration! Cannot thank the CCNs enough. (Complex Care)

April 2022
Weald

They are absolutely 5 out of 5. Brilliant. Highly skilled. Great communicators. Absolutely wonderful service.

April 2022
Canterbury

It's all been wonderful and got sorted very quickly. The nurse explained everything very well.

April 2022
Maidstone

The nurses came to dress my leg twice weekly. They were also very friendly and always had a smile and nothing was too much trouble.

March 2022
Tunbridge Wells

Each nurse was skilled and very informative. The service was exceptional.

March 2022
Thanet

Felt extremely supported. (ICMT Care)

March 2022
Deal/Sandwich

They are smiling never unhappy when they visit,explained everything they were doing on all there visits. Very happy they have healed my ulcers. I will miss them all.

March 2022
Canterbury

All the nurses are always smiling, and chatty. I enjoy them attending my home. They're very good at there job.

March 2022
Herne Bay

They have helped my husband and they are kind and polite when they come, the answer all our questions.

March 2022
Total Health Excellent West PCN

The nursing staff are so kind, caring and make you feel relaxed. Katie, has been to my home on several occasions, she is delightful and wonderful nurse.

February 2022
Weald

They turn up when they say they will and are always very reliable. We trust them implicitly.

February 2022
Tonbridge

I feel very supported and the staff looked after me well.

February 2022
Westview

Community nurses are very friendly, professional, and not hurrying, engaging in conversation throughout their visit, making me feel at ease.

February 2022
Folkestone/Hythe/Rural

Janet was friendly, thorough, kind and caring and went out of her way to make my husband and I very comfortable.

February 2022
Margate

The Community nurse stayed and engaged in conversation after my clinical treatment, making me feel at ease, safe and made sure I had everything at hands rest before leaving my home.

February 2022
Edenbridge

Every time we called, they came when needed. Very caring and respectful and supportive to the whole family.

January 2022
Dover

I was reassured and given all the appropriate information.

February 2022
Maidstone

The care and empathy of Mary was second to none. So kind and listened to me.

January 2022
Sevenoaks

Thank you Jane for all your kindness and help you gave to my father, it was genuinely really appreciated. (Complex Care)

January 2022
Folkestone/Hythe/Rural

Staff are lovely and do the job right. Everyone is friendly, helpful and sympathetic.

January 2022
Herne Bay

Prompt service and reassurance given.

January 2022
Tonbridge

Nurses are professional and considerate. Always so kind and couldn't ask for a better service.

January 2022
Maidstone Weald

I am amazed at the efficiency, this puts my mind at rest. (Complex Care)

November 2022
Deal/Sandwich

Treated well and nurses are good to me.

November 2022
Canterbury

The nurses made me feel like I was important to them they attended on the day they said and treated me with the utmost respect.

November 2022
Tonbridge

Very pleased with the care from the nurses, they are always kind and friendly.

November 2022
Maidstone

Nurses are very friendly and very efficient, all are very caring.

November 2022
Weald

Nurses came when they're supposed to. Polite and pleasant. Asked permission before carrying out procedure.

November 2022
Herne Bay

Everything was good, nurses were very good.

October 2022
Sevenoaks

They were friendly and informative. They took good care of my mother's needs. They came when they said they would.

October 2022
Faversham/Whitstable

Staff are very knowledgeable and always treat me with kindness and respect.

October 2022
Tonbridge

Nurses are always caring professional and friendly.

October 2022
Deal/Sandwich

Nurse was very friendly and competent, made me feel at ease.

October 2022
Dover

The nurses are efficient, helpful, friendly, kind. They do their job well and I am grateful to them.

October 2022
Ramsgate

They are very caring and professional.

October 2022
Maidstone

The girls are always happy and tend to my needs. Very professional.

September 2022
Malling

The nurses were so knowledgeable and professional and reassured me and came when they said they would.

September 2022
Folkestone/Hythe/Rural

Ladies very professional and personable, put me at ease and made procedure easy.

September 2022
Thanet

What can I say about the nurses, they have all been exceptional with special thanks to Pat, Hannah and Leah.

September 2022
Weald

Always kept informed of care, always asked about care. Listen to always, care excellent.

August 2022
Faversham/Whitstable

Staff are cheerful and polite, it is a pleasure to see them.

August 2022
Dover

Nurses very kind to me, explained what is happening and why.

August 2022
Tonbridge

The service is absolutely first class. Because it was reasonable, reassuring and the nurse was very confident and skilful.

August 2022
Sevenoaks

Always helpful, kind and always on time.

August 2022
Tunbridge Wells

All compassionate, polite and helpful.

August 2022
Maidstone

All so nice friendly - all caring and chatty. All know what they are doing and reassure me.

August 2022
Weald

The nurses were very professional and were able to help me with my problem.

July 2022
Canterbury

When we called, nurses came on time and my dad was treated with respect and compassion. We were always asked how we were too.

August 2022
Edenbridge

We are very impressed with the dedication and reliability of the service.

July 2022
Maidstone

All good, really nice. Hannah is lovely, all of them are brilliant.

July 2022
Margate

The nurse was very supportive towards me and my carer.

July 2022
Herne Bay

You are courteous, respectful, you listen to me and treat me very well.

July 2022
Sevenoaks

Dad is receiving the best possible care from the lovely nurses. The attention he is receiving is exemplary. Dad is very happy with them.

July 2022
Deal and Sandwich

All my nurses are very good, always nice to me and give me the best possible care,

July 2022
The Marsh

Have had various district nurses who are always patient and explain what is going to happen. Very impressed.

July 2022
Ashford

Staff are friendly and I look forward to their visit.

July 2022
Weald

I felt the nurse was familiar with my case and gave me confidence.

July 2022
Tonbridge

The nurses have been amazing. Great service. I cannot fault them.

July 2022
Ashford Rural

Everyone really helpful and supportive with everything.

July 2022
Folkestone/Hythe/Rural

The nurses are always kind and friendly and help me.