Our learning disability service is suitable for all ages because we recognise that some people with learning disabilities require support for the whole of their lives.

However, we also recognise that the needs of adults are different to the needs of children and young people. Therefore, there are two separate specialisms within the All Age Service.

The team have extensive experience in the health needs of people who have a learning disability and the health inequalities they can face.

Our team is made up of:

  • Physiotherapists
  • Psychologists
  • Psychiatrists
  • Occupational therapists
  • Speech and language therapists
  • Registered learning disability nurses
  • Support staff

Separate pathways have been developed to focus on physical health, mental health, challenging behaviour and offending behaviour. Each one includes the need to ensure that people with a learning disability are encouraged to have an annual health check and develop a health action plan.

As well as assessment and developing care and treatment plans, we provide hands on support working with the individual whether this is mainstream health services or staff working in the independent or voluntary sector.

Our service:

  • Promotes liberty, choice, and equal opportunities
  • Supports access to mainstream health services
  • Recognises the impact of learning disability and associated health and wellbeing needs
  • Promotes health checks and health planning
  • Promotes health equality and reasonable adjustments
  • Promotes healthier life choices
  • Supports wellbeing
  • Aims to reduce hospital admissions
  • Supports effective hospital discharges
  • Aims to reduce disability discrimination.

How we support and work with children and young people:

  • Work directly with young people with a learning disability, and their families or carers, to promote health and wellbeing.
  • Provide specialist assessments to understand a young person’s needs and work together to support these, including individual or group based approaches
  • Liaise with local specialist schools, if required, as part of a holistic approach to support the young person and their family. 
  • Assist with the transition to adult learning disability community health teams if there is an agreed identified health need.
  • Support mainstream health and mental health services to make reasonable adjustments, to allow young people with a learning disability to access them.

Referrals

  • The service has an open referral system which means that anyone can refer, including people with learning disabilities and family or carers. The service can be contacted through your GP or directly using the contact details on this page.
  • All referrals are reviewed so that the team can decide if they are the best people to help and to identify the clinical need and urgency.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the service, a person must fulfill the following criteria:

  • Provides evidence indicating/suggesting that the person being referred has either a Global Developmental Delay (under 5 years) or a moderate to profound learning disability (Lancashire) or mild to profound learning disability (South Cumbria). If you are unsure, please contact the team for advice.
  • Be registered with a GP in Lancashire or South Cumbria.
  • Have a health or wellbeing need that cannot be met by mainstream health services, with reasonable adjustments.

A day in the life of a Learning Disability Nurse

Contact Details

For all aged referrals for Lancashire and South Cumbria

Email: LDReferralHub@lscft.nhs.uk

Telephone: 01772 520 202

Address:
All Age Learning Disability Service
Darwen Resource Centre
Edward Street
Darwen
BB3 1AY

Locations and contact details

Central and West Lancashire

Chorley and South Ribble

Address: Civic Centre Offices, Union Street, Chorley, PR7 1AL

Telephone: 01772 644 130

Preston

Address: 93 Garstang Road, Preston, PR1 1LD

Telephone: 01772 777 494

West Lancashire

Address: 1st Floor, Scarisbrick Unit, Ormskirk Hospital, Wigan Road, Ormskirk, L39 2JW

Telephone: 01695 684 340

Fylde and Wyre

Fylde address: Lytham Hospital, Warton Street, Lytham, FY8 5EE

Wyre address: Mountcroft, Albert Street, Fleetwood, FY7 6AH

Telephone: 01253 956 179

Morecambe Bay

Lancaster and Morecambe

Address: East Barn, Pathfinders Drive, Lancaster, LA1 4JJ

Telephone: 01524 550 330

South Cumbria

Address: College House, Howard Street, Barrow in Furness, Cumbria, LA14 1NB

Telephone: 01225 408 713

Pennine Lancashire

Blackburn with Darwen

Address: Darwen Resource Centre, Edward Street, Darwen, BB3 1AY

Telephone: 01254 283 300

Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale

Address: Burnley Wood Resource Centre, Brunswick Street, Burnley, BB11 3NX

Telephone: 01282 628 225

Hyndburn, Ribble Valley and outreach

Address: The Mount, Whalley Road, Accrington, BB5 1AR

Telephone: 01254 628 200

Central and West Lancashire

Chorley and South Ribble

Address: Shawbrook House, Balcarres Road, Leyland, PR25 3ED

Telephone: 01772 644 644

Preston

Address: Greenbank, Ripon Street, Preston, PR1 7LY

Telephone: 01772 520 287

West Lancashire

Address: Westgate House, Hillside Health Centre, Tanhouse Road, Skelmersdale, WN8 6DS

Telephone: 01695 684 251

Fylde and Wyre

Fylde address: Lytham Hospital, Warton Street, Lytham, FY8 5EE

Wyre address: Mountcroft, Albert Street, Fleetwood, FY7 6AH

Telephone: 01253 956 514

Morecambe Bay

Lancaster and Morecambe

Address: Floor 4, Alston House, White Cross, Lancaster, LA1 4XQ

Telephone: 01524 550 331

South Cumbria

Address: College House, Howard Street, Barrow in Furness, Cumbria, LA14 1NB

Telephone: 01225 408 755

Pennine Lancashire

Address: The Mount, Whalley Road, Accrington, BB5 1AR

Telephone: 01254 226 481