Staying in hospital with learning disabilities (Easy read)

This information is for patients with a learning disability, your carers, friends and relatives. It will help you to understand what it will be like when you stay in our hospital. We know coming into hospital may be a difficult time for you so we want to make sure we get it right. Our priority is that people with learning disabilities receive the right support for their individual needs and are treated in a person centred way. It is very important that you feel safe when you are in hospital. All staff will have a badge with their picture, name and job title. If you, your relatives or carers feel worried about anything, or you think you have been treated unfairly please speak to a member of staff.

About staying in hospital (Inpatient)

If you have to stay in hospital overnight you are called an Inpatient. You will need to pack a bag

Please pack:

• Night dress or pyjamas
• Dressing gown
• Slippers
• Toiletries
• Soap and flannel
• Toothbrush and toothpaste
• Shampoo and conditioner
• Razor
• Deodorant
• Hairbrush

If you need them, please also bring

• Glasses
• False teeth (and the container)
• Hearing aid

Please bring your medicine or tablets. Bring the boxes for your tablets too. This helps the doctor to know what they are. If you want a newspaper or snacks, please bring a little bit of money. If you have a health passport, please bring this with you too. Please bring the letter from the hospital.

Please do not bring:

• Televisions or radios (we have these)
• Alcohol
• Anything valuable (like jewellery or lots of money)

Getting to the hospital

If someone is driving you to hospital, please show them the instructions below. If you are getting a taxi, please ask the driver to take you to the main entrance. If you use public transport, please make sure you know the route well. www.merseytravel.gov.uk will provide more information A few people need an ambulance to bring them to hospital. The hospital letter tells you how to book an ambulance.

What happens when you get to hospital?

Please go to the main reception desk. Show them your hospital letter. Someone will tell you how to get to the ward. A ward is the name for a room where you sleep when you are staying in hospital. When you get to the ward a nurse will say hello. They will tell you what happens on the ward. You can ask them questions about staying in hospital. The nurse will ask you questions about you. A member of staff will write down what you say. This helps everyone know what you like and how to look after you. You are allowed to see what we write down about you. You can tell us if you do not want us to share this information. If you would like some extra company we have volunteers who can come and chat with you or find activities for you to do together.

Consent

We might ask you to say if it is okay to treat you. This is called consent. To give consent, you might have to sign a form. Please ask any questions you have about the treatment. If you don’t understand what the doctor is saying, please ask them to explain it in a different way. The Senior Nurses can also support you to understand about your treatment. You can change your mind even after you have signed the form. This is called withdrawing consent. If you find it difficult to decide what to do, you can get support from your family or carers. A best interest decision is when other people decide for you. This only happens when you are not able to decide for yourself. A best interest decision is made by people who know you well, with people who know about the treatment.

Staying in hospital

Meals

There is a menu for you to choose what you want to eat. Somebody will ask you what you would like to eat. If eating some foods will make you sick, please tell us. We can ask the kitchen to make something else. Meal times are:

Breakfast 8am-8.30am
Lunch 12-1pm
Dinner 5pm-6pm

If you are about to have an operation, you won’t have anything to eat or drink until afterwards.

You can buy drinks, snacks and newspapers from a trolley which comes around or from vending machines in The Walton Centre main building the machines are by the main reception. You will have a small cupboard by your bed to put your belongings into. Please remember not to bring anything valuable to hospital.

Your friends and family are allowed to come and visit you in the afternoon and evening. If you need extra support, a family member or carer is allowed to stay longer. We can offer flexible visiting hours. At night time most of the lights are turned off so that you can sleep. Alcohol and smoking are not allowed in the hospital.

Infections

Infection means there is something in your body that should not be there. Infections can make you very sick so it is important to stop them. You can help stop infections:

1. Wash your hands and use the hand gel. Do this when you go into the ward before you eat and when you go to the toilet.
2. Ask the doctors, nurses and your visitors to wash their hands too.
3. If your friends or family are unwell they should not visit you until they have been well for two days.

If you have had an operation, it is very important you do not touch your wound or allow any of your visitors to touch it.

The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust’s Learning Disability Link Nurse Debbie Lee, Matron for Safeguarding. Her phone number is: 0151 556 3307. Our email address is: wcft.safeguarding@nhs.net

Leaving hospital

Leaving hospital is called discharge. You might need some extra support. A member of our hospital staff will talk to you and your family/carer about this. The Multidisciplinary Team can support with your discharge if you want our help. The hospital will make sure you have the right medicine to go home with. Further down this page there is a list of support organisations that can support you when you leave hospital.

Further information

This part of the booklet is providing more detailed information about our hospital. The easy read section is at the beginning. We appreciate a person with learning disabilities may face one or more of the following challenges;

• Comprehension – understanding what is said or meant
• Expression – making themselves understood and expressing their needs.
• Attention deficit – concentration may be limited.
• Perception – events, language and the world we live in may differ from others.
• Short term memory – may be limited.
• Long term memory – there may have been a negative experience of coming to hospital in the past.
• Coping with change – is often a challenge.
• Eating problems – some people may have difficulty eating and swallowing foods.

Our staff are here to support people with a learning disability who have complex needs and their relatives and carers.

The Walton Centre parking

Pay and display car parking is located in front of The Walton Centre main building and the Sid Watkins Building. There is also a multi-story car park with a link bridge to The Walton Centre main building.

Consent

People with a learning disability, aged 18 and over, have the same legal rights and freedoms as anyone else. To have capacity to consent to healthcare decisions, a person must demonstrate they can:

• understand the relevant information;
• retain it long enough to balance out the risks and benefits, and;
• communicate their choice (using verbal or non-verbal methods).

To support a patient’s right to consent the hospital will always try to explain the treatment. This will be done in a way that is easy for the patient to understand. Involving family/carers (i.e. asking their opinion), this does not indicate that the individual lacks capacity. It is common for any patient to speak to their family before deciding on treatment.

If a patient does lack capacity to make a decision about treatment, the ward will hold a ‘best interest’ meeting. We involve the patient and their family/carer in order to understand the patient’s wishes, so that we can make a best interest decision.

Reasonable adjustments

Health and care services are legally required to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ for people with learning disabilities under the Equality Act (2010), ensuring equal and fair treatment. Some examples of reasonable adjustments in a hospital setting include:

• Providing easy-read information to people with learning disabilities
• Giving longer appointment times with doctors and nurses
• Flexible visiting hours for parents/carers.
• Appropriate/convenient times for meetings, procedures and investigations.
• Health professionals should listen to the family/carers of people with learning disabilities.

 

Health passport

Family/carers usually know most about the patient and the support they need. The family/carers can also be involved in providing information for any reasonable adjustments that may be needed. Information about reasonable adjustments that a patient may find helpful can be written in their health passport. If the person you care for does not have a health passport already, or it needs updating, there is a blank passport provided with this information pack. Please remember to prompt the person you care for to bring their hospital passport with them to hospital.

The health passport is a really useful booklet to help hospital staff understand a patient’s needs. The health passport gives us information about the whole person, not just information about their medical conditions. It can include lists of their likes and dislikes, including their favourite food and drink and personal interests.

 

Accessible information

The multidisciplinary team can help to explain medical conditions and their treatments by using pictures and photographs.The multidisciplinary team has many documents available in Easy Read to help patients understand and make informed choices about their care.

 

Bedside support

We know that being in hospital is something that many people find distressing. Being in an unfamiliar surrounding can make people feel anxious and we know this may cause patients to appear agitated or distant. The hospital has various ways of reducing anxiety so please speak to a member of staff so that they can understand the best ways to support the patient.

The hospital has a dedicated Volunteer Support Team who work with patients with learning disabilities to help provide ward based activities and support.

 

Flexible visiting

If you are visiting a patient who has a learning disability, we allow visiting outside of the standard set hours for the ward. This means that you can for example, arrange to visit during meal times if this might help the patient to feel comfortable when eating. Please speak to the ward manager to arrange visits outside the set times.

 

Other useful information

This section contains information to help you stay healthy.

Easyhealth is a website with lots of information about health. The information is easy to read and there are videos too. There are over 500 leaflets on Easyhealth, made by many different organisations. You can print off nearly all the leaflets straight away.

The learning disability register is a list of people with a learning disability who access their GP. Ask your doctor to add your name to the learning disability register if you are not already on it.

An annual health check is done by your GP once a year. You can get an annual health check if you are age 14 or older. It can help you stay healthy. You do not need to be ill to have an annual health check.

Support organisations

This section has information about different organisations who give advice and support to both people who have a learning disability and their family or carer.

Mencap Liverpool
www.mencapliverpool.org.uk
0151 707 8582

Wirral Mencap
info@mencapwirral.org.uk
http://mencapwirral.org.uk/
0151 666 1829

People First Merseyside
https://www.peoplefirstmerseyside.co.uk/
Liverpool: 0151 707 6751
Sefton: 0151 329 2137

Knowsley Disability Concern
http://www.kdc.org.uk/
0151 480 4090

Options
http://www.optionsforsupportedliving.org/
0151 236 0855

PSS- Person shaped support
http://www.psspeople.com/
0151 702 5555

Mersey Care NHS Trust Learning Disabilities Service
0151 737 4800

United Response
https://www.unitedresponse.org.uk/
0208 246 5200

Mencap
www.mencap.org.uk
0808 808 1111

British Institute of Learning Disabilities - BILD
www.bild.org.uk
0121 415 6960

Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities
www.learningdisabilities.org.uk
020 7803 1100

Acknowledgements

This information was put together by the Cheshire and Merseyside Learning Disability Network Group and reviewed by members of Mencap Liverpool.

Hospital team contact

The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust
Lower Lane
Liverpool
L9 7LJ
Email – wcft.safeguarding@nhs.net
Office with answerphone – 0151 556 3307

Royal Liverpool & Broadgreen
University Hospital
Prescott Street
Liverpool
L7 8XP
Telephone number: 0151 706 4602.
Email: learningdisabilitiesteam@rlbuht.nhs.uk

Shaun Lever
Learning Disability Service Manager - Bleep: 5111
shaun.lever@rlbuht.nhs.uk

Serena Jones
Learning Disability Acute Liaison Lead Nurse - Bleep:
5248
serena.jones@rlbuht.nhs.uk

Ged Jennings
Learning Disability Nurse - Bleep: 4255
ged.jennings@rlbuht.nhs.uk

Aintree University Hospital
Longmoor Lane
Liverpool
L9 7AL

Carl Griffiths
Named Nurse for Safeguarding Adults / Lead for MCA &
DoLS / LD & Dementia
Secure email - aintree.safeguarding@nhs.net
carl.griffiths@aintree.nhs.uk
0151 529 3534

Dawn Bullen
Safeguarding Specialist Nurse Learning Disability Lead
dawn.bullen@aintree.nhs.uk
aintree.safeguarding@nhs.net 0151 529-2357

Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital
NHS Trust
Thomas Drive
Liverpool
L14 3PE

Joanne Shaw - Lead Nurse for PFCC and Safeguarding
Joanne.shaw@lhch.nhs.uk
Contact 07976858846
01516001857

In my absence contact Tina Kenny Matron
0151 6001616

Women’s Hospital
Crown Street
Liverpool
L8 7SS

Rebecca Holland - Safeguarding Specialist Nurse
rebecca.holland@lwh.nhs.uk
contact 0151 7024267.

Alder Hey Children’s Hospital NHS
Trust
East Prescot Rd
Liverpool
L14 5AB

Joann Kiernan - Consultant Nurse Learning Disabilities
joann.kiernan@alderhey.nhs.uk

Laura Weatherall
Acute Liaison Learning Disability Nurse
Email: laura.weatherall@alderhey.nhs.uk
Contact number: 0151 293 3663

St Helens and Whiston Hospital NHS Trust
Whiston Hospital
Warrington Rd
Rainhill
Prescot
L35 5DR
Email: sthk.safeguardingadults@sthk.nhs.uk
Admin desk phone: 0151 430 1332

Natalie Hendry – Named Professional for Safeguarding Adults
Email: natalie.hendry2@sthk.nhs.uk
Phone: 0151 430 1552

Diane Gould – Safeguarding Adult Lead
Email: diane.gould@sthk.nhs.uk
Phone: 0151 430 1314

Caroline Tyndall – Safeguarding Development Nurse
Email: caroline.tyndall@sthk.nhs.uk
Phone: 0151 430 1047

Southport and Ormskirk Hospital Trust
Town Ln
Kew
Southport
PR8 6PN
Phone: 01704 547471

Michelle Kitson ( matron – corporate nursing)
michelle.kitson@nhs.net
01704 704094/ ascom 3715
(In my absence contact relevant lead matron for patients ward./dept)

Wirral University Teaching Hospital
NHS Trust
Arrowe Park Rd,
Upton,
Birkenhead,
Wirral
CH49 5PE

Julie Reid – LD Lead Nurse
julie.reid8@nhs.net
0151 678 5111 x 8291

Mandy Waites - End of Life Care Facilitator and Acting Learning Disability Liaison Nurse
amandawaites@nhs.net
0151 678 5111 x 8437
Acute Liaison Hospital Network/Community Team Contact Details

Community Learning Disabilities Team Cheshire and Merseyside
Clatterbridge Cancer Centre
Clatterbridge Road
Bebington
Wirral
CH63 4JY

Debbie De Jonge – Macmillan Clinical Specialist for
Additional Needs
Debbie.dejonge@clatterbridgecc.nhs.uk
0151 556 5282 (BLEEP: 5833)

CCG Area Contact Manager Health Facilitator
North West Boroughs Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Knowsley
Address:
23 Cumber Lane
Willis House
Whiston
0151 426 5885

Lorna Pink
Lorna.Pink@nwbh.nhs.uk

Jayne Burton
Jayne.Burton@nwbh.nhs.uk

Physical health Lead
Karen Turner
Karen.Turner@nwbh.nhs.uk
Health Facilitator

North West Boroughs Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust St Helens
23 Cumber Lane
Willis House
Whiston
0151 426 5885

Lorna Pink
Lorna.Pink@nwbh.nhs.uk

Linda Helsby
Linda.Helsby@nwbh.nhs.uk

Lorraine Bates

Warrington

Warrington Learning Disabilities
2nd Floor
Hollins Park
Hospital
Hollins Lane
Winwick
Warrington
Cheshire
WA2 8WA
Tel: 01744 457278

Cathie Jones
Cathie.Jones@nwbh.nhs.uk

Rachel Boswell
Tel: 01744 457278
EXT:3776

Halton Community Learning Disability Nurse, Oak Meadow

Jane Morris
Jane.morris3@halton.gov.uk
No current health facilitator

Community Support Centre
Peel house Lane
Widnes
WA8 6TJ
Tel: 0151 511 8986

Liverpool Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust Community Hub
Local Services Division
Learning Disabilities Service
Norris Green
Falklands
Approach
Liverpool
L11 5BS
Tel: 0151 737 4800

Yvonne Hornby
Yvonne.Hornby@merseycare.nhs.uk

Vivien Mansfield
Vivien.mansfield@merseycare.nhs.uk
Tel: 0151 737 4800

Sefton Sefton Community Learning Disability Team
Hesketh Centre
51-55 Albert Road
Southport
PR9 0LT
01704 383030 /383114

Wendy Porter
Wendy.Porter@merseycare.nhs.uk
Tracy Reed
Tracy.Reed@southseftonccg.nhs.uk

West Cheshire and Vale Royal
Address
Wyvern House
The Drumber
Winsford
CW7 1AH

Sue Williamson
Sue.Williamson@cwp.nhs.uk
Specialist health facilitator

Karen Brogan
Karen.brogan@cwp.nhs.uk
Health facilitator

Sue Booth
sue.booth@cwp.nhs.uk

East & South Cheshire
Rosemount Lodge
Rosemount Site

Andy Worth
Andrew.Worth@cwp.nhs.uk
Jill Tompkins (adults)
Jill.tompkins@cwp.nhs.uk

Lea Bank Close
Macclesfield
SK11 8HE
Telephone number: 01625 509013

Karen Somers (Children)
Karen.somers@cwp.nhs.uk
Wirral Ashton House,
26 Village Road,
Oxton
Wirral
CH43 5SR
Telephone number
0151 488 8100

Hazel Naylor
Hazel.Naylor@cwp.nhs.uk
Specialist health facilitator

Linda Swann
Linda.swann@cwp.nhs.uk
Health facilitator

Danny Acton
Danny.acton@cwp.nhs.uk
Cheshire & Wirral LD CAMHS Service East/South (Including Vale Royal)
Elm House
Lea Bank Road
Macclesfield
SK11 8QA
Co-ordinator/Case Manager

Penelope Millington
Penny.millington@cwp.nhs.uk
Monday, Tuesdays and Friday contact number is 01625 712043
Wednesday and Thursday contact number is 01270848030

Health facilitator
Karen Somers (Children)
Karen.somers@cwp.nhs.uk
Cheshire & Wirral LD
CAMHS Service
West Cheshire
Team
4th Floor North
Wing
4 Civic Way
Ellesmere Port
CH65 0BE

Jenni Butler-Meadows
jenni.butlermeadows@cwp.nhs.uk
Tel: 0151 337 6317

Health facilitator:
Karen Somers (Children)
Karen.somers@cwp.nhs.uk