This document is part of NHS Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust’s health inequality case studies.

Adults with learning disabilities and epilepsy face significant barriers to accessing high-quality healthcare, often due to mainstream services failing to offer reasonable adjustments or understand their complexities. They also generally have worse health outcomes and shorter life expectancies compared to the general population, with those having epilepsy facing an even higher risk of mortality.

The Learning Disability Epilepsy Team supports adults with learning disabilities and epilepsy by providing specialised and tailored care. This service addresses significant barriers to healthcare that these individuals often face, especially when mainstream services fail to offer reasonable adjustments or understand their complexities. The team offers flexible access to care, which results in increased engagement and improved outcomes for individuals and their families. They prioritise based on need, allowing for proactive and positive risk management. This approach helps reduce pressures on other parts of the healthcare system, such as hospital admissions and primary care.

The service also focuses on stopping the over-medication of people with learning disabilities and autistic people, in line with national NHS England programmes. They ensure smooth transitions in care and treatment by integrating with numerous other professional teams. Overall, the Learning Disability Epilepsy Team provides a holistic approach to managing epilepsy, incorporating psychological and social aspects of care, and working collaboratively with families and other professionals

The document can be viewed and downloaded below.

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