People with High Support Needs

The Valuing Medway People Partnership Board is trying to develop good local services for all people with a learning disability. This includes individuals with High Support needs.

The White Paper “Valuing People” states:

Good quality services will ensure that people with additional and complex needs are appropriately cared for so that their needs are well managed and they lead fulfilling lives

This includes people who:

1. have severe and profound disabilities (including those with sensory impairments);
2. have epilepsy;
3. have an autistic spectrum disorder and also a learning disability;
4. present with behaviour that challenges their carers and service providers;
5. develop conditions associated with old age

The Valuing Medway People Partnership Board has already developed a local Further Education and accommodation service for people with a severe learning disability and challenging behaviour.

The Valuing Medway People Partnership Board is planning to develop local services for people with physical and learning disabilities.

The Valuing Medway People Partnership Board works in partnership with Royal Association for the Deaf and there is a local advisor for deaf people with a learning disability.
His name is Ken Dudley

There have been presentations to the Valuing Medway People Partnership Board about how we can work better with people with sensory impairments and a group is looking at how we communicate better with people. This group is led by Kathy Johnson.

There is a specialist Epilepsy Nurse working in Medway improving the lives of people with learning disability. He works with the neurologists based at the Medway Hospital. He is called Sean Seale.

There is a lot more work needed to improve services for people with high support needs. A group is being set up to find out how we can do this better and will report to the “Valuing Medway People” Partnership Board in July 2006