Learning disabilities (health and wellbeing needs in South Tyneside)

A Learning Disability affects the way a person learns new things throughout their life. A person with a Learning Disability may have difficulty understanding new or complex information, learning new skills, or have reduced ability to live independently. People with profound and multiple Learning Disabilities may have difficulty with seeing, hearing, speaking, and moving. Therefore, they may have complex health and social care need [1].

A Learning Disability is different for everyone. Lots of people who have a Learning Disability can work, have relationships, live alone, and get qualifications [1].

It is estimated that there are 1.5 million people with a Learning Disability in the UK, with just over 1.1 million being adults [2]. Approximately 2.16% of adults and 2.5% of children in the UK are believed to have a Learning Disability [2].

South Tyneside is around 25 square miles (64 square kilometers) wide, with a population of around 151,000 residents. It is one of the most deprived areas in England [3].

At the time of writing approximately 1,200 people are known to have a diagnosis of Learning Disability on a GP register in South Tyneside. National prevalence rates indicate that this is more likely to be 2,800 [4].

The 2021 Learning from the Lives and Deaths of People with a Learning Disability (LeDeR) identifies that people with a Learning Disability are estimated to die 22-26 years younger than the general population. This is often due to experiencing health inequalities. People with Learning Disabilities report that they find it difficult to access services, professionals often speak to them in a way they do not understand, and they want to be listened to in order to have more choice and control over their lives [5].

Nationally, approximately 20 to 30% of people with a Learning Disability will also have Autism [6]. However, Autism is not classed as Learning Disability. Autistic individuals have a neurological difference that means they perceive, experience and interact with the world, communicate and socialise differently. Autistic people may have additional needs that arise from other conditions and differences. Examples of these differences are eating and sleeping patterns, and cooccurring conditions such as Development Coordination Disorder, Hypermobility and mental health conditions.

National Guidelines

• National Plan for Learning Disabilities: Building the Right Support, published 2015
• Building the Right Support Easy Read Version, published October 2015
• Winterbourne View Hospital: Department of Health review and response Policy Paper, Published December 2012
• NHS Long Term Plan, Published January 2019

Other documents

• Core20PLUS5 - reducing health inequalities for adults, published December 2021
• Core20PLUS5 - reducing health inequalities for children and young people, published November 2022
• Public Health England: Learning Disability - applying All Our Health, published March 2023
• National Institute for Health and Care Excellence: Learning Disabilities and Behaviour that challenges: Service design and delivery, published March 2018
• Other NICE Publications
• Learning from Lives and Deaths - people with a Learning Disability and Autistic People: 2021 Annual Report
• Learning from Lives and Deaths - people with a Learning Disability and Autistic People: 2022 Annual Report
• Projecting Older People Population Information
• Projecting Adult Needs and Service Information