NHS South Yorkshire wants to modernise and transform Sheffield’s specialist learning disability and autism services and is encouraging people with learning disability and autism, their families, carers and stakeholders to have their say.
The existing service in Sheffield Health and Social Care Trust (SHSC) was commissioned some years ago with three separate teams, including a community learning disability team, (CLDT) community intensive support team (CISS) and an eight bedded Assessment and Treatment Unit, Firshill Rise Inpatient, which opened in 2017.
Over the years the demand and need for specialist inpatient beds for this specific population has greatly decreased due to more people with learning disability and autism remaining in their own homes.
Analysis of Sheffield admissions of people with learning disability now suggests that there only needs to be capacity for 1-2 beds per year which means it is not viable to operate a specialist learning disability and autism inpatient unit in Sheffield on such small numbers.
Dr Steve Thomas, Sheffield GP and Clinical Director for Mental Health, Learning Disability & Autism for Sheffield at NHS South Yorkshire, said: “Many times when people go to into learning disability and autism specialist hospitals due to breakdown of their original home placement, they may stay there many months longer than they need to as they can often lose their tenancies, when some care providers refuse to take the person back when they are ready for discharge. Additionally, people can lose independence skills that are difficult to regain to be able to live back in the community.
“We spend £1.3 million each year on seven inpatient beds at Firshill Rise. Following the success of the Transforming Care programme, which saw more people with learning disability and autism staying in their own communities, we now believe that we only need a maximum of two beds for people with a learning disability in crisis, when inpatient treatment may be unavoidable.
“Having the resources that we do have in the wrong place is preventing us from investing more in the community services to better support people to prevent crisis and home/placement breakdown.”
NHS South Yorkshire are running an involvement and engagement process for the current services that are offered via Firshill Rise. This will focus on the reduced demand for inpatient care and what a future model needs to be for Sheffield to secure good community services, but to ensure access to inpatient care if unavoidable.
Dr Thomas continued, “We are now wanting to hear from people who use these services, their families, carers and anyone else in the city who has a view on this. We would like feedback on how we might be able to give better community support for people with learning disability and autism as the way in which some of the resources are currently used could be better invested in other community interventions.
“We are working with Sheffield Health and Social Care to ensure that local people who may use this service are involved in the development and consideration of proposals, and that their individual legal duties around involvement are met.”
The involvement phase is running from 23 January until 23 March 2023. NHS South Yorkshire is working with Mencap and Sheffield Voices who will be contacting people and encouraging them to feedback their views.
Have your say by filling in the survey here – www.bit.ly/FirshillRise
The feedback received through the involvement stage will be used alongside financial, quality and other commissioning information to develop viable options for the future Learning Disability crisis beds.
Depending on the outcomes of the options appraisal, a formal consultation process may need to take place. A full consultation plan would be developed in this instance.
Please contact syicb-sheffield.mhldportfolio@nhs.net if you have any further questions or comments.