Transforming Care, the government’s response to WInterbourne view, set some clear targets for the development of community services and the reduction on specialist inpatient bed numbers.
Here Alix Dixon looks at a paper, which used some illustrative case examples to explore some of the policy and practice issues around these targets.
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There continues to be debate about the appropriate use of in-patient services for people with learning disabilities and we need to learn as much as possible about routes in, treatment options within and pathways out.
In her debut blog, Anne Marie Scott looks at a paper, which reports on outcomes in relation to people who were inpatients in a forensic unit, In particular the researchers asked if being on the autism spectrum impacted on these outcomes.
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People with learning disabilities who have complex and challenging needs may find themselves placed in specialist services, sometimes distant from family and local support networks, often at high cost to the commissioners.
Here Ruth Northway looks at the findings of a survey of commissioning teams in south east England reporting on the nature and costs of such placements.
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Self-injurious behaviour can have a severe impact on the quality of life of some children with developmental delay.
Here, Alix Dixon looks at a review of an extensive body of literature around potential causal mechanisms and aggravating characteristics which aims to develop a clearer working model to inform practice.
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In this blog, Gerry Bennison offers an analysis of and perspectives on a study of employment programmes for people with learning disabilities or mental health problems.
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In 1999, the law in Norway governing the use of physical intervention was changed with the aim of reducing and restricting their use.
Here, Rachel Allen looks at some research that set out to find out what has happened since the change in the law.
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NICE guidelines on supporting people with learning disabilities and challenging behaviour have now been published. Here we look at the main recommendations and reflect on how likely they are to improve practice.
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Psychotropic medications are prescribed widely to many people with learning disabilities, but there remain many concerns about over, or improper use of such medications.
Here, Kate van Dooren looks at a study which collected data from 100 participants over a period of time to look at psychotropic medication and the relationship between dose, demographic factors and aggression scores.
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Trans-diagnostic treatment refers to an approach whereby the same underlying treatment principles are applied across diagnoses.
Here, Michelle Gregory looks at a pilot trial of trans-diagnostic cognitive behavioural therapy for a small group of people with mild learning disabilities who were in-patients in receipt of treatment for emotional difficulties.
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Tom Crossland looks at the findings of a review of the literature regarding women with learning disabilities and forensic needs
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