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LD and COVID-19

Checked: 23-11-2022 by Vicky Ryan Next Review: 23-11-2023

COVID-19 Symptom Presentation in patients with Learning Difficulties

Please find attached a guide developed by Sirona care & health containing information from the Berkshire Healthcare report and the South West NHSE&I COVID-19 mortality review for people with learning disabilities.

The document outlines the COVID-19 symptoms and common presentation in individuals with learning difficulties as well as differential diagnosis tools and considerations.

Oximetry@home for patients with LD

Patients on the learning disability register are eligible to access Pulse Oximetry at home Virtual Ward provided by Sirona.

The Community LD Teams (CLDT’s) are supporting the virtual ward to ensure equitable access.

GP’s can refer individuals on the LD register to the virtual ward, even if the person is unable to access it autonomously – there is a supported process within Sirona to ensure their access. This includes such help as training, remote prompting and direct support.

Easyread COVID Vaccination poster/ leaflets

Please see useful Easyread FAQ's about the vaccine (via link below) to support people to make an informed choice. The information has audio as well. Useful for service users, family members and staff or anyone who has doubts about the vaccine. This information has been developed through working with learning disabled experts by experience and self-advocacy groups

https://www.keepsafe.org.uk/vaccine-questions?

A number of EasyRead leaflets and forms developed by Public Health England to help practices provide accessible information for those with learning disabilities and autism receiving the COVID-19 vaccination are available via this link: COVID-19 vaccination: easy-read leaflets - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Everyone on the GP learning disability register should be invited to have their booster if they haven’t already. See below a number of useful Covid-19 vaccination resources to encourage take up.

Governments' Easy Read leaflet: Covid-19 Booster
NHS Easy Read Letter: Autumn booster invitation letter
NHS Covid-19 vaccination video

Annual Health Checks

During COVID-19 the need to undertake annual health checks in patients with learning difficulties has been identified as a priority. Please see the Resources to support Annual Health Checks for people with learning disabilities page for details.

Resources

Please see the Learning Disabilities Teams page for contact details for local LD teams

The speciality guide to support the management of patients with a learning disability, autism or both during the coronavirus pandemic (attached) gives advice to front line staff in key points of how to assess and treat someone with an LD with suspected COVID-19

COVID-19 learning disability deaths - Learning Brief: Primary Care

Efforts are made to ensure the accuracy and agreement of these guidelines, including any content uploaded, referred to or linked to from the system. However, BNSSG ICB cannot guarantee this. This guidance does not override the individual responsibility of healthcare professionals to make decisions appropriate to the circumstances of the individual patient, in consultation with the patient and/or guardian or carer, in accordance with the mental capacity act, and informed by the summary of product characteristics of any drugs they are considering. Practitioners are required to perform their duties in accordance with the law and their regulators and nothing in this guidance should be interpreted in a way that would be inconsistent with compliance with those duties.

Information provided through Remedy is continually updated so please be aware any printed copies may quickly become out of date.