Delivering effective specialist community learning disabilities health services to people with learning disabilities and their families and carers

Purpose This paper aims to showcase the work of the Learning Disability Professional Senate (LDPS) to update their guidance on effective community learning disabilities health teams (CTLDs). Design/methodology/approach A working group from the LDPS was established and the document from 2015 was reviewed and updated to provide up-to-date guidance. The guidance was reviewed by all members of the LDPS and confirmed to be acceptable to all four nations of the UK. Findings A summary version of the updated guidance is included in this paper together with a link to the full guidance. Research limitations/implications The vision for community learning disability teams (CLDTs)/services relevant to the wider NHS agenda is to ensure they enable access to high-quality effective mainstream and specialist services that are equally accessible to all and designed to meet the needs and aspirations of people with learning disabilities, thereby reducing health inequalities and restrictive practices. Practical implications This guidance has been made available via the LDPS to commissioners and services across the UK. It is intended as a contemporary guide to best practice. Social implications The model promotes an integrated approach to health care. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the the first paper to summarise the revised LDPS guidance.