Learning disabilities

A learning disability affects the way a person learns new things in any area of life, not just at school.

We’re committed to improving access to health services – including mental health services – for people with learning disabilities.

Sirona care & health

Sirona care & health, a not-for-profit social enterprise, provides an integrated specialist healthcare service for people with learning disabilities across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.

The service is shaped by the views and experiences of people with learning disabilities, giving them and their carers choice and control in planning their care.

To find out more about these services and download a referral form, visit the Sirona care & health website.

We are currently compiling a list of other NHS services available in our area for people with learning disabilities. Details of these services will be added to this page soon.

Council Local Offers

Local Offers are created by councils. They set out in one place information about provision we expect to be available across education, health and social care for children and young people who have special education needs or are disabled. This includes those who do not have education, health and care plans.

Bristol City Council's local offer North Somerset Council's local offer South Gloucestershire Council's Local Offer

We are working with South Gloucestershire Council, along with South Glos Parents & Carers, to improve the SEND Local Offer in the area following feedback from families. In September 2019 we launched a brand new SEND Local Offer as part of the new South Gloucestershire website called ‘Find information for adults, children and families’. You can visit the South Gloucestershire SEND Local Offer and the Local Offer annual reports page to find out more about the feedback we received and how we have acted on this.

You can also read about the New SEND Shared Outcome Themes Framework for South Gloucestershire, which has been developed to help capture the long term outcomes that children and young people with SEND and their families want to achieve.

Annual health checks for people with learning disabilities

Resources are available to support health professionals with annual health checks for people with learning disabilities. These resources are most relevant to GPs, practice nurses and primary care administrators.

NHS England and NHS Improvement resources Royal College of General Practitioners toolkit LeDeR programme