Have your say about changes to Assessment and Treatment Units in West Yorkshire

People with a learning disability sometimes require a short stay in specialist assessment and treatment units (ATUs). ATUs in West Yorkshire provide a service for around 40-50 people each year, as part of a wider set of services that includes inpatient beds, community learning disability teams, specialist community placements and social care support.

People with learning disabilities and their families want to see a greater number of people supported in communities. The strategy for learning disability services in West Yorkshire and Harrogate reflects this.  As a result of developments in community provision, the need for admissions to beds and ATUs is reducing, with an expected level of admissions of around 30 people this year (2020). This local strategy also reflects the national direction of travel.

As part of the National ‘Building the Right Support Programme’, NHS England agreed trajectories with each of the Transforming Care Programmes for a reduction in beds. This is to ensure that people are supported fully in their own communities. 

The proposed model of ATUs in West Yorkshire is based on joint working within the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care Partnership. It draws on clinical expertise and the views of people and families who access care, and staff engagement. The proposal will see the development of a regional centre of excellence, moving from providing services in three locations (Leeds, Wakefield and Bradford) to a new, regional, standardised service model provided across two units, Bradford and Wakefield, with 16 beds.

Further engagement with people who access care, families and carers, is being planned to start in the spring. We are fully committed to understanding any impact of the proposed model on people and we will be seeking the support of Inclusion North, a specialist organisation, who works with people with complex / challenging learning disabilities needs for support.

We are fully committed to ensuring that we retain all of our highly skilled staff that work in these services, and are currently developing a detailed workforce plan that will include working alongside staff to transfer their working arrangements to new units or to other roles.

Putting people at the centre of their care, so they have choice and control over their life, is a priority to us all. It’s about focusing on ‘what really matters to people ’not ‘what is the matter with people.

Have your say: Information about changes to Assessment and Treatment Units in West Yorkshire (EasyRead)

Answers to some of the questions people ask about Assessment and Treatment Units