The difference our Mental Health Learning Disability and Autism programme is making

We can all do more to break down the stigma around talking about mental health and wellbeing, starting with the people around us. That is why the West Yorkshire Health and Care partnership are launching a new campaign encouraging people to “Check-in with Pride”.

Through our work on inclusive recruitment and through feedback at different forums across the Partnership, we were hearing feedback from our neurodivergent colleagues about challenges they face in their daily work life.

Our fully integrated campaign ran throughout 2023 and saw increasing numbers of people from these groups take up roles with our Mental Health, Learning Disability and Autism Trusts.

Our health system is responsive to improving the health inequalities faced by people with learning disabilities. We believe that it is everyone’s responsibility to ensure people with learning disabilities will be as healthy as they can be.

NHS South Yorkshire recently partnered with West Yorkshire Mental Health, Learning Disabilities and Autism (MHLDA) Workforce team to deliver a high quality live-stream ambassador session to local Psychology students in further education and sixth-form colleges.

Mental Health, Learning Disabilities and Autism (MHLDA) Programme Director, Keir Shillaker, and Public Health Consultant, Dr Emma Pearce, recently worked with NHS Providers to develop an in-depth case study that underlines the importance of provider collaboratives.

West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership are sharing stories from across our five places, Bradford District and Craven, Wakefield, Kirklees, Calderdale and Leeds about the work that our Learning Disabilities Challenge teams are doing.

In West Yorkshire we have higher numbers of adults with a learning disability receiving long-term support from Local Authorities compared to the rest of England. Recognising this inequality, our ambition is that people with learning disabilities will experience the best possible health care and have improved outcomes from their local health services.

Mick Lambert, a registered learning disability nurse and mental health practitioner working with West Yorkshire Liaison and Diversion Service, helps to support those in the criminal justice system with a view to diverting away from custodial sentences and identifying rehabilitative support as an alternative.

The Staff Mental Health and Wellbeing Hub supported induction sessions for members of the West Yorkshire Community Mental Health Transformation (CMHT) workforce and the larger West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership.

Leading Mental Wellbeing, funded by the Staff Mental Health and Wellbeing Hub, highlighted the ‘the important role that leaders can play in creating a mental wellbeing culture in the workplace’ according to a recent participant.

Thanks to vital funding from the staff Mental Health and Wellbeing Hub, The Cellar Trust has been hosting a series of webinars to promote mental health and wellbeing.

One of our Partnership’s 10 Big Ambitions is to reduce the gap in life expectancy for autistic and other neurodiverse people, people with learning disabilities and people with mental health conditions by 10% by 2024.

Working together to improve people with learning disabilities' lives