The My Health Navigator project was initiated in response to the premature deaths of people with a learning disability outlined initially by Mencap’s Death by indifference report and the subsequent confidential enquiries and LeDeR reviews. Thanks to the support from Health Education England, via the South East Intellectual Disability programme, the Learning Disability Team within Kent Community Health Foundation Trust (KCHFT) were able to develop a pathway by listening to the people we support, their families and carers, experienced professionals and an expert by experience Sharon Harris (see Sharon’s photo above).
With this knowledge and Sharon’s support we developed and promoted the My Health Navigator pathway within our learning disability teams and beyond. This pathway is open to any adult with a learning disability who also has complex physical health needs. Central to the pathway is the My Health Navigator Meeting (see the My Health Navigator summary checklist which is in the resources link below) which facilitates a comprehensive review of an individual’s current and future needs and involves the person, their families and / or carers.
“It’s the first time that everyone has sat down and talked about what my sister’s needs were”
The sister of a person supported by My Health Navigator
“I felt very supported as a care provider and wish everyone had this kind of support”
Care provider
The pathway and My Health Navigator support has been positively received by the people we support, their families, and carers, as well as the professionals involved in the person’s care. It is envisaged to only increase in value and benefit as the true impact of long Covid and the deconditioning related to Covid becomes clearer for people with learning disabilities, and workforce requirements around this are identified.
Download the full report here, the easy read report here, and all the tools and resources produced here.
If you would like to find out more about this work, please email diana.ramsey2@nhs.net.
Workforce Development for & with People with Intellectual Disabilities 