People with learning disabilities in mental health settings

Government policy proposes that health care for people with learning disabilities should be available in mainstream services, and disability discrimination legislation supports that intention. But mental health services and the staff working in them may not be adequately prepared to offer appropriate care to learning disabled people. This article considers a range of issues pertaining to people with learning disabilities who have mental health needs, including prevalence, service provision and staff skills. It concludes that enabling mental health workers to understand and enhance the knowledge they have will benefit learning disabled clients, as will closer co-operation with learning disability services