First reported 30 Sep 2019•Latest report 13 May 2025
Definition
What this concern includes
Includes failures in dedicated learning-disability liaison support within hospital care, including unavailable liaison roles, failure to offer or arrange liaison-nurse involvement, and insufficient coverage or support for emergency-department and other hospital staff when caring for patients with learning disabilities.
Not included
Excludes generic emergency-department staffing, weekend service reductions or communication deficiencies unless they directly impair dedicated learning-disability liaison support.
Excludes general learning-disability recognition, diagnosis, reasonable-adjustment or clinical-treatment failures where liaison support is not the deficient control.
Excludes community or primary-care learning-disability team involvement unless the assertion explicitly concerns the same hospital-based liaison-support function.
Excludes failures occurring after appropriate liaison support has been provided when the remaining issue is the quality of clinical care or treatment.
Reports
2
Distinct published reports
Individual concerns
3
A report can raise multiple concerns
Date range
2019–2025
First to latest report issue date
Stated actions
2
Described in published responses
Reports over time
Reports over time
Reports about this concern issued each year.
* 2026 is projected from reports observed to 7 Sep 2026.
Most frequent recipients
Most frequent recipients
Reports about this concern sent to each recipient.
Department of Health and Social Care2
Care Quality Commission1
NHS England1
Royal College of Emergency Medicine1
Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health1
Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust1
Ministerial department2
Executive non-departmental public body1
Health and social care service regulator1
Health professional body1
NHS trust1
Professional body1
Concerns and responses across reports
Only concerns grouped under this recurring concern are included. Select any concern, action or position to view the source wording.
Surrey
Concerns raised1
Failure to routinely offer learning disability liaison nurse support in the emergency department
This report raised 3 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concerns
Each statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.2
Action
Remind emergency-department staff to contact the Learning Disability Nurse during working hours for support to staff, patients and families.
Stated by Royal Surrey NHS Foundation TrustStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 20 May 2025.
Action
Publish a national competency framework for learning disability liaison nurses.
Stated by NHS EnglandStated plannedThe respondent said that this action was planned when they made their response on 20 May 2025.
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.5
Position
NHS England will address the concern about Learning Disability Liaison Nurses and other relevant actions in a separate response.
Stated by Department of Health and Social CareRedirects responsibilityThe respondent said that another organisation was responsible for deciding or taking action.
Position
A national protocol for engaging learning disability liaison nurses is not considered necessary because hospitals have varied referral processes and should retain autonomy.
Stated by NHS EnglandNo action considered necessaryThe respondent said that no further action was needed.
Position
The Trust is responsible for determining how patients access reasonable adjustments, including learning disability liaison nurse support, through local processes.
Stated by NHS EnglandRedirects responsibilityThe respondent said that another organisation was responsible for deciding or taking action.
Position
Provision of nursing care and access to learning disability liaison nurses fall outside the respondent’s authority.
Stated by Royal College of Paediatrics and Child HealthOutside remitThe respondent said that this matter was outside its role or authority.
Position
Providing learning disability nurses within individual hospitals is outside the respondent’s remit.
Stated by Royal College of Emergency MedicineOutside remitThe respondent said that this matter was outside its role or authority.
Manchester South
Concerns raised2
Reduced safeguarding team capacity to support people with learning disabilities in hospital
Unavailability of a learning disability liaison role within the hospital
This report raised 6 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concerns
Each statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.1
Position
Local authorities, rather than central government, determine how additional funding is used to support adult social care services.
Stated by Department of Health and Social CareRedirects responsibilityThe respondent said that another organisation was responsible for deciding or taking action.
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Includes failures in dedicated learning-disability liaison support within hospital care, including unavailable liaison roles, failure to offer or arrange liaison-nurse involvement, and insufficient coverage or support for emergency-department and other hospital staff when caring for patients with learning disabilities.
