Dietitians working in Learning Disabilities
The Department of Health (1) states that a learning disability (LD) includes the presence of:
You might come across a person with a learning disability in any setting that you work in, as people with a learning disability access all services that those without a learning disability access e.g. acute hospitals and community clinics.
For people with an LD whose needs cannot be met in mainstream services, Community Learning Disability Teams can provide specialist support. Dietitians may work within the learning disability team or may be accessed via external services.
Individuals with a learning disability are more likely to have an underweight or obese Body Mass Index (BMI) compared to the general population (2), therefore, dietitians play an important role in reducing health inequalities related to managing a healthy body weight.
Constipation is a common problem in people with an LD. In the 2020 LeDer* report, it was found that constipation was one of the 10 most frequently reported long-term health conditions among people with a learning disability who died (3). In 2019, it was stated that twelve cases where constipation was the recorded cause of death had been reported to the LeDeR programme to date (4). Dietitians have the skills to support individuals with lifestyle changes that can reduce constipation.
Other examples of dietetic interventions that may be provided for someone with a learning disability:
A person with a learning disability may develop any condition that someone without a learning disability may develop, therefore, may require support for a range of nutritional issues.
* Learning from Lives and Deaths – people with a learning disability and autistic people
If you want a varied and rewarding career, where you can work holistically to improve the health of the learning disability population, and reduce the health inequalities they experience, then yes, this is the area for you!
I had a couple of experiences growing up which made me think that working with people with learning disabilities would be rewarding, including spending my secondary school work experience at a day centre for adults with a learning disability and having a close friend with a sibling with a learning disability.
When I first qualified as a dietitian, I wasn’t aware that dietitians could have a specialist role in this area, however, I then came across a band 5 mental health and learning disabilities rotational post and decided to give it a go!
Every day is different! Working in the community, I manage my own caseload of service users. A typical day might include home visits, a multidisciplinary team (MDT) meeting, telephone reviews, responding to emails about new referrals and writing up my clinical notes.
In order to help service users to understand nutritional information, I often use visual resources such as food models or create individualised resources to meet the needs of that person, ensuring that the information I provide is accessible, as outlined as a requirement for people with a disability in the Equality Act 2010 (5).
I work with a range of allied health professionals including speech and language therapists, physiotherapists and occupational therapists. I also work with nurses, psychiatrists, psychologists and support workers. Our dietetic team is made up of dietitians and dietetic associate practitioners.
I also regularly liaise with social workers, GP’s and staff teams who support people with a learning disability.
If you want a varied and rewarding career, where you can work holistically to improve the health of the learning disability population, and reduce the health inequalities they experience, then yes, this is the area for you!
Take a look at the useful links below and follow the following Twitter pages:
Social media accounts for the BDA learning disability Sub Group:
As highlighted in Jess' interview, there are other Allied Health Professionals who work in Learning Disabilities, such as Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Speech and Language Therapists and Podiatrists.
Occupational Therapy Physiotherapy Speech and Language Therapy PodiatrySpeech and Language Therapy role in Learning Disabilities
Podiatrist role in Learning Disabilities
Physiotherapist role in Learning Disabilities
References
Whitaker S, Porter J. Valuing people: a New Strategy for Learning Disability for the 21st Century. British Journal of Learning Disabilities [Internet]. 2001 Sep;30(3):14. Available from: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/250877/5086.pdf
2.Health inequalities: Overweight, obesity and underweight [Internet]. Available from: https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/documents/Health_inequalities_Overweight_obesity_underweight.pdf
NHS England» University of Bristol LeDeR annual report 2020 [Internet]. www.england.nhs.uk. Available from: https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/university-of-bristol-leder-annual-report/
4. Learning Disability Mortality Review (LeDeR) Programme: Action from Learning NHS England and NHS Improvement [Internet]. 2019. Available from: https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/action-from-learning.pdf
Equality Act. Equality act 2010 [Internet]. Legislation.gov.uk. Gov.uk; 2010. Available from: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/contents
