Learning Disability & Autism Liaison Nurses

The Learning Disability & Autism Liaison Nurse Service are employed by Sirona Care & Health.

We support anyone with diagnosed learning disabilities and/or autism over 16 years old at Southmead hospital.

We support people when they are admitted to hospital, or with appointments, procedures and operations.

If you have learning disabilities or autism and are coming into Southmead hospital, get in touch and we can talk about how we can support you.

We work 7 days a week.

The learning disability and autism team can:

Talk to you or your family/carers when you are on a ward, to make sure that you feel safe and supported.
Support you with appointments, procedures or operations.
Talk to hospital staff to make sure that they support you in a way that makes you feel safe and supported.
Make sure that adjustments are made so that you get the health care that you need at hospital.
Support you with understanding your own health.
Share your hospital passports and care plans with the hospital.
Talk to the people that knows you best to make sure that all the important information is shared about you (e.g. your family, carers, community learning disability teams, community autism teams, GPs and social workers) .

We have equipment to help reassure and distract you if needed:

Bags of calm
Noise cancelling headphones
Hospital communication books
Sensory lights
Music
Arts and craft materials
DVD players

How to get help

You can call us on 0117 414 1239 and leave a message. We will call you back. Or you can email us on learningdisabilities@nbt.nhs.uk or autism@nbt.nhs.uk.

We will talk to you about how we can help make your appointment or stay in hospital easier and more comfortable.

Hospital passports

We recommend that every person with a learning disability and/or autism complete a hospital passport.

Here are our blank templates:

You should fill out a passport before you even need to come into hospital so that it is ready for when you need it.

You can email completed hospital passports to us at learningdisabilities@nbt.nhs.uk or autism@nbt.nhs.uk. Please encrypt your email to make it secure if you can. We will put it on your hospital file with an alert for hospital staff to read it.

Please also bring in any important guidelines, care plans or protocols that you may have (e.g. epilepsy protocols, eating and drinking guidelines, positive behaviour support plans etc).

COVID-19

If you have been asked to come into hospital with suspected COVID-19 (a new persistent cough or fever), please complete a COVID-19 passport for people with learning disabilities and bring it in with you to hospital, along with your hospital passport.

Visitors to Southmead Hospital

Please see North Bristol Trust current visitor page for the latest guidance about visitors.

Hidden disabilities

North Bristol NHS Trust is now proudly participating in the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Lanyard scheme. This means that those with a hidden disability can wear a sunflower lanyard or wristband to make their disability visible to those around them while in hospital. Staff should help you with any support or adjustments you may need.

Read more on North Bristol Trust’s Hidden Disability Page.