Michelle Sowden 💙

The annual LeDeR report has been published today, nearly 10 months late, along with a Ministerial Statement. Autistic people and families could be forgiven for thinking it’s more about saving face than saving lives. Report: kcl.ac.uk/ioppn/assets/p… Ministerial Statement: questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statem… Year after year, autistic people and people with a learning disability continue to die prematurely, and year after year LeDeR reports much the same conclusions. Yet the Government is still not taking national action. Data about autistic people without a learning disability is wholly inadequate, with no clear plans to improve it. Only 53 completed reviews for 2023 are included for this group. The Government has given only a vague assurance that it is ‘committed to maintaining LeDeR going forward’. No acknowledgement that LeDeR was removed from the NHS Planning Guidance that actually directs NHS priorities. The foreword by the group of people with learning disabilities has - for two years running - referred to this as the SPOT THE DIFFERENCE REPORT because they have been saying the same thing each year. “We don’t want to be an empty chair at Christmas. We do not want to be just a memory or a photograph on the wall” Crucial questions remain: What will the Government do right now to improve the LeDeR data in future years? And what urgent action will it take to drive national change to prevent future deaths? #LeDeR #NHSEngland #autism #preventabledeaths #learningdisability

@EstherSmit90708 @theRCN @SandraC65402031 @scott_taylor70 @HFTLSCft @TraceyHartleyS2 @ChrisHutchRNLD @serenaj2103 You’ll have to tell me all about this Esther , poor pain management comes up so much in LeDeR reviews

A wonderful day @theRCN in London spent with amazing colleagues with exceptional knowledge and skills on 'pain' from across the UK, who are passionate about CYP and adults with learning disabilities developing a national Pain Toolkit/Resource ~ thank you all..

autismcentral.org.uk/node/3 autismcentral.org.uk/news/sensory-p…

Sensory processing podcast | Autism Central Sensory Processing Focus, will be hosted by Holly Sprake-Hill, a neurodivergent occupational therapist, and will bring together autistic people, parents, carers, and professionals to explore sensory processing.

If you have a learning disability and are over the age of 14, you should be registered on your GP's Learning Disability Register. This will give you some benefits like having an annual health check. Watch Harshi's video to find out more- youtube.com/watch?v=ocU8Xh…

Please share this widely to help public understanding of #Schizophrenia

Looking for a new job challenge? Interested in joining us? We need 4 new staff to join our research team @KingstonUni See thread for details: 1. Research Fellow (Experienced project manager) 2. Research Associate (Engagement manager) 3. 2 researchers with a learning disability

The toolkit was completed with colleagues from Public Health and Office for Health Improvement and is one of the approaches to reduce premature mortality for people with learning disability and autistic people. We're keen for feedback on the toolkit ; DM for a copy.

📷Weight Management The NW Team has developed a Weight Management Toolkit for all health professionals supporting people with a learning disability or autistic people. It encourages healthcare professionals to ‘stop and think’ and ‘take action’ to support healthy weight.

@JaneSinclair72 Could check out people first Merseyside - they’ve lots of resources and just delivered a conference last week around dignity and voice in dying peoplefirstmerseyside.co.uk

@MASowden can you help?

@SevillaTapas Disappointing and sad to see on our last trip to Sevilla

Keeping it classy #Sevilla 🙄 Plaza Magdalena being sold to the highest bidder as we lose more and more local shops. #azaharsevilla

people with learning disabilities. Let's help out big issue vendors and increase awareness about the value people with a learning disability bring into our lives by buying a copy.

Inside the Big Issue: Learning Disability Week special edition - Big Issue The theme for this year’s Learning Disability Week is Do You See Me? It is, all about being seen, heard and valued. Mencap have partnered with Big Issue to make it more accessible to

@Get_Checked_Out @LeedsMarkets @ConnectintNorth @ThroughTheMaze What a great idea to connect with local communities -

We have a stall at @LeedsMarkets for @ConnectintNorth @ThroughTheMaze being social event. Come along to see what our team do to support services to be more accessible for people with learning disabilities.

@WeAreLSCFT Well done Lewis and great work Jo - we should add this info into our healthy weight toolkit and showcase the difference active support can make 🌟

Meet Lewis! Lewis has Down Syndrome and has managed to reverse his type II diabetes with the support of learning disability nurse, Jo Nevinson. Read the full story on our website: bit.ly/3KINcuE #LDWeek

Listening to Bradford talking about the work their group has done raising awareness about death and dying.

Looking forward to hearing all about the wonderful work @p1stm88

@ManniCoeWrites @RishiSunak @NDSPolicyGroup Understandably so , this is very disappointing ! He’s missed out !

Rishi Sunak is A hypocrite and a liar Who has shown nothing but disrespect to a proud generation of veterans on D-Day. But he hasn't simply disrespected the wonderful veterans who were there yesterday @RishiSunak is the Prime Minister, and in this single action has shown contempt for all those who fought throughout the war. My generation and older (60+) grew up as children with our families who had fought in the war, still living it. It was in the air and it was what they spoke of often. We were taught a reverence towards it. It brings us to tears very easily , not for anything we have done , but for the memory of those we loved who did what they had to do. All families have their stories of horror and bravery and sacrifice including mine. In turn our parents had grown up with their fathers, grandfathers and uncles being cannon fodder in World War One. This age group, my age group, even though the vast majority of us played no part in the war, will never forgive Sunak for this, or forget what he's done. In insulting the veterans yesterday , he's insulted our families too. Note: Watch for the scramble from Tory MPs who've been happy to deceive the public for years, try and save their own skins by denouncing Sunak in the coming days "Nothing to do with me " "Oh he's made a mistake" "Labour would be worse" All the usual messages from charlatans

@KUttley You’d be using structured medication reviews so maybe try to align somehow ?

We've recently been considering a change in name, changing our STOMP Clinic, to medicine Optimisation Clinic, which will include Psychotropic & Sleep Medication. We hope it'll help us apply more non-phamacological input What's people's thoughts, anyone done anything similar?

Today put on your rose tinted spectacles and record three things you are grateful for. Just this simple practice is scientifically proven to improve your wellbeing.Gratitude is an antidote to negative emotions, a neutraliser of envy, hostility, worry, and irritation. It is savouring; it is not taking things for granted; it is present-oriented. The more you practice gratitude, the more you strengthen the brain’s neural circuits for gratitude, making it easier to focus on feelings of gratitude. When you start to focus on the things you already have in your life that are good, your brain becomes better at discovering similar things. For example, if you consciously notice how beautiful the stars in the night sky are, you will be more likely to notice the stars and feel gratitude again. Even though the stars are always there, the gratitude focus is like a signal to your brain to notice them. So start gratitude journaling and observe your wellbeing build #mentalhealth