Health passport for those with learning difficulties in Staffordshire up for national award

A project which supports people with learning disabilities and autism in Staffordshire to get easier and safer access to health care, has been shortlisted for a national award.

The Health Hospital Passport scheme, initiated by system partners and taken forward by North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust and NHS Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board (ICB), has been shortlisted in the Learning Disabilities Nursing category in the Nursing Times Awards 2022.

Heather Johnstone, interim chief nursing and therapies officer for the ICB, said: "Providing consistency across primary care, acute services and learning disability care providers in the local community is vital in making sure the most vulnerable get the care they need.

"The passports are proving to be extremely valuable to people with learning disabilities to ensure they get equal access to health care, communicated in the right way for them, and also supporting families and carers to be part of conversations with clinicians."

The passports were developed after a specialist nurse found the information which hospitals had on patients with learning disabilities had gaps or was old and out of date. This was particularly challenging during COVID-19 when those who knew these people most, could not be with them in hospital. By linking with experts, families, carers and patients, the aim is to capture as much information about the person as possible. This is then held in a digital record which helps avoid confusion at hospital appointments or in emergency situations.

Two other programmes of work by North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust are also shortlisted in the same category for the awards. The winner will be announced at an award ceremony in London in October 2022.