Evan Yacoub

Secure inpatient services: a needs assessment

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to complete a thorough needs assessment that would enable the development of a robust pathway of care for adults with a learning disability requiring secure care, and to assist commissioners to make informed planning decisions. Design/methodology/approach – The paper identified people with a learning disability originating from London who were in secure care, and collected data about them. The paper used reference groups to inform the analysis. Findings – The paper identified 249 people in secure services and was able to include 136 patients in the analysis. In all, 64 were in NHS provision and 72 in independent sector provision; 109 (80.1 per cent) were male and 27 (19.9 per cent) female; on average, patients were cared for 61.5 miles away from their homes; NHS patients were far closer to home; 69.1 per cent had a mild learning disability; 82.3 per cent had a history of violence; approximately one in six patients could not progress due to a lack of an appropriate wa...

Sex, relationships and the law for people with learning disability

The article reviews the policy, legislation and literature on sex and relationships for people with learning disability, through a search of electronic databases, journals and other resources. It reviews the rights of people with learning disabilities to a sexual life and their views of service responses, sexual offences legislation and the link between sexual knowledge and practice. It also explores sexual orientation and preference among people with learning disabilities, differences between the genders and sexual offending, including consideration of ‘victimless’ offences. It concludes that the balance between empowering and protecting people with learning disabilities is challenging but important. Interventions to promote safer, healthier sexual behaviour need to address more than improving knowledge. We need to find out more about what people with learning disabilities think about their sexual experiences and how they are supported in this area.

Assessing risk in services for people with intellectual disability

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to make recommendations for practitioners on risk assessment in relation to people with intellectual disability.Design/methodology/approach – The authors summarise research in the area of risk assessment in order to recommend a practical approach for practitioners working in the field of intellectual disability psychiatry.Findings – Risk assessment for the purpose of predicting risk in an individual is not likely to be of value in clinical settings. The use of structured clinical judgement does however provide a comprehensive structure for considering relevant risk factors, developing an overall formulation relating to a specific risk and devising a risk management plan.Research limitations/implications – Much of the evidence is extrapolated from research with people without an intellectual disability.Practical implications – The use of structured clinical judgement is advocated as a useful tool for developing a risk management plan for practitioners working with peo...