It is an ongoing societal challenge to develop and provide services that effectively and safely meet the complex needs of people who have co-occurring mental health problems, learning disabilities and/or autism.
Research in this area has tended to focus on specific aspects of people’s needs or on specific diagnoses whereas people, especially those with the highest level of need, often have complex combinations of problems, risks and behaviours. The organisation of services has also traditionally been condition specific and so when people have a combination of mental health problems, learning disabilities and/or autism the response from services can be fragmented. Even when effective approaches are developed they can be difficult to implement in routine service provision.
The Muckamore Abbey Hospital Public Inquiry and the Mental Health Strategy 2021-2031 (Department of Health, 2021) reinforce the urgent need to develop and test comprehensive models of care that focus on positive engagement, social inclusion and person-centred support.
This conference, led by researchers in Queen's University Belfast, including the Disability Research Network at Queen’s, Praxis Care and the Department of Health, the Office of Social Services, Strategic Performance and Planning Group and the Muckamore Departmental Assurance Group, will present a combination of international and Northern Ireland based research on this important area of research, policy and service provision.
Please see the flyer. Spaces are limited. RSVP to communications@praxiscare.org.uk