When a young person becomes 18, the first port of call for any non-emergency medical issues should be via their GP. They will be able to diagnose and treat any immediate health issues or refer to the relevant specialist or service.
If your young person has been under the care of a paediatric specialist, such as Great Ormond Street Hospital, they will support you and your young person to transition to the relevant adult health service.
The Preparing for Adulthood assessment (formally known as Moving On) identifies if you're eligible for support and services under the Care Act 2014.
If the assessment also identifies the young person needs specialist health input, a Community Resource Team (CRT) referral is made to the suitable health team. The health team are part of the Enfield Integrated Learning Disabilities Service (ILDS) and is made up of the following specialist health professionals:
- Community Nurses
- Occupational Therapist
- Speech and Language Therapist
- Physio
- Clinical Psychiatrist
- Psychologist
The ILDS Community Nursing Team works with young people who need support to access health services and maintain a healthier lifestyle.
The team of nurses specialise in:
- transition
- GP liaison and annual health checks
- positive behaviour support
- mental health
- hospital admissions and discharges
- Covid vaccinations
- dementia
- complex epilepsy
If you have any concerns about your young person's health and would like to seek advice, you can contact the Community Nursing Duty Team by emailing community.nurses@enfield.gov.uk, or call our general duty line on 020 8379 5525 and ask to speak to the nurses.
Covid vaccination clinic
Our nurses are running a vaccination clinic specifically for those with a learning disability and who are on their GP's learning disability register. The team are available to offer reasonable adjustments to cater to individual needs. This ensures people with learning disabilities or additional needs are receiving their vaccinations safely.
If your young person is over the age of 16 and yet to receive any of their vaccinations (including the booster jab), please contact our team by emailing community.nurses@enfield.gov.uk or enfccg.ldcovidvac@nhs.net. You can also call them on 020 8379 5759.
The clinic is held on Fridays between 9am and 3pm at:
Park Avenue Disabilities Resource Centre
Ground floor
65c Park Avenue
Enfield
EN1 2HH
Annual health checks
Young people aged 14 to 18 are entitled to an annual health check with their GP. People with a learning disability often have poorer physical and mental health than other people. An annual health check can improve people’s health by spotting problems earlier. Make sure you're registered at your GP practice as having a learning disability, then you should be invited yearly to have a health check.
You can find more information by visiting NHS - annual health checks. You can also find easy read information on MyLife.
Health appointments and reasonable adjustments
It might be helpful to complete a health action plan (PDF) which lists your appointments and the health professionals involved in your care.
There is support available to help you and your young person access medical appointments. This includes hospital passports, acute liaison nurses and help with travel expenses.
You can also ask GPs and hospitals to make reasonable adjustments (PDF) to help you access your appointment or treatment.
Prescriptions
You are entitled to free prescriptions if you are under 16, or are 16 to 18 years and in full time education. You can find out if you are eligible for free prescriptions using the NHS eligibility checker.