LEARNING DIFFICULTIES

With the 2005 starratings for mental health including two items on learning difficulties, head of learning difficulties for health and social services Stephen Chandler (pictured, left) has had the advantage of an external perspective on the trust's service.

'The agenda can seem complex, but it is similar to the overall mental health agenda.

The success of both is down to linking in with myriad parts of the service. One good thing in learning disability services is that you tend to know who your people are, so there are fewer surprises.

'One challenge is supporting people as they get older and their needs change.

'In the past, physical problems and an unhealthy lifestyle often meant this population would die of something that would not kill the general population, but a combination of our support, health promotion and medical science has changed that, ' he says.