ABSTRACT
Since the introduction of the White Paper Valuing People (2001), many commissioners of health services are now pursuing mainstream mental health service provision for people with learning disabilities, with services being primarily driven by policies such as No Health without Mental Health (2011). The interface between mental health services and specialist learning disability services is fragmented, and finding good clinical protocols for care planning for people with learning disabilities with mental health problems is difficult. Therefore, this chapter will focus on the knowledge and practical skills that learning disability nurses will need to meet the mental health needs of people with learning disabilities, and this will be contextualised within the Nursing and Midwifery Council for the United Kingdom (2010) and An Bord Altranais (2005) standards for competence.
