Addressing the mental health needsof people with learning disabilities

It is now common policy in providing care for people with learningdisabilities to ensure improved access to mainstream health services.Consequently, all nursing disciplines are required to have improvedunderstanding about the physical and mental health needs of thisclient group. This article focuses on their mental health needs. It ispredominantly targeted at mental health and learning disabilitynurses, but will be of interest to all nurses who increasingly comeinto contact with people with a learning disability and requireinsight into all aspects of their health.