Criteria

1. In order for a person to receive a diagnosis of learning disability, they must have:

• A significant global impairment of intellectual functioning. This does not include impairment caused by the early onset of dementia, the effects of mental illness or the effect of head injuries that occurred outside the developmental period
• Significant limitations in adaptive, social and communication skills.

All these difficulties must be present before the age of 18.

2. To access the MHLD service the individual should be an adult (aged 18 and over), have a learning disability, be registered with a Kent or Medway GP and present with - or there is a suspicion of - mental health needs, including behaviours that challenge, that cannot be met within mainstream mental health services. People with a learning disability who are experiencing mental health problems, for example depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or emotionally unstable personality disorder, should in the first instance access mainstream community mental health services. MHLD link workers may support mainstream services to develop reasonable adjustments to facilitate this.

3. Where there are additional complexities, for example, the severity of the learning
disability, autistic spectrum disorder, neuropsychiatric issues, or risks not commonly
associated with core mental illnesses, the case should normally be managed by MHLD.

4. In cases where eligibility is unclear, further support is available below, in the “MHLD
Access Criteria: Additional guidance on eligibility” section.

5. People placed into Kent and Medway by other local authorities will have the same rights
to access support from MHLD as any other person, so long as the MHLD eligibility
criteria has been met.

• We will assess everyone irrespective of placement context.
• We will only provide intervention if the placement is considered to meet the person’s needs, and there is evidence of appropriate capacity and best interest decision process having been followed regarding the placement.
• The placing authority may be charged via the KMPT contracts team for each intervention contact.
• Inpatient admission/re-admission will remain the responsibility of the placing
  authority.