Review of the National Learning Disabilities Workforce: Adult Enhanced Community Services, CYP Enhanced Community Services and Autism Specific Service Provision & Evaluation of New and Emerging Roles

Health Education England is looking to for a suitably skilled supplier to support a review of the new role requirements for the national Learning Disabilities and Autism Workforce. The review would focus specifically on three segments of the national learning disability workforce as set out below: -

(1) Adult Enhanced Community Services. The workforce that are responsible for the provision of adult community services to people with learning disabilities and/or autism who are in need of enhanced support at the point of crisis or to avert an imminent crisis.

(2) CYP Enhanced Community Services. The Children's and Young People's specialist Learning Disability community workforce who will deliver enhanced support at the point of crisis or to avert an imminent crisis. (3) Autism Specific service provision. The workforce that is involved in a range of autism support from diagnosis through to residential/inpatient care for children and young people and adults. The review will be co-produced and joint lead by NHSE/I and HEE and will seek to identify the types of current workforce models in operation across the UK, the structure of the workforce and typical examples of skill mixes contained within the respective areas of service delivery.

An outcome of the workforce review will be the identification of service and skills gaps and potential challenges in supply that may require the development of national solutions such as adoption of new roles and/or new ways of working that would address known areas of need such as:

• Autism diagnosis and post diagnosis service gaps • Specialist medical input to physical healthcare in the community • Enablement/Re-enablement from hospital to community settings • Enhanced crisis response/support for children and young people in the community

The list above is not exhaustive and it is anticipated that the contractor will develop a list of key service and skills gaps as part of the development of the review that would require further exploration. The workforce review would assist HEE and its partners to understand where current and future workforce gaps are likely to be problematic, what potential creative solutions could be developed and challenges and opportunities that may be present in future implementation of any of the proposed solutions in order to shape any future investment decisions.