To make sure you have the best experience at our hospitals, the information on this page is here to help you. 

If you are visiting someone with a learning disability while they are in hospital, inpatients are able to receive one visitor at a time.

For information about ward visiting times, search for the ward or speak to the nurse in charge of the ward as we can make reasonable adjustments for patients with learning disabilities.

Learning disability liaison nurses

We have learning disability liaison nurses at all of our hospitals who can:

  • give advice, support and training to staff about caring for people with a learning disability
  • help with planning admissions and discharge meetings
  • link with specialist learning disability services, families, carers, GPs and other organisations

For more information about how our learning disability liaison nurses can help you, see our easy read leaflet.

If you would like to contact our acute liaison nurses, please email: rf-tr.acuteliaisonnurses@nhs.net, or if you would prefer to telephone:

The hospital passport is designed to give hospital staff helpful information that is not only about illness and health.  

Your passport can include lists of what you like or dislike. This might be about the amount of physical contact you're ok with, to your favourite type of drink, as well as your interests.

The passport helps all the hospital staff know how to make you feel comfortable.

If you go into hospital, your hospital passport should go with you. The passport tells the doctors and nurses that they should make a copy and put the copy in your hospital notes. 

If you are going to be an inpatient, and stay in the hospital overnight, your hospital passport should hang on the end of your bed so that anyone treating you can take a look at it.

Watch our ‘going into hospital’ film below to find out what to expect when you get to hospital, the hospital staff you will meet and what you should bring with you to hospital.

The film aims to help people with learning disabilities feel more comfortable about a hospital stay and features Royal Free London staff and patients. The trust wishes to thank them, as well as the carers and voluntary and statutory organisations whose contributions have made this film possible.

What questions should I ask?

When you are going to the doctor or into hospital, it is often useful to have a list of questions that you would like to ask.

Read this easy-read guide to the right questions to ask.

Information to take home with you

After your hospital appointment, you can use our 'my hospital visit — information to take home with me' leaflet to take notes about your visit in an easy to understand way, or ask a member of staff to complete this for you.

What should I do if I am not happy with the care I had in hospital?

Please talk to the staff looking after you in hospital or the manager of the ward/department.

If you would like to speak to someone else, you can contact our Patient Advice and Liaison Service at the hospital where you were seen. More information is available in our leaflets:

Mental Capacity Act

The Mental Capacity Act is designed to protect and empower people who might not be able to make their own decisions about their care and treatment. It is a law that applies to individuals aged 16 and over.

Mental Capacity Act — an easy-read summary

Barnet learning disability service

Tel: 020 8359 6161
Email: BLDSIntegratedDuty@barnet.gov.uk

Camden learning disabilities service

Tel: 020 7974 3737
Camden Learning Disabilities Service website

Enfield integrated learning disability service

Tel: 020 8379 5039
Email: learning.disabilities@enfield.gov.uk

Hertsmere community learning disability team

Tel: 01442 454 242
Email: Hertsmere.LD@hertfordshire.gov.uk

Haringey Learning Disabilities Partnership

Tel: 020 8449 1384
Email: hldp@haringey.gov.uk

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