Triage

So how can we best support D to tolerate being in the ED, including interventions such as observations, clinical examination and cannulation? The Equality Act (2010) says that D is entitled to reasonable adjustments to enable him to receive the same standard of healthcare as someone without a learning disability (which is a protected characteristic, under this law). Reasonable adjustments depend on the person and situation, so its vital to find out about your individual patient and their individual needs. Information might be gained from digital flags, patient records, hospital passports, family and carers, or from the person themselves. Common reasonable adjustments include providing a quiet space or room, adjusting lighting (either to make it less bright to avoid overstimulation, or to make it brighter so a person with visual impairment can see better), allowing carers to be present, taking longer than usual over an assessment, using topical anaesthetic creams, allowing a person to get used to equipment or see it demonstrated on someone else, or using visual resources such as symbols or photos to explain a procedure. This video was produced by people with a learning disability, for ED staff to explain more about reasonable adjustments.