People with a learning disability in
Sheffield: population and conditions
Richard Parrott,
Commissioning Manager, Learning Disabilities,
Sheffield City Council
John Wolstenholme,
Information Manager, Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS
Foundation Trust
Strength of the current evidence?
Valuing People Now (2007)
• Data about the increasing demands on learning disability
services is not as well researched as for other service areas
• Valuing People Support Team to develop a better
understanding to inform spending decisions in the
next Comprehensive Spending Review…
• … meanwhile, local commissioners expected to develop
accurate information on numbers and future changes
Sheffield Case Register
Any person satisfying one or more of the following criteria
should be included on the Register:
• People who are assessed as having a severe learning disability
and needing a developmental curriculum.
• Has used or is using a learning disability service on a regular
basis.
• Has a clinical condition which is a recognised cause of
learning disability.
• Has a diagnosis of “Mental Retardation” other than “Mild
Mental Retardation”.
• Requires or is expected to require support from residential,
day or community services by reason of learning disability.
Fig. 1:
Numbers of people with a learning disability in Sheffield, 1998 to 2008
(Sheffield Case Register June 2008)
400
Number of people
350
300
June 08
250
June 03
June 98
200
150
100
50
0
1014
1519
2024
2529
3034
3539
4044
4549
5054
5559
6064
6569
7074
7579
8084
85+
Age group
Between 1998 and 2008…
the total number of people with a learning disability increased
25% from 2465 to 3080
Fig. 1:
Numbers of people with a learning disability in Sheffield, 1998 to 2008
(Sheffield Case Register June 2008)
400
Number of people
350
300
June 08
250
June 03
June 98
200
150
100
50
0
1014
1519
2024
2529
3034
3539
4044
4549
5054
5559
6064
6569
7074
7579
8084
85+
Age group
Between 1998 and 2008…
the number of 10 to 20 year olds with a learning disability
increased by 120% from 313 to 699
Fig. 1:
Numbers of people with a learning disability in Sheffield, 1998 to 2008
(Sheffield Case Register June 2008)
400
Number of people
350
300
June 08
250
June 03
June 98
200
150
100
50
0
1014
1519
2024
2529
3034
3539
4044
4549
5054
5559
6064
6569
7074
7579
8084
85+
Age group
Between 1998 and 2008…
the number of over 65s with a learning disability increased
by 25% from 180 to 225
Fig. 1:
Numbers of people with a learning disability in Sheffield, 1998 to 2008
(Sheffield Case Register June 2008)
400
Number of people
350
300
June 08
250
June 03
June 98
200
150
100
50
0
1014
1519
2024
2529
3034
3539
4044
4549
5054
5559
6064
6569
7074
7579
8084
85+
Age group
Between 1998 and 2008…
the number of people with a learning disability from BME
communities increased by 80% from 187 to 339
Fig. 1:
Numbers of people with a learning disability in Sheffield, 1998 to 2008
(Sheffield Case Register June 2008)
400
Number of people
350
300
June 08
250
June 03
June 98
200
150
100
50
0
1014
1519
2024
2529
3034
3539
4044
4549
5054
5559
6064
6569
7074
Age group
Between 2003 and 2008…
the number of 10 to 14 year olds increased 38%
from 507 to 699
7579
8084
85+
Fig. 1:
Numbers of people with a learning disability in Sheffield, 1998 to 2008
(Sheffield Case Register June 2008)
400
Number of people
350
300
June 08
250
June 03
June 98
200
150
100
50
0
1014
1519
2024
2529
3034
3539
4044
4549
5054
5559
6064
6569
7074
7579
8084
Age group
Between 2003 and 2008…
the number of adults (over 20) increased by nearly 10%
from 1954 to 2126
85+
People with complex needs
Definition of ‘severe or complex needs’ based on
Case Register ‘Social and Physical Incapacity Ratings’
1. Non-ambulant
2. At least partly mobile with severe incontinence
and severe behaviour problems
3. Severe behaviour problem
4. Severe incontinence
Severe or complex
needs
5. No severe problems but only partly mobile
6. Ambulant but mild behaviour and incontinence
problems
7. Mild behaviour problem only
8. Mild incontinence problem only
9. Not incapacitated
Moderate
Low
160
Fig 2:
Numbers of people with a severe/complex learning disability in Sheffield,
1998 to 2008. (Sheffield Case Register June 2008)
Number of people
140
June 08
June 03
June 98
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
1519
2024
2529
3034
3539
4044
4549
5054
5559
6064
6569
7074
7579
8084
85+
Age group
Between 1998 and 2008…
• the overall number of people with severe or complex needs
rose by 17% from 682 to 786
• the number of 15 to 19 year olds with severe or complex
needs increased by 70% from 85 to 144
People with a learning disability - selected diagnoses by age
400
350
G40 Epilepsy
F84 Pervasive developmental disorders
Number of people
300
Q90 Down's syndrome
G80 Infantile cerebral palsy
250
G82 Paraplegia and tetraplegia
200
150
100
50
0
0-9
10-19
20-29
30-39
40-49
Age group
50-59
60-69
70-79
80-89
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Number of people
People with a learning disability:
top 10 specific additional conditions
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
Future demand
• 27% increase in adults over 20 with a learning disability from
2020 in 2007, to 2575 in 2017
(based on age specific mortality data, 2007)
• 400 people in Sheffield live with family carers over the age of
65
• Increase in learning disabled people from BME communities
• Changing expectations
• Increase in level and complexity of people’s needs
• Increase in number of people with ‘profound and multiple
learning disability’ (PMLD)
Further information
“Changes in demography and demand for services for
people with complex needs and profound and multiple
learning disabilities”
Richard Parrott, John Wolstenholme and Nigel Tilley.
Tizard Learning Disability Review,
Volume 13, Issue 3, 2008
Richard.Parrott@sheffield.gov.uk
John.Wolstenholme@SCT.NHS.UK