26 June 2025

Staff across various services across in CNWL and other trusts gathered at the Old Town Hall in Stratford on Thursday 19 June 2025 for the LDA Conference. The conference links together services and optimises shared knowledge of what is happening in learning disability and neurodiversity services across CNWL.

The conference was composed of a range of workshops and informative talks around learning disabilities and autism, as well as a sensory quiet room in which attendees could explore. On each table, there were colouring sheets to help attendees focus and concentrate on the conference should anyone feel restless.

Conference organisers, Ghada Karkotli, LDA Clinical Network Chair & Learning Disabilities Nurse Consultant, Oscar Patton-Lyons, Advanced Lived Experience Practitioner and Ben Stewart, Project Manager kicked off the day with a welcome and some housekeeping rules. Once this was done, the first talk of the day was underway and we had Kobus Van Rensburg, UK President of UKAAN Clinical Psychologists, presents talk on ADHD and Autism Assessment diagnosis and challenges.

This talk looked at both the similarities and differences of ADHD and Autism. One interesting statistic revealed during Kobus’ talk were if you had autism, the chances of having ADHD were 40%. Kobus then went further to describe the traits of someone with ADHD versus one with autism. A person with ADHD when it comes to work may get bored very quickly, lose focus and prefer variety. Meanwhile, a person with autism may prefer routine and detail and prefer a consistency in the work they do.

Cliff Askey, Club Drug Clinic Lead and Safeguarding Lead, shared a presentation on substance misuse and neurodiversity. Cliff shared his experience of his diagnosis from his self-referral back in 2019 whilst managing a large mainstream drug service. He then moved forward to show the intersectionality between the two. 15%-20% of people using substances could meet an ADHD diagnosis and the outcomes for ADHD are the same as substance use treatment, but take 2 to 3 years longer. One interesting fact Cliff revealed in his presentation was that 70% of students in the USA have used ADHD medication to help them concentrate which was astonishing.

After two very informative presentations, everybody was on their feet for the next part of the conference: the Zumba dance class.  Hosted by the Baked Bean Charity, who have helping people with learning disabilities for over 25 years, the Zumba class was led by members of their dance class who also face learning disabilities. From the minute the music played, it was obvious the class was going to be a hit. Though it was as hot as 32 degrees, that didn’t stop people from finding rhythm and breaking a sweat!

After such a workout, everyone was left feeling fatigued and needing to catch their breath so lunchtime came at the right moment. This was also an opportunity to mingle with staff from various services and prepare for the second half of the day.

Lorraine Chitanje of the Harrow Community Learning Disability Service spotlighted their achievements during the year. This included hosting joint training with social care on Sexuality & Relationships, and leading monthly carers forums, to encourage collaborative working amongst services. One thing the service looks forward to doing in future is ensuring every patient Moderate to Severe with LD in Harrow have health passport and annual health reviews.

The volunteering service also came along to recap their year. Nuria De Miguel, Volunteer Services Manager, led the presentation. In the 2024/25 year, they had a total of 51 volunteers, with 19 securing jobs. The service had actually received 800 applications from prospective volunteers so it goes to show how well profiled CNWL volunteering is. The service shared their strategy in integrating volunteers as key partners in delivering high quality care by 2030. They also demonstrated how to involve volunteers within CNWL services and show their value to the Trust. Jo Payne and Elaine Singaram from the Safeguarding team explored a case study with the audience which was very interactive and allowed members of the audience to learn and contribute to the workshop.

The afternoon items included parallel workshops: one that focused on autism, and one that focused on working with individuals with mental health in the context of learning disabilities. Andrew Carpenter, Autism Lead at NHS England, went through the history of autism, how it connects with mental health and the characteristics one with autism may display. Dr Sarah Blainey and Dr Rachel Proctor led the second parallel workshop. They went through assessments (psychological and psychiatric) and interventions to help. Scenarios as to when not to get involved were also explored. Then Dr Allard talked about the Eating Disorders as comorbidity with Autism/ADHD/LD, and the challenges of treating these patients within CNWL Eating Disorder services. The group were given models about how to adapt care planning for individuals with comorbidities.

Dr Simon Edwards, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, closed the day, congratulating CNWL for our hard work supporting those with Learning Disabilities, Autism, and ADHD within our services. Those in attendance enjoyed the conference, with many saying they “learnt a lot” and were more informed.