Team Springwell are a group of experts with lifelong experience of learning disability and complex physical and mental health.
We work together and individually with Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust using our experiences and ideas to help them make positive changes in services.
For information on working with Team Springwell contact Lucy Westcott, Learning Disability Participation Lead on lucy.westcott@spft.nhs.uk
Learning Disability Week (Monday 17 - Sunday 23 June 2024) is an annual campaign which raises awareness of learning disabilities, and share the experiences and perspectives of people with a learning disability.
The theme for this year is 'do you see me', which is all about the importance of being seen, heard and valued.
Our learning disabilities services have developed an art project called 'eyes', that everyone can get involved with. Download: easy read document which describes the eyes project.
Here's some ideas of how you can join in too:
- Take a photo of your eyes - be careful of the flash!
- Draw and colour in a picture of your eyes with pens, or paints
- Draw or write things you like doing on a picture
- Decorate a picture with cut outs from magazines
- Use one of the templates and decorate it: Download: template of eyes
- Look in a mirror to see the colour of your eyes or ask a friend or carer if they can tell you
- Or make any artwork about eyes!
When you have finished your artwork, take a photo, either of your artwork on its own or of you holding the artwork up over your face. Please email your photo to communications
We would like to share the artwork that we receive so if you are happy for us to share yours, please complete the following consent form and email that with your photo: Download: consent form_easy read version
We look forward to receiving your artwork. Thank you for being part of the eyes project to celebrate Learning Disability Week 2024!
Find out more about Learning Disability Week: www.
The Springwell Project brought together people with a learning disability and complex needs from across Sussex to share their experiences of using specialist NHS health services and to explore what needed to change so that they can become more involved and more in control of their care right through from referral to discharge.
The Springwell Standards, access support tools and resources on this page are the results of this collaboration.
When someone with a learning disability moves to their new home an occupational therapist does a very useful assessment with them to make sure that the person will be safe there.
It's called a safe home environment assessment or SHEA for short.
Occupational therapists in our Learning Disability Services realised there needs to be a way to make sure people feel at home as well as safe.
Team Springwell worked with occupational therapists to make two films and an advice pack that will help people to say how they want their homes to look and feel.
My Home My Choice films
My Home My Choice
The Making of My Home My Choice
My Home My Choice advice pack
Easy read information to help make where we live feel like home.
These leaflets were produced as part of The Home Project to enable people with a learning disability, their family, carers and service providers to make positive choices about the way their homes look and feel.
- Choosing paint colours for my bedroom
- My physical environment
- Noise
- What's outside my window
- Choosing paint - advice for staff, services and family carers
Your experience
We're very interested in hearing from anyone who may have come across the issues in these leaflets and found different solutions.
If you would like to share your thoughts and ideas, we can add them to our advice leaflets.
You can email Lucy Westcott, Learning Disability Participation Lead lucy.
Consultation
If you're involved in the design of new housing developments, or the refurbishment or renovation of existing homes, Team Springwell may be available to consult on your project or to talk to designers or user groups. Contact lucy.
Important information
Please credit Team Springwell if you want to use any of this work in projects or research.
There are four clear standards that our services who work with people who have a learning disability have promised they will meet.
The Springwell Standards say what you should expect when you are referred to our community learning disability services.
Team Springwell is a group of people who have a learning disability. They are skilled experts by experience in learning disability and complex needs. The team is able to understand and speak up confidently about learning disability health care.
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If you would like to tell us what you think about our services you can fill in the Sussex Experience Survey here
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If you would like to make a complaint you can read or download and print our easy read complaint form
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About our 24-hour telephone information and support service for anyone with mental health problems
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The importance of being involved in decisions about your medication
These films were made by Team Springwell for people with learning disability, support workers, carers, family and our staff.
They explain the specialist learning disability health services available in Sussex and how you can be more involved in your own health care.
Brighton and Hove
Brighton and Hove City Council Community Learning Disability Team
East Sussex
East Sussex NHS Learning Disability Team
East Sussex Council Learning Disability Services
West Sussex
West Sussex learning disability teams
Learning Disabilities Health Facilitation Team West Sussex
Selden Centre - Learning Disability Assessment and Treatment Unit
If you have a mental health problem you may need to get help from our mental health services.
We will make sure all our mental health services can help people with a learning disability.
Sometimes the specialist learning disability teams work jointly with the mental health teams.
Find out more about our mental health services
Help when things go wrong
If you are having thoughts and urges about hurting yourself or ending your life or if you are worried about someone else who might be having these thoughts and feelings, you can find information to help here:
If you would like to find out more about Learning Disability Participation and Team Springwell you can contact:
Lucy Westcott, Learning Disability Participation Lead
Phone: 07391 408211
Email: lucy.
Patient Experience and People Participation
Patient Experience is how we listen and learn from the people who use our services.
People Participation is about how we include the voices of people with lived experience (experts by experience) to help design, develop, deliver and evaluate our services.
Find out more about Patient Experience and People Participation
Inclusive Communication
This is an approach to support communication for people with different and varied expression and understanding.
Using this approach is very important to enable people with a learning disability to be involved in their care.
What is inclusive communication?
What is inclusive communication - easy read
Total communication resource pack
The peer support charter
As a result of the principled ways of working conference, experts by experience in mental health services across Sussex made the principles of peer support charter set of standards.
Watch a video about peer support in mental health services
NHS Accessible Information Standard
The NHS Accessible Information Standard is about making sure that organisations support the information and communication needs of patients, service users, carers and parents with a disability, impairment or sensory loss. The government says that all NHS care or publicly-funded adult social care organisations must follow the NHS Accessible Information Standard
You can find out more about the standard here, including an easy read version
Care and Treatment Review
Care and Treatments Reviews (CTRs) are for people with learning disabilities, autism or both. CTRs help make care better for people whose behaviour is seen as challenging and/or for people with a mental health condition.
Find out more information about CTRs
Health Education England Kent Surrey and Sussex (HEKSS)
HEKSS supports the delivery of excellent healthcare and health improvement to the patients and public of England.
HEKSS funded the Springwell Project.
Heads On
Heads On is our charity which aims to help people with mental health problems to feel supported, to stay active and to be more involved in their communities.
Aldingbourne Trust
The Aldingbourne Trust supports people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live independent lives.
The Aldingbourne Trust coproduced the Springwell Project with Sussex Partnership.
Find out more about the Aldingbourne Trust