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10.1. Overview and Key Messages
There are several ways in which the term ‘learning disability’ can be defined, however for the purposes of this assessment, Learning Disability is defined as:
• A significantly reduced ability to understand new or complex information and to learn new skills (impaired intelligence)
• Areducedabilitytocopeindependently(impairedsocialfunctioning);or
• Theseareinevidencebeforeadulthoodandhavealastingeffectondevelopment
The way in which the needs of people with a Learning Disability are met has changed over the last twenty years. People who would historically have been placed in institutional care are increasingly being supported to live in their communities. Health and social care services along with the third sector collaborate to maximise the independence and potential of those who use our services.
Although Autism is not a learning disability it has been included in this section as services for people on the spectrum are generally provided from within learning disability teams or community mental health teams and NICE guidance (2008, 2012) provides standards for provision of services.
10.2. Demographics and Trends
In 2015 there were an estimated 1,483 people over the age of 18 with a moderate or severe learning disability in the West Wales region. This represents just under 0.5% of the total adult population, which is comparable with the picture across Wales.
The breakdown across the constituent parts of the region is as follows:
Carmarthenshire: 713 Ceredigion: 305 Pembrokeshire: 465
The rate of incidence within the adult population stands at approximately 0.5% in each of the county areas, in line with the regional average.
This regional total is predicted to rise to 1,571 by 2030, although as a percentage of the total population the position is expected to remain largely the same.
An increase of 35 in the total number of adults with a moderate or severe learning disability in Carmarthenshire is predicted over the same period, whilst in Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion numbers are expected to remain the same. This means the proportion of adults with a learning disability will decline slightly in those 2 areas (although the change will be negligible), whilst in Carmarthenshire it will remain about the same.
West Wales Population Assessment March 2017 Learning disability and autism