Contacting a crisis team or emergency services You can contact the police or an ambulance on 999. You can also contact the 24hr NSPCC helpline (0808 800 5000). The NSPCC can offer advice and guidance and follow through your concerns with the appropriate channels on your behalf (anonymously if you prefer). If you work for an employer with a child protection policy, follow the guidelines immediately. If you need to call a mental health crisis team or the emergency services, describe the signs of poor mental health and any physical injuries. Let them know the young person has a learning disability. If the young person has a parent or carer who is responsible for their care, and if possible, let a parent or carer know what has happened. Try to meet emergency staff on arrival to remind them that the young individual has a learning disability before they approach. The hospital can be particularly stressful for a person with a learning disability due to noise, unfamiliar faces, worries about their health, worries about being in trouble, or having difficulty understanding what is happening around them. If the young person needs to be taken or transported to hospital, you should: – Try to ensure they have a support person or carer accompanying them – Find out if the young person has any documentation or individual requirements that might be helpful (e.g. hospital passport, communication guidelines, crisis or recovery plan , etc.) and try to ensure these are made known to hospital staff – Explain to the young person what is likely to happen – If the young person has previously had a negative experience with the emergency department, inform the emergency responders of this
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