ACPPLD publishes the Second Edition of the Standards of Practice

The Association of Chartered Physiotherapists Promoting Physiotherapy for People with Learning Disabilities (ACPPLD) is delighted to announce the publication of the Second Edition of the Standards of Practice for Physiotherapists Working with Adults with a Learning Disability.

The publication marks an important milestone for specialist learning disability physiotherapy and builds on the foundations established by the first edition.

Building on the first edition

Since the first edition was published, there have been significant developments in the evidence base, clinical practice, health policy and our understanding of the health needs of adults with a learning disability.

The Second Edition has been developed to reflect these changes and provides an updated framework to support high-quality, evidence-informed and person-centred specialist learning disability physiotherapy across the United Kingdom.

The Standards support physiotherapists in their everyday clinical practice while also providing a framework to support service development, quality improvement, workforce planning and discussions with managers and commissioners.

The Second Edition reflects developments across a range of areas, including:

• prevention and health promotion;
• physical health and long-term conditions;
• healthy ageing and frailty;
• falls prevention;
• 24-hour postural management;
• constipation management;
• obesity and physical activity;
• equitable access to mainstream healthcare; and
• service development, quality improvement and workforce development.

Supporting implementation

We recognise that publishing the Standards is only the beginning. For the Standards to make a meaningful difference, they need to be understood, discussed and implemented within local services.

Alongside the Second Edition, ACPPLD has therefore updated the Baseline Assessment Toolkit.

The toolkit is designed to help specialist learning disability physiotherapists and services assess their current practice against the Standards, identify strengths and areas for development, and support local quality improvement and service development.

We encourage physiotherapists and services to use the Standards and Baseline Assessment Toolkit to reflect on current practice and consider how they can support the continued development of specialist learning disability physiotherapy within their own areas.

Take some time to explore the Second Edition

Rather than holding a traditional launch event immediately, ACPPLD wants to give members and the wider profession time to read, explore and reflect on the Second Edition.

There is a considerable amount of new and updated evidence to absorb, and we believe it is important that physiotherapists have time to consider how the Standards relate to their own clinical practice, services and the people they support.

We will be holding an ACPPLD Q&A session at a later date. This will provide an opportunity to ask questions about the Second Edition, discuss its application in practice and explore some of the key developments within the updated Standards.

Further details of the Q&A session will be shared through ACPPLD communications.

Thank you

The development of the Second Edition has been a significant piece of work, and ACPPLD would like to thank everyone who has contributed their expertise, experience and evidence throughout the process.

The Standards represent the collective knowledge and experience of specialist learning disability physiotherapy and provide an important opportunity to continue strengthening the recognition, development and delivery of specialist physiotherapy services across the UK.

We hope that the Second Edition will be a valuable resource for physiotherapists, services, managers, commissioners and other professionals working to improve health outcomes and reduce health inequalities for adults with a learning disability.

Access the Standards

The Second Edition of the Standards of Practice and the Baseline Assessment Toolkit are now available on the ACPPLD website.

Read the Second Edition and access the Baseline Assessment Toolkit

We encourage you to take some time to explore the new edition and consider what it means for your practice and service.