COMMUNITY hospitals in South East Cornwall are to provide a ‘safe haven’ for vulnerable adults with learning disabilities should they be feeling scared or in need of support while out and about.

All the Peninsula Community Health hospitals in Cornwall, including Liskeard, Fowey and St Barnabas in Saltash, have signed up to be part of the Safe Places scheme. This provides adults with conditions such as Down’s syndrome or other learning disabilities a safe place to go if they feel anxious, or if they are faced with verbal abuse, bullying or harassment.

Staff at the hospitals will undergo training with the Cornwall Health and Making Partnerships team (CHAMPS), in order to be able to best support vulnerable people looking for help.

Anyone with a learning disability or difficulty is able to register with the scheme and will then carry a card containing their name and personal contact details. Leisure centres, libraries and shops are among the organisations and businesses to have already become part of the scheme. Any building that is a ‘safe place’ will display prominent window stickers and posters.

Samuel Edwards, of Peninsula Community Health, said: ‘As we are aware from recent news, sadly, people with learning disabilities remain a highly vulnerable group both in the healthcare system and in the wider community.

‘It is essential that staff access learning disability awareness training and keep up to date with how to meet people’s needs. It’s really encouraging that our community hospitals have signed up.’