National plan – building the right support

Building the right support is a national plan published in 2015 by NHS England, the Local Government Association and ADASS. It set out how commissioners should reduce reliance on mental health inpatient care for people with a learning disability and autistic people, and develop better community‑based support so people can live more independent lives closer to home.

The Building the Right Support action plan, published in July 2022, set out a series of cross‑agency commitments. NHS England and its partners committed to publishing guidance and information to help commissioners focus on commissioning for people’s lives, not just individual services.

Supporting people to live happier, healthier, longer lives

Supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people to live happier, healthier, longer lives is a bitesize guide for local systems that contributes to this commitment. It brings together key resources in one place to support professionals who design and deliver services for children, young people and adults with a learning disability or who are autistic.

The guide includes 11 sections, covering the top ten essentials for good support alongside a section of useful resources.

  1. Citizenship and human rights
  2. Language
  3. Use the expertise of the people with lived experience – involvement and coproduction
  4. Commissioning for people’s lives and not just a service
  5. Commissioning skills and capability – national support
  6. Know your population
  7. Housing: getting a home
  8. Workforce
  9. Market shaping and community capacity
  10. Commissioning oversight
  11. Useful resources

Find out more