Many community learning disability nurses encounter conflict when working with individuals and their carers. Penny Spencer describes her experience of using the Neuman Systems Model to assess a client’s health and social needs and attempt to resolve differences

This article addresses the important issue of the assessment of an individual with learning disabilities using a recognised model of care. The particular model used here is the Neuman Systems Model (Neuman 1982). Neuman views the client as a total person and I believe this approach is particularly relevant to people with learning disabilities and the variety of life situations in which they find themselves. As part of my studies for a community health care nursing degree course, I became aware of the Neuman Systems Model as an assessment tool. I have used it with a number of clients where there are marked differences between the client’s perceived needs and the main carer’s perception of the person’s needs.