Patients with learning disabilities missing health checks

Data from NHS Digital has revealed that patients with learning disabilities are missing out on vital health checks, such as cancer screening and mental health assessments.

The NHS recommends that people with complex health needs, such as learning disabilities, receive a general physical examination and review of any medicines they have been prescribed every year. However, fewer than half of patients received the recommended annual health check.

This meant that approximately half of women with learning disabilities in England received breast cancer screening last year, compared with about 70 per cent of eligible women overall. Patients with learning disabilities also missed out on checks for epilepsy and chronic conditions such as asthma.

The NHS Digital report analysed both patients with and without learning disabilities from more than half of GP practices in England, covering about 60 per cent of all patients registered with a GP. On average, the report discovered that patients with learning disabilities had a 16-year shorter life expectancy than the general population. Moreover, obesity is twice as common in people aged 18-35 with learning disabilities, whilst being underweight is twice as common in people aged over 64 with learning disabilities compared with patients with no learning disabilities.

Mencap, the learning disability charity, is raising awareness of the situation, ensuring that people know they can register with their doctor as having a learning disability and access extra support, arguing that at the moment people with learning disabilities might have more difficulty accessing healthcare because of a lack of accessible transport, anxiety, low confidence or lack of understanding from staff.

NHS England said the number having an annual health check was on the rise, but indicating that it wanted ‘to go further’ in making care more accessible to such patients.