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The uptake of health checks for adults with learning disabilities in England: 2008/9-2011/12
- Authors:
- GLOVER Gyles, EMERSON Eric, EVISON Felicity
- Journal article citation:
- Tizard Learning Disability Review, 18(1), 2013, pp.45-49.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
People with learning disabilities generally have worse health than their non-disabled peers. This is in part a problem of identifying ill health in this group and gaining timely access to services. In 2006 the Disability Rights Commission recommended the introduction of annual health checks for people with learning disabilities in England as a reasonable adjustment in primary care to address these health inequalities. This paper reports on trends in the provision of health checks for adults with learning disabilities over the period 2008/9-2011/12. It is based on the analysis of data collected by the Information Centre for Health and Social Care from Primary Care Trusts in England. Over the four years the percentage of eligible adults receiving a health check has consistently increased and now stands at 53 percent. There remain marked variations across both Strategic Health Authority areas and Primary Care Trusts. The authors conclude that there is still some way to go before minimum standards of satisfactory performance in the provision of health checks are achieved nationally. They point to the necessity of considering possible obstacles to provision and how these can be addressed to improve uptake further.