There are a number of health conditions which patients with a learning disability are more likely to experience, including epilepsy and dementia. Therefore it is very important that they access the services available to help treat these conditions.
The Confidential Inquiry into the Premature Deaths of People with a Learning Disability (CIPOLD) found that on average women with a learning disability die 18 years sooner, and men with a learning disability die 14 years sooner than the general population in England. It also found that 38% of people with a learning disability die from avoidable causes, compared with 9% of the general population.
More recently, a Public Health England report estimated that 6.3 times more deaths occurred among people with learning disabilities than the general population between 21 March and 5 June 2020.
We feel that it is important to address these health inequalities and improve the health of those with learning disabilities. We hope that the information below will be of use and if you have any comments or suggestions on how we deliver care for our learning disability patients please contact Claire at the surgery.
Learning Disability Leads :
Dr K Blackford – GP Lead
Janice Parfitt – Nurse Lead
Claire Nash – Administration Lead. Claire can be the first point of contact in reception for patients with Learning Disabilities and their parents/carers.
Learning Disability DES:
The surgery has signed up to take part in the Learning Disability Enhanced Service, which means we offer an annual health check to all of our learning disability patients, on top of providing all of the usual care.
Easy Read Information: Procedures/ Process
Annual Health Check :
An annual health check helps you stay well by talking about your health and finding any problems early, so you get the right care. It involves a physical check-up, including weight, heart rate, blood pressure and taking blood / urine samples.
You do not have to be ill to have a health check – in fact, most people have their annual health check when they are feeling well.
UHB Hospital Passport:
The hospital passport provides staff with information about the patient and the help they need.
Herbert Protocol Leaflet:
The Herbert Protocol form is a simple risk reduction tool to be used in the event of an adult with care and support needs going missing.
It consists of a form that contains vital information about a person at risk that can be passed to the police if the person is reported missing. It is not intended to replace existing safeguarding and security measures.
Breast Screening Service:
Breast screening aims to find breast cancers early. It uses an X-ray test called a mammogram that can spot cancers when they’re too small to see or feel. Women aged from 50 to their 71st birthday who are registered with a GP are automatically invited for breast cancer screening every 3 years.
Cervical Smear Screening:
Cervical screening (a smear test) checks the health of your cervix. The cervix is the opening to your womb from your vagina. It is not a test for cancer, it’s a test to help prevent cancer.
All women and people with a cervix aged 25 to 64 should be invited by letter.
Bowel Cancer Screening:
Bowel cancer screening checks if you could have bowel cancer. It’s available to everyone aged 60 or over.
Colonoscopy Procedure:
A colonoscopy is a test to check inside your bowels. This test can help find what’s causing your bowel symptoms.
Diabetic Eye Screening:
Diabetic eye screening is a test to check for eye problems caused by diabetes. The eye screening test can find problems before they affect your sight.
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