People with learning disabilities who are registered with a GP, and on their GP’s learning disabilities register, should be called for an annual health check. But we know only about a quarter of all those entitled to the check, actually receive it. NHS England and Improvement wants to get this number up to 75%.

Increasing the uptake of Annual Health Checks in the South West (videos)

NHS England and NHS Improvement South West have created a new suite of videos to assist healthcare professionals to increase the uptake of annual health checks for people with learning disabilities. Created with support from the West of England Academic Health Science Network, it is a collaboration with the West of England Learning Disability Collaborative as being one of the improvement aims to build more opportunities for improved uptake of Annual Health Checks in the South West.

The suite of videos also has a focus for carers and families who care for people with learning disabilities, who may want to learn more about the process. As well as featuring the Misfits Theatre Company from Bristol, aimed at people with a learning disability, to assist them and manage their own oral health to avoid future complications, plus how a Health Action Plan can be of benefit.

For healthcare professionals 

• Introduction to Annual Health Checks for Primary Care
• Conducting annual health checks remotely for people with a learning disability
• The mental capacity act and how it can support people with a learning disability during annual health checks
• Reasonable adjustments for people with a learning disability

For carers, families and people with a learning disability 

• Introduction to annual health checks for people with a learning disability for carers and families 
• Oral health for people with a learning disability
• Introduction to annual health checks for people with a learning disability
• Health action plans to support people with a learning disability

GP Practice Support Pack 2020

GP practices should ensure that everybody with a learning disability is identified on their register; that their annual health checks are completed; and access to screening and flu vaccinations is proactively arranged. (This is supported by existing payment arrangements and the new support intended through the Impact and Investment Fund to improve uptake.)

This support pack has been developed to help practices deliver annual health checks for people with learning disabilities during covid and beyond. Further support and guides include:

• Checklist for patients and carers for annual health checks (continue with other agreed local models if preferred)
• GP letter
• DES directions 2020
• EMIS health check questions
• System One health check questions

Don’t Miss Out campaign

Mencap’s Don’t Miss Out campaign includes a host of materials you can use to help increase annual health checks:

Posters:

• Don’t Miss Out: get better healthcare now (A4)
• Don’t Miss Out: get better healthcare now (A3)
• Annual Health Check – easy read
• Annual Health Check – easy read (aimed at parents/carers)

Facebook graphics:

• Summary Care Record
• Parent/carer focus
• GP learning disability register

Twitter graphics:

• Summary Care Record
• Parent/carer focus
• GP learning disability register.

Guides and templates

Created by Mencap with NHS England’s support for people with a learning disability, their families and carers:

• Our stories – a short video of people with a learning disability talking about annual health checks
• Be healthy, be happy – a short animation
• Don’t Miss Out – main guide – about joining the learning disability register and why it’s so important
• Don’t Miss Out – supporter’s guide – for supporters of people with a learning disability, it explains about joining the learning disability register and why it’s so important
• Don’t Miss Out – template letter – to complete and give to the doctor about joining the learning disability register.
• Don’t Miss Out – easy read guide – about joining the learning disability register and why it’s important

Royal College of GPs (RCGP) step-by-step toolkit

The RCGP, in partnership with the Clinical Innovation and Research Centre, developed and published a step-by-step toolkit focussed on annual health checks for people with learning disabilities. The toolkit collects guidance and resources to help GPs, practice nurses and the primary administration team organise and perform quality AHCs on people with a learning disability.

Access this toolkit via the RCGP website.

Cervical screening can detect early changes to avoid cervical cancer developing but the number of women attending for screening is falling year on year. Fewer than 1 in 3 eligible females with a learning disability received cervical cancer screening, showing no change from 2014-15.

Here are some resources to support you to get the message out about this important cancer prevention initiative :

Resources

• Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust offers a suite of material which is specifically Learning Disability focussed including:
  • ‘The smear test film’ is available on YouTube or order a copy of the DVD for £3 – produced by Public Health England in association with Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust
  • Easy read booklet: Having a smear test. What is it about?
• Public Health England has also produced an easy guide to cervical screening.

People with learning disabilities and their carers (family member or support worker) can have a free flu vaccination to help them stay well this winter. Download and use this communications toolkit to raise awareness locally. High resolution resources (highlighted in the toolkit) are available below:

Facebook

• People with a learning disability should have a flu vaccination
• Carers should have a vaccination to protect loved ones
• Family member or support worker – get your free flu vaccine
• Easy read materials about the flu vaccine are available

Twitter

• People with a learning disability should have a flu vaccination
• Carers should have a vaccination to protect loved ones
• Family member or support worker – get your free flu vaccine
• Easy read materials about the flu vaccine are available

Instagram

• People with a learning disability should have a flu vaccination
• Carers should have a vaccination to protect loved ones
• Family member or support worker – get your free flu vaccine
• Easy read materials about the flu vaccine are available

For more information about or support using this toolkit please contact: england.learningdisabilityandautism-sw@nhs.net

Grab pack for professionals:

Leaflets:

• Protect yourself from flu – Easy Read leaflet
• Helping stop you getting flu: information for people with low literacy
• ER childhood nasal flu leaflet

Poster:

• Protect yourself from flu – Easy Read poster

Videos

• Camilla gets her flu vaccine: “It’s just one prick, one prick and that’s it!
• South West GP practices: planning your 2020 / 2021 flu clinics – not learning disability specific but help in terms of seeing how a practice will be running flu clinics this winter
• Misfits learning disability drama group – awareness video: Don’t let anything stop you. It isn’t just the flu. *in development and will be made available here once live.

Templates:

• Easy read flu invitation letter template for people with learning disabilities – health professionals can use this template to invite people with learning disabilities to get vaccinated at their local surgery. NB. this is being updated for 2020 and will be uploaded here as soon as it is available.

Grab sheets developed by the SW health network flu project team:

• How can you help with flu vaccination uptake
• Guide to capacity check list
• Flu vaccination Easy Read cards
• Reasonable adjustment ideas
• Blood tests and people with learning disabilities

In the UK, women with learning disabilities are the least likely to attend breast screening. You can help encourage more take up by using the resources below:

Graphics suitable for print (e.g. newsletters, magazines) and online (e.g. website, Facebook)

• Help make breast screening accessible
• Support women with learning disabilities to take care of their breasts
• Women need to take care of their breasts
• Whatever you call them. You need to check them.

Suitable for Twitter

• Help make breast screening accessible
• Support women with learning disabilities to take care of their breasts
• Women need to take care of their breasts
• Whatever you call them. You need to check them.

Additional resources:

Template Easy Read letters developed in Cornwall

• Invitation
• Did Not Attend (DNA) follow-up
• Recall to take further pictures
• Recall letter because the pictures were unclear
• Results – the all clear
• Changes in the Breast – image sheet developed and successfully used in Cornwall
• Keep Yourself Healthy A Guide To Examining Your Breasts
• Be Clear on Cancer: Easy read breast cancer leaflet
• Be Clear on Cancer: Large print breast cancer leaflet
• Breast Cancer Care: Your breasts, your health