Guidance and resources to help GPs, practice nurses and the primary administration team organise and perform quality Annual Health Checks on people with a learning disability are available here. There’s also a sample easy read invite letter to download, here, along with information about the Learning Disability Annual Health Check pathway. An easy read leaflet which explains more about health checks, is available to download, here. A further easy read leaflet about getting checked out at your GP surgery is available to download here.

This easy read leaflet provides information and activities for people with a learning disability, their families and carers around exercise and keeping active. 

This easy read leaflet provides information and activities for people with a learning disability, their families and carers around healthy eating. 

It can be very difficult for people with learning disabilities to find suitable information about cancer. We've put some together some information on our Learning Disability and Autism page. GPs and other healthcare professionals may also find some useful information at A Picture of Health and we’ve put together a full list of cancer screening resources, here.

See also

Springhead Medical Centre Cancer Care Service - leaflet

Identifying your concerns - checklist

Cervical Screening – professional guidance

Primary Care Support England – bulletins for professionals

Supporting women with learning disabilities to access cervical screening – guidance for professionals

NHS England has also published patient and healthcare professional information leaflets for managing constipation in people with a learning disability. These leaflets have been produced to help families and carers of people with a learning disability recognise the signs of constipation and help manage the condition.

You can also watch this video.

Improving care for people with diabetes and a learning disability – resources for professionals are available from Diabetes UK.

See also

For professionals: NHS RightCare Pathway: Diabetes - Reasonable adjustments for people with a learning disability who have diabetes.

Please see maternity pathway for women with learning disabilities to be completed by a community midwife.

The LeDeR programme has been commissioned by NHS England and it is now a requirement for health and social care services to review all deaths of patients with Learning Disabilities aged 4+ in England, as part of the national framework for Learning from Deaths. More information can be found here.

See also:-

How to notify a death

Learning Disability Mortality Review Annual Report 2020-21

Mythbusters

There's further information on our Learning Disability and Autism page.

GPs and other healthcare professionals can learn more about referral criteria here and access the easy read referral form here.

Patients and carers can ring the service on 0300 123 3007, email tewv.NYLDreferrals@nhs.net or write to:-

Learning Disability Service
Eastfield Clinic
Westway
Eastfield
Scarborough
YO11 3EG

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust continuously deliver the speech and language therapy service for adults with a learning disability. The service provides:

• Specialist assessment and management of speech, language, communication, and/or swallowing disorders for adults over 18 years of age that have a learning disability.
• Work within a multi-disciplinary learning disability team with other professions including nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, psychologists and psychiatrists and work closely with family and carers.
• A client based training about communication and safer eating and drinking for families and carers. Other training for staff groups will have a charge.

Direct referral through Learning Disability Referral form

All referrals are triaged by the Learning Disability Service. If the person has a learning disability and is appropriate, the referral is allocated to the speech and language therapist. If the person does not have a learning disability, the referral may be sent to another service after discussion with the referrer.

You can find further resources about STOMP on the NHS England website and there is an Easy Read leaflet, here.

This leaflet is for a support worker who is accompanying a person with a learning disability, autism, or both to a GP or hospital consultant appointment.

In this video, Dr Carter Singh, a GP in Nottinghamshire describes how non-medical interventions can be used to support people with a learning disability.

The Disability Distress Assessment Tool (DisDAT) is intended to help GPs and other professionals help identify distress cues in people who, because of cognitive impairment or physical illness, have severely limited communication. You can access the tool, here. You can also access the ‘identifying your concerns checklist, here).

Further information about Care (Education) and Treatment Reviews is available on this page.