This page contains resources to help support the Annual Health Check (AHC), creation of Health Action Plans (HAP) and Learning Disability and Autism resources in general.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) advises that a learning disability is defined by three core criteria [NICE, 2015]:
- Lower intellectual ability (usually an IQ of less than 70).
- Significant impairment of social or adaptive functioning.
- Onset in childhood.
It is worth mentioning, that the term 'intellectual disability' is becoming increasingly used internationally.
Health Checks
People with a Learning disability often have poorer physical and mental health than other people. This does not need to be the case.
Life expectancy is significantly reduced for people with a learning disability – local LeDeR data show the average age of death in males is 61 and 62 for females; this is even more shocking for people with a learning disability from an ethnic minority who on average die at 34yrs of age. (Race Equality Foundation Data).
The AHC is an opportunity to promote healthy lifestyle, support wellbeing and enable access to additional healthcare support. It can help spot the early signs of illnesses such as cancer and diabetes or respiratory and heart issues. This can lead to earlier treatment and better health outcomes.
The Charity, Mencap, have created a really useful easy read explaination of what an anual health check is, and how it can help. Click on the link to find out more: Annual Health Checks | Mencap.
Learning Disabilities England have also created an easy read and video resource to explain the value of annual health checks, with ethic and minority communities in mind. Click the link to find out more: Annual Health Checks for people from Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic communities. – Learning Disability England
