Annual Health Checks

All people with a learning disability age 14+ registered on the GP learning disability register are entitled to a learning disability annual health check. There continues to be significant evidence that people with learning disability have poorer health, health outcomes and access to health services than the rest of the population. Annual health checks, delivered in general practice as part of an enhanced service are, potentially, the most important tool/opportunity we have to reduce premature mortality and address health inequalities.

Annual health checks are

• Having a regular head to toe check with your GP
• Talking to a GP about any concerns
• Allowing the GP to get to know the person with learning disability better
• Understanding and reviewing medication
• Understanding and review any long term health conditions
• Understand and reviewing any commonly associated health conditions
• Vaccinations
• Supporting overall health and wellbeing

After a health check has been completed the person will be given a health action plan to support them to improve their health.

The North East and Cumbria Learning Disability Network has been working with stakeholders across the region for a number of years to improve the uptake and quality of learning disability annual health checks across the region. We have developed:

• Easy read invitation letters for general practice
• Easy read information leaflets and films
• Supporting the roll out of the national learning disability annual health check template
• Covid-19 resource packs for GP practices
• Reasonable adjustment campaign annual health check poster
• Annual health check prompt sheets – what is important to you to talk about at your annual health check?
• Promoting annual health checks with children, young people and their families
• Supported general practice and commissioners to design and deliver reasonably adjusted annual health check models

Ensuring annual health checks are of a good quality and increasing annual health check uptake across North East North Cumbria remains one of the network priorities for 24/25.

We have a number of resources which can be used below.

Importance of Annual Health Checks Film