Published On: 30 July 2024Tags:

Last week, in collaboration with Learning Disability England, we hosted a webinar on annual health checks for people with a learning disability. The webinar was attended by over 250 health and social care professionals, as well as individuals with lived experience.

We were privileged to hear from several members of our co-production group, including Ramandeep Kaur, Nicholas Garvey, Jill Huntesmith, and Jide Akinbiye. They shared valuable insights into the benefits of annual health checks and emphasised the importance of involving people with lived experience in research to drive meaningful change.

Nicola Easy, Deputy Director of Health Improvement for Learning Disability & Autism at NHS England, provided updates on NHS England’s initiatives to improve the quality and consistency of these health checks. Additionally, Professor Habib Naqvi from the NHS Race and Health Observatory discussed the significant inequalities in health outcomes for people with learning disabilities and proposed potential solutions to addressing these challenges.

Dr Jahan Foster Zabit notes:

It was incredible to see so many people join us for this vitally important discussion, spotlighting not only the value of annual health checks as a preventative measure but the importance of working with and listening to people with lived experience.

The research is clear that people with a learning disability from Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic backgrounds experience significant inequalities in accessing timely and appropriate health and care, resulting in shocking disparities in life expectancy.

We hope that our discussion inspired people to work together to address the barriers and inequalities that our communities face and ultimately to improve the outcomes and lives of people with a learning disability from Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic communities. 

The webinar recordings and presentations are now available on our website, along with our co-produced awareness-raising resources, including a short video and an Easy Read leaflet.