Lead Organisation: North Wales Regional Partnership Board
People with learning disabilities may find it harder to identify health problems and seek treatment than those who don’t have a learning disability. To tackle this health inequality, NICE recommends that everyone with a learning disability be offered an annual health check through their GP. Health checks provide a way to detect, treat and prevent health conditions that might otherwise have been unrecognised.
However, evidence suggests that only 25% of people with a learning disability are registered with their GP and a lot of people aren’t aware that they can have an annual health check. In response to this, the Health Screening Project was launched in North Wales in June 2021.
The project aimed to promote annual health checks and screenings and employed 8 individuals with learning disabilities as health screening advocates to achieve this.
Some of the key achievements include:
- The Champions have written, created and delivered peer-led workshops which emphasise the importance of regular health checks, provide practical guidance and share personal experiences
- Tailored workshops for support and family members to educate and empower them about health screenings
- Co-hosted Learning Disability Champion training within hospitals to share their experiences and bridge the gap between healthcare professionals and individuals with a learning disability
- Collaborated with Public Health Wales to create easy-to-read information about screenings
- Actively engaged with healthcare providers, advocating personalised and positive health screening experiences
- Fostered independence and self-sufficiency for the 8 champions employed by the project