Being healthy
Staying mentally and physically healthy is important for all of us. People with learning disabilities may face some additional barriers in getting the diagnosis and health care they need.
Annual Health Checks and Screening
- Men with a learning disability: 59 years
- Men in the general population: 81.8 years
- Women with a learning disability: 56 years
- Women in the general population: 85.3 years
Many of these earlier deaths are because people with learning disabilities often experience poor access to health services.
Annual Health Checks and National Health Screening play an important role in the early detection and treatment / management of poor health and disease. Making sure that citizens have access to these opportunities is a priority.
Welsh Government set a target of 75% uptake of Annual Health Checks. North Wales has a current average of 54%. Ynys Mon and Gwynedd have an uptake closer to 14%. Ynys Mon has been targeted to find ways of improving the number of people having a health check. Each GP Practice will have received a visit and been offered support or advice.
A new approach this year is to offer information and advice to those who will be entitled to their first annual health check when they turn 18. This is because we believe that if the first health check goes well after leaving children’s services, it might encourage people to see the value of taking up health checks and health screening in future. The Primary Health Liaison Service and Public Health Wales will be working more closely together. This includes a pilot programme on Ynys Mon, as well as providing two coproduced events in the East & West which will bring together citizen’s, carers and professionals.
Making reasonable adjustments
Check out this poster on making reasonable adjustments as well as the video below.
Get Checked Out North Wales
Check out our ‘Get Checked Out’ website which aims to provide good quality and accessible health information in one place. This has been based on the good practice work that Leeds and Yorkshire NHS Trust has completed.
A co-production group is being set up to review all website documentation to ensure it is as accessible as possible. We will also be including relevant easy read and accessible information from Public Health Wales on this website.
Learning Disabilties and Dementia
People with learning disabilities, particularly people with Down’s syndrome, are at an increased risk of developing dementia early. There is lots of helpful information available about this, and how a person with a learning disability and dementia can be supported to live well.
Here are a few examples:
– Learning Disabilities and Dementia, Alzheimer’s Society
– Dementia and people with learning disabilities: making reasonable adjustments – guidance
– Alzheimer’s, Down Syndrome Association
Together with health colleagues from Denbighshire and Conwy adult learning disability services, we will be running a Sharing Practice Event on the 24th March 2020. This event will bring together health colleagues from across the region to share practice about early detection, assessment and support of adults with learning disabilities. A full write up of the workshop together with good practice in each area will be shared after the event.
Pilot Project
Health Videos
This year we are going to be working with TAPE Community music and film to co-produce films about staying physically and mentally healthy. These films will be used by the Health Liaison Team, and shared with the wider public to improve awareness and understanding. We will keep you posted!
