For carers: What is a great Annual Health Check?

Annual health checks are one of the most important aspects of tackling health inequality; they can help keep track of someone’s health and spot any potentially serious issues early on.

Everyone over the age of 14, who is registered on the Learning Disability Register, should be offered an annual health check each year.

It is important that you talk to the person you care for and their GP about being put on the Learning Disability Register and putting in plenty of time and reasonable adjustments for a great annual health check.

Annual Health Checks are really important for monitoring people’s general health and well-being, as well as spotting any issues before they potentially get more serious.

It’s shocking that people with learning disabilities are five times more likely to end up in hospital for preventable issues that could have been treated by their GP (EHRC) so be encouraging great Annual health Checks we can help tackle that.

Your quick 10 step guide for a great annual health check

1. Ask to book at least an hour appointment, so you have plenty of time.
2. Tell the GP about the person you care for and tell the person you care for about the GP. Getting to know each other can really help.
3. Make sure they a Health Action Plan and send the GP a copy in advance.
4. Discuss what reasonable adjustments will help and support the practice staff to put them in place.
5. Ask for information in an accessible format (such as easy read) or communicate the information to the person you care for in a way you know they’ll best understand.
6. Ask the doctor what they will ask in advance so you can get the right information, such as bowel movement logs.
7. Ask the doctor what tests and exams to expect so you and the person you care for have plenty of time to prepare.
8. Tell the doctor some non-medical topics the person you care for is interested in so the doctor can help put them at ease.
9. Make sure the doctor takes their time and doesn’t rush.
10. Explain what is happening or ask the doctor to do this throughout the appointment.

These are all fairly easy things to do that can make a big difference. There are resources across the Dimensions Health Campaign webpages to help you with this.

Remember: a learning disability or autism isn’t the cause of any other physical or mental health problems.