Getting the most from Annual Health Checks

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.

In this video Mark and Jordan discuss what a great annual health check can look like, and how it can make patients feel.

Everyone over the age of 14, who is registered on the Learning Disability Register, should be offered an annual health check each year. You must encourage your patients to join the register and support them to make the most out of their annual health checks.

To help make the most of annual health checks book in at least an hour so you have plenty of time and provide as much information to your patient and their support team in advance. They might have Health Action Plans and information logs that will be useful, but may be relying on you to ask them to bring it.

Remember to put your patient at ease, discuss topics that they find interesting and explain what you are doing and why.

As Jordan has discussed, something as simple as talking about a topic he’s interested in made all the difference and helped him open up more about his health and well-being.

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