Supporting people with learning disabilities to attend general practice appointments
Intended for healthcare professionals
CPD    

Supporting people with learning disabilities to attend general practice appointments

Katy Welsh Professional lead nurse, learning disability services, Devon Partnership NHS Trust, Exeter, Devon, England
Sandra George Senior nurse practitioner, learning disability services, Devon Partnership NHS Trust, Exeter, England
Rachel Salloway Senior nurse practitioner, learning disability services, Devon Partnership NHS Trust, Exeter, England

Why you should read this article:
  • To recognise how you can assist general practice staff in caring for people with learning disabilities

  • To reflect on your role in supporting people with learning disabilities to attend general practice appointments

  • To count towards revalidation as part of your 35 hours of CPD, or you may wish to write a reflective account (UK readers)

  • To contribute towards your professional development and local registration renewal requirements (non-UK readers)

People with learning disabilities have poorer health outcomes and are at increased risk of premature death compared with the general population. It is crucial that they attend routine annual health checks and screening appointments in primary care, but there are many barriers preventing them from doing so and accessing adequate care provision. As a result, they are likely to experience delays in diagnosis and treatment for undetected health conditions. This article identifies some of the barriers to effective service provision for people with learning disabilities in primary care. It describes how learning disability nurses and learning disability support workers can assist staff in primary care to improve the experiences of people with learning disabilities when attending healthcare appointments such as annual health checks, blood tests, cancer screening and other routine investigations.

Learning Disability Practice. doi: 10.7748/ldp.2023.e2215

Peer review

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

@kwelsh1

Correspondence

katy.welsh@nhs.net

Conflict of interest

None declared

Welsh K, George S, Salloway R (2023) Supporting people with learning disabilities to attend general practice appointments. Learning Disability Practice. doi: 10.7748/ldp.2023.e2215

Published online: 16 November 2023

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