It’s an important way to stay healthy and and support their transition to adult health services.
The importance of an Annual Health Check
Young people with learning disabilities can have unique health needs that might not always be easy to spot. Annual health checks can help:
- Spot problems early: Detecting and addressing health concerns before they become serious.
- Build relationships: Helping your child and family get to know the GP better, ask questions, and share concerns.
- Support transitions: Ensuring care is joined up and preparing for the move from child to adult health services.
For young people with learning disabilities, their GP remains a consistent point of contact, even as other services may change due to age. This makes the health check a vital opportunity to review care and plan for the future. It’s free, voluntary, and designed to help young people with learning disabilities stay healthy and happy.
What happens at the Health Check?
The GP or nurse will:
- do a physical check-up, including weight, blood pressure, and heart rate.
- discuss your child’s diet, exercise, and mental health
- review any medications or ongoing health conditions like asthma or epilepsy
- check for health issues more common in people with learning disabilities, such as constipation or swallowing difficulties
- talk about additional health needs, like physiotherapy or speech therapy, and whether family carers need support.
Things to discuss at the Health Check
- Health passport: A communication tool that shares essential information about your child’s health and needs with other professionals.
- Transition plan: A documented plan to guide the move to adult services, including health needs, consent, and advocacy.
- Social care support: Information on respite care or short breaks for your child and family, often coordinated by social services.
Reasonable adjustments for your Health Checks
If your child needs extra help at the appointment, ask for reasonable adjustments, such as:
- Longer or quieter appointments: and priority appointments for children and young people who find it difficult to wait
- Clear explanations: such as using pictures, simple words, large print, easy-read documents, and braille. Or using visual aids to help with understanding medical information.
- Appointment times that suit your child: this could include early in the day appointments and disability access.
These adjustments ensure we provide an inclusive and supportive environment tailored to your child and young person`s needs.
The NHS website has more information on reasonable adjustments
Supporting transition to adult care
Annual health checks from age 14 to 19 play a key role in preparing for adult services. Some NHS services may transfer earlier or later depending on need, your GP will remain the central point of care.
For more information, speak to your GP or visit Mencap’s website for helpful resources about the learning disability register and health checks.