Why health matters
People with learning disabilities may have additional health needs and may find it harder to communicate pain, illness or discomfort. Health appointments can also feel overwhelming, confusing or frightening.
They may need support to:
- Explain symptoms
- Attend appointments
- Understand health information
- Take medication safely
- Manage anxiety around doctors or dentists
- Communicate pain
- Understand body changes
- Access reasonable adjustments
The annual health check
In the UK, anyone aged 14 or over who is on their GP's learning disability register is entitled to a free annual health check on the NHS.
The check is longer than a normal GP appointment and looks at physical health, mental health, medication, lifestyle and any worries. It often picks up health problems that would otherwise be missed.
Ask your GP surgery to:
- Add the person to the learning disability register
- Book their annual health check
- Create a Health Action Plan afterwards
Reasonable adjustments
By law, NHS services must make reasonable adjustments. You can ask for:
- Easy-read information
- A longer or quieter appointment
- The first or last appointment of the day
- A familiar room or clinician
- A visit to see the room before the appointment
- A trusted person present
- A double appointment
- Sensory adjustments (lights, sounds)
- Desensitisation visits for dentists or blood tests
Hospital passports and communication passports
A hospital passport (sometimes called a communication passport) tells staff:
- How the person communicates
- What helps them feel calm
- How they show pain
- What they like and don't like
- Medication, allergies and important medical history
- Who to contact
Bring it to every appointment. Many local NHS trusts and learning disability charities have free templates.
Preparing for an appointment
- Use social stories and photos of the clinic
- Show what will happen step by step
- Practise sitting in a waiting room
- Use a pain scale with faces or numbers
- Write concerns down before you go
- Take a trusted adult
- Ask for things to be explained in simple language
Behaviour is communication
Changes in behaviour — withdrawal, agitation, refusing food, sleep changes, hitting out, self-injury — can mean pain, illness, anxiety, sensory overload or an unmet need.
Always consider health, not just behaviour.
A health check should rule out: toothache, ear infection, constipation, urine infection, reflux, headache, eyesight changes, hearing changes, medication side effects, mental health changes.
Mental health matters too
People with a learning disability are more likely to experience anxiety and low mood, and these often show as behaviour changes. Mental health support should be accessible and adjusted — ask your GP about your local community learning disability team or LeDeR services.
Key message
Good health care is a right, not a favour. Annual checks, reasonable adjustments and a hospital passport can prevent crises and help the person you love stay well.