Helen’s work continues to close the health gap

People with a learning disability have worse physical and mental health than people without a learning disability and are more likely to experience a number of health conditions.

They can find it hard to know when they are unwell or tell someone about it and often don’t receive the same quality of care as people without a learning disability of who are not autistic.

Compared with the general population, figures published in the 2023 LeDeR report (Learning Disabilities Mortality Review) show that 42% of deaths were rated as ‘avoidable’ for people with a learning disability. This is compared to 22% for the general population. Most of the avoidable deaths in people with a learning disability are because timely and effective treatments were not given.

The average of death for people with a learning disability is 63. On average, this is 23 years younger than women in the general population and 19 years younger than men in the general population.

Reading Mencap’s Health Family Adviser, Helen Luckin, is working hard to close this shocking health gap and ensure local people with a learning disability have access to the best possible health care.

Her role, newly supported by a Better Care Fund grant, distributed by Reading Borough Council’s Adult Social Care service, is to provide information, advice and advocacy along with practical support to people with learning disabilities and their families in Reading.

A key focus of Helen’s role is to promote the importance of Annual Health Checks for adults and young people with a learning disability over the age of 14.

The check gives people time to talk about anything that is worrying them and means that any signs of poor health can be identified and addressed.

She also helps people to understand the health care action plans, which identify the patient’s health needs, what the patient needs to do and who will help.

Helen said: “My role is all about helping people maintain and improve their own health and wellbeing.

“Annual health checks can make a real difference, helping to pick-up pre-existing conditions and ensuring our clients understand how to take any medication they have been prescribed.

“I also check in on people, listening to them and providing emotional support and signposting to other source of support.

“This vital form of support makes all the difference to enabling clients to ‘cope’ in their daily lives and feel reassured that there is someone looking out for them.”

Common associated health conditions for people with a learning disability include mental health problems, epilepsy, asthma and being underweight or overweight.

Results of our annual survey showed that 90% of adults with a learning disability and 77% of family carers said they feel more able to look after their own health and wellbeing as a result of Reading Mencap services