Letter to GPs about the learning disability register and annual health checks
Letter to GPs about the learning disability register and annual health checks
I am Wes Streeting MP, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.
I am Ismail Kaji, Mencap’s Parliamentary and Government Engagement Officer.
I have lived experience Experience is when you have learned or tried something before. of learning disability A learning disability is to do with the way someone's brain works. It makes it harder for someone to learn, understand or do things. and living with health conditions.
We are writing this easy read Easy Read is a way of making written information easier to understand. Pictures are usually added next to the writing. letter together to help work on tackling health inequalities that affect people with a learning disability.
Easy read is always useful when it comes to clear communication so it’s inclusive and everyone understands.
This information is for all health staff working in a GP Surgery. Not just doctors and nurses.
Annual health checks and health action plans are important for the health of people with a learning disability.
Evidence from the Learning from Lives and Deaths Review (LeDeR) shows that health checks lower health inequalities for people with a learning disability.
People with a learning disability die up to 19.5 years younger than the general population.
We know health checks are very important for people who live with conditions like epilepsy or diabetes.
Annual health checks can help people with a learning disability have access to additional support such as vaccination and immunisation or cancer screening.
Giving people with a learning disability
accessible
Accessible means something is easy for people to use or join in with. For example: Accessible writing means the writing is easy to read and understand.
information, like this letter, and reasonable adjustments to meet their needs, will help to find health problems as early as possible.
Around 3 in 4 people with a learning disability are missing from GP learning disability registers.
Those missing are likely to be people with a mild learning disability and people from Black and Asian backgrounds.
A person does not need to have a special
assessment
An assessment is a way of finding out what help a person needs. When you have an assessment, you might have to go to a meeting or fill in a form.
or test to be on the learning disability register.
Some people might talk about having a learning difficulty. You might need to use your judgement here. Everyone has a part to play in being aware of the register and looking at who should be on it.
What a good health check looks like
It’s best when the check is done in the surgery with a doctor or nurse that knows the person well. This means that the patient with a learning disability is more relaxed.
The doctor or nurse can see the person and look at their body and they can ask questions about how the person is doing.
For people who have mobility issues and find moving around challenging and need extra help, health professionals need to see the person at their home or have a call online instead.
Health action plans are important. When someone has a health check this should lead to a health action plan.
Health action plans should be used all year and reviewed at least once a year.
When the action plan is being updated it is a good time to think about people’s support needs and making sure the information in their reasonable adjustment flag is updated.
The General Medical Services (GMS) contract says that patient records must be kept up to date, including for patients with a learning disability.
The Investment and Improvement Fund (IIF) gives support for health checks and health action plans for patients on the learning disability register aged 14 and over.
Health checks and health action plans for people with a learning disability are still supported by the Direct Enhanced Services (DES).
Thank you for your work on delivering health checks.
This is good for people with a learning disability. GP surgeries also get extra money for doing this important work.
The government’s 10 Year Health Plan wants to move care from hospitals to local areas and stop people getting ill, rather than just treating them once they are unwell.
GPs are very important in stopping people with a learning disability from getting ill and supporting them to lead healthy lives.
Everyone in the GP surgery has a role to play in being aware of the learning disability register, and supporting people to benefit from being on the register.
This is the gateway to good quality annual health checks and health action plans and supporting people with their health and wellbeing.
We know there is a lot of good work already happening and want to thank you for providing support for people with a learning disability.
Additional information
The following resources are available to support you to provide good care for people with a learning disability:
This Easy Read was first published 01/09/2025.
Last updated 27/10/2025.