The Mencap Manifesto: Healthcare

people with a learning disability pointing to an NHS care leaflet

Too many people with a learning disability still cannot get the healthcare they need.

Two peoples hands shaking each other under a picture of the Houses of Parliament

Mencap wants all the political parties to promise to improve healthcare for people with a learning disability.

Learning Disability Register

Mencap want more people with a learning disability to be on their GP’s learning disability register .

A man with a learning disability stands next to a health action plan and there is an open envelope with an invitation in it asking someone to go for their annual health check

Being on the learning disability register means people can have an annual health check and a health action plan.

A woman in a wheelchair with a speech bubble that reads "I need..." with a clock, easy read page, and ramp representing reasonable adjustments.

Reasonable adjustments and accessible information

We want all information to be easier to understand and for people who work in healthcare to know how to meet the needs of people with a learning disability.

A book called Hospital care and an update stamp in front of a hospital building

There are changes coming this year to help NHS staff know when someone needs support.

A picture of someone asking for things they need like a ramp, an easy read and more time. Next to this picture is a red flag

There is going to be a new system to tell healthcare workers what reasonable adjustments a person needs.

This is called a reasonable adjustment flag.

A book with the title Accessible information standard is next to a 'update' stamp

There is also going to be an updated version of the Accessible Information Standard.

This helps make sure healthcare workers know how to meet a person’s communication needs.

A man in a hat is writing on a flipchart next to a woman in a suit who is presenting training

These new things won’t work unless there is enough support and training for healthcare workers, people with a learning disability and their families to know how to use them.

Also to take the time to make sure they work properly.

The front covers of the Lives and deaths report LeDeR and other reports

Learn from reports on health

Mencap wants the parties to promise to put in place the advice on improving healthcare from the Learning from Lives and Deaths Report (LeDeR) and other reports.

Four students in a classroom are facing a teacher who is using a large computer screen showing a picture of the Oliver McGowan campaign

Learning Disability and Autism Training for Healthcare and Social Care Staff

Mencap wants to make sure that the new Oliver McGowan learning disability and autism training for all healthcare workers is the best it can be.

A picture of the Houses of Parliament next to three large sacks of money

To make sure this happens we want all political parties to make sure there is enough money to do this.

A man with downs syndrome and a woman are pointing to a flip chart which has a picture of people with learning disabilities doing different jobs

One important part of the training is having people with a learning disability and, or autism give the training.

A man is worried thinking his benefits may stop

But some people with a learning disability and or autism are having problems with their benefits when they get this job.

Mencap wants the political parties to promise to make the Department for Work and Pensions help fix this problem and help people with a learning disability and, or autism get jobs to give the training.

A learning disability nurse is highlighted in a red star shape next to a group of other NHS nurses

More Learning Disability Nurses

There are not enough learning disability nurses in the NHS.

A learning disability nurse is helping a patient read a leaflet

Learning disability nurses are very important as they can make sure people with a learning disability get the best healthcare and support.

Two people either side of a flipchart which says NHS Health Trainers

Mencap wants all political parties to work with NHS England to train more people to become learning disability nurses.