We are campaigning for an NHS that includes people with a learning disability
"If
the government
The Government are the people who run the country. They decide how much tax people should pay for things and how things like the National Health Service should work.
really wants to improve the
NHS
The NHS is the National Health Service. The NHS gives free healthcare to everyone in the UK and includes things like your GP (doctors) surgery and hospitals.
in England over the next 10 years, then it has to be better for everyone, including people with
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.
."
- Vijay, Mencap campaigns officer
The needs of people with a learning disability must be included in the NHS 10 Year Health Plan for England
In 2020, Rahima went to hospital for a chest infection. She was excluded from discussions about her care, and decisions were made that disregarded her feelings and wishes. One night, Rahima’s sister, Ferdus, was asked by a doctor to contemplate letting Rahima go, even though she had only come in for a chest infection.
Rahima says that ‘In my experience Experience is when you have learned or tried something before. doctors did not take the time to understand me. I think that the NHS finds it difficult to change how they do things for someone with a learning disability like me. If the NHS works for people with a learning disability then we can get the help we need, and there will be less mistakes’.
Most of the different people and services involved Involved is being included in something or taking part in something. in Rahima’s care do not talk to each other often either, leaving Rahima and Ferdus to pass messages from one to the other, holding all the information themselves, repeating the same things in every appointment and feeling exhausted.
People with a learning disability deserve better NHS services that work for them
Sadly, Rahima is not the only person with a learning disability who has not received the healthcare they need. A shocking 39% of deaths among people with a learning disability were avoidable. A main cause of this is that health services aren’t built to support people with a learning disability.
The NHS is missing the building blocks it needs to care for people with a learning disability. But we know how to fix it. The Government's built a new plan for the NHS in England.
We want an NHS that can meet the needs of people with a learning disability.
People with a learning disability from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds are dying even younger
Research
Research is a way of finding out information which could come from books, or asking people what they think.
shows people with a learning disability from an ethnic minority background are more likely to die younger and has suggested they are more likely to die avoidably. Their deaths are under-reported in
research
Research is a way of finding out information which could come from books, or asking people what they think.
– it is likely this is because they are also missing from the
learning disability register
The learning disability register is a list of people with a learning disability that the doctor’s surgery looks after.
.
NHS changes we are calling for
- We need a healthcare system that works for people with a learning disability. We want to see an NHS which knows if someone has a learning disability, knows what adjustments they need for their care, and knows how to act on it.
- We have already worked with the Government on lots of tools to fix the problems, like the Learning Disability Register, and the Accessible Information Standard, but these are not working effectively due to a lack of resources and prioritisation. The Government needs to make sure they are working well and the NHS can use them.
- The Government has committed to transforming the health service. If they listen to people with a learning disability to build the plan, it will be a transformational opportunity to give people with a learning disability the care they deserve and save lives.
More stories and statistics about healthcare for people with a learning disability
By Mencap
Ismail Kaji
People with a learning disability are more likely to have complex health needs than the general population, yet are also more likely to experience difficulties accessing NHS services, putting them at risk of missing out on the care they need.
The most recent LeDeR report showed that people with a learning disability are almost twice as likely to die avoidably than the general population.
When people with a learning disability die avoidably, this is over three times more likely to be from treatable causes than the general population. Research also shows when people with a learning disability get the care they need, they are less likely to die young (LeDeR, 2025).
Barriers across the healthcare system can prevent or delay people with a learning disability from getting the care they need. Some of the these barriers can be addressed with training – for example difficulties with communication in appointments, or decisions not to treat someone based on their learning disability. However, many of the issues are because of how the NHS works, for example, services not working together well, or organisations Organisations are groups like companies and businesses. not being able to do things in a different way when needed.
Systems and processes were the most commonly reported problem with care in the most recent LeDeR report. To tackle health inequality for people with a learning disability, we need the NHS to change the way it works.
We need the Government to make sure that the NHS works for people with a learning disability by:
- Making sure the NHS has good systems for the needs of people with a learning disability, including those most at risk of missing out on care i.e. from minoritised groups.
- Make sure health services identify people with a learning disability and what support they need.
- Make sure people get the reasonable adjustments they need, such as an appointment at a quieter time of day or
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. - Make sure there is good quality training for NHS staff on learning disability and
autism
Autism is a disability. Autistic people find it difficult to understand what other people think and feel. They also find it difficult to tell people what they think and feel. Everyone with autism is different.
. - Provide joined up, coordinated care for people with complex health needs.
- Offer better support to help people stay well, including improved access to screening.
- Increase the number of learning disability nurses to provide support both in hospitals and in the community A community is the people and places in an area. .
The Government have built its 10 year plan for the NHS (published in Spring 2025). This
consultation
Consultation is finding out what people think about something.
helped them decide the most important issues and how to tackle them.
Mencap have been campaigning on health inequality for people with a learning disability for many years. In addition to our campaigning we:
- Support people and families who have struggled to access healthcare through our Information and Advice Service
- Deliver the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Mandatory means that something must be done. Training in Learning Disability and Autism, helping to ensure thousands of healthcare professionals can provide good quality care to people with a learning disability.
- Work in partnership with organisations such as NHS England and DHSC to help them tackle health inequality and hold them to account for delivering care.
- Amplify the voices of people with a learning disability and their families, ensuring national attention to the issues they face through our parliamentary and media work.