Edel Harris, Chief Executive of the learning disability charity Mencap, said:
"Technology is wonderful, but not everyone can access it. The Secretary of State’s announcement that all consultations should be tele-consultations, unless there is a compelling reason not to, could seriously exacerbate the health inequalities that already exist for people with a learning disability. The UK’s 1.5 million people with a learning disability should be offered face-to-face consultations automatically - without needing to ask for them. This is a reasonable adjustment and we will be asking NHS
The NHS is the National Health Service
A service gives people what they need, like healthcare services that help people when they are ill, and support services that give people support. . The NHS gives free healthcare to everyone in the UK and includes things like your GP (doctors) surgery and hospitals. England to ensure this happens – starting with annual health checks."
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For further information, contact Mencap’s media team on: media@mencap.org.uk or 020 7696 5414 (including out of hours).
Notes to editors
About Mencap
There are approximately 1.5 million people with a learning disability in the UK. Mencap works to support people with a learning disability, their families and carers by fighting to change laws, improve services and access to
education
Education is when you learn things. When you fill in a form to get a job, education means you write where you went to school, college or university.
,
employment
Employment means having a job.
and
leisure
Leisure is when you have time to do things you enjoy like playing sports or going to the pub.
facilities. Mencap supports thousands of people with a learning disability to live their lives the way they want.
For advice and information about learning disability and Mencap services in your area, contact Mencap’s Freephone Learning Disability Helpline on 0808 808 1111 (8am-6pm, Monday-Friday) or email help@mencap.org.uk.
What is a learning disability?
- A learning disability is a reduced intellectual ability which can cause problems with everyday tasks – for example shopping and cooking, or travelling to new places – which affects someone for their whole life;
- Learning disability is NOT a mental illness or a learning difficulty, such as
dyslexia
Dyslexia is a learning difficulty. People who have dyslexia can find it hard to read, write and spell.
. Very often the term ‘learning difficulty’ is wrongly used interchangeably with ‘learning disability’; - People with a learning disability can take longer to learn new things and may need support to develop new skills, understand difficult information and engage with other people. The level of support someone needs is different with every individual. For example, someone with a severe learning disability might need much more support with daily tasks than someone with a mild learning disability.