Increasing awareness and take-up of learning disability annual health checks for young people in Gateshead

Everyone aged 14 and older with a learning disability is eligible for an annual health check. In late 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, uptake of annual health checks in Gateshead, particularly among young people aged 14-25, was low, while awareness was inconsistent. The Integrated Care Board (ICB), led by the Designated Clinical Officer (DCO), initiated a piece of work that has increased uptake year-on-year since late 2020, which leaders believe is crucial to improving identification of need, transition to adulthood, and long-term health outcomes for people with learning disabilities. This has been achieved through a combination of pro-active work to spread good practice across primary care settings, providing information and training to parents/carers, education settings, and local authority SEND teams, and developing simple, practical resources to improve take-up of annual health checks.

The SEND Effective Practice Evidence Framework considers that the “strength of evidence” of this case study is promising – the work has been evaluated and shared internally, and has been sustained for three years. The “breadth of impact” of this case study is promising – there is evidence of impact in relation to take-up of annual learning disability health checks, and positive feedback from professionals, as well as some anecdotal evidence about the impact on the lived experience of young people.