Learning Disability Today
Blue Sky Offices Shoreham
25 Cecil Pashley Way
Shoreham-by-Sea
West Sussex
BN43 5FF
United Kingdom
T: 01273 434943
Contacts
Alison Bloomer
Managing Editor
[email protected]
[email protected]
Blue Sky Offices Shoreham
25 Cecil Pashley Way
Shoreham-by-Sea
West Sussex
BN43 5FF
United Kingdom
T: 01273 434943
Contacts
Alison Bloomer
Managing Editor
[email protected]
[email protected]
Recover your password.
A password will be e-mailed to you.
Nearly half of people with learning disabilities who usually have an annual health check had not had one since March 2020, according to a new report.
It also found that over 60% of people with learning disabilities who routinely see healthcare professionals had seen them less or not at all since before the first lockdown. This is despite 30% of family carers/paid support staff saying the physical health of the person they support had changed for the worse in that time.
The study, which was led by researchers from the University of Warwick and Manchester Metropolitan University, set out to speak directly to people with learning disabilities to hear about their personal experiences during lockdown.
The report is the first of its kind and is part of a UK-wide research project seeking to amplify the voices of people with learning disabilities.
The researchers spoke to almost 1,000 people across two cohorts. Cohort 1 was made up of people with learning disabilities themselves, while Cohort 2 comprised of the family and carers for people with severe learning disabilities who could not respond without assistance.
The study produced both quantitative and qualitative data about how the pandemic has affected one of the most vulnerable groups in our society.
The results highlight how people with severe learning disabilities were disproportionately affected by Covid-19. While 3% of people with learning disabilities in Cohort 1 had received a positive Covid-19 test since March 2020, this percentage rose to 7% in Cohort 2. For comparison, the total cumulative prevalence of people in the UK who had tested positive for Covid-19 by 28th February 2021 was 6%.
Of those who had (or thought they had) Covid-19, 16% of people with learning disabilities in Cohort 1 and 14% in Cohort 2 were hospitalised because of their Covid-19 symptoms.
Furthermore, 16% of people with learning disabilities in Cohort 1 and 8% in Cohort 2 had someone close to them die due to Covid-19.
Shockingly, across Cohorts 1 and 2, 60% of people with learning disabilities (who had routinely seen healthcare professionals before the first lockdown) had seen them less or not at all since. Furthermore, 23% of people in Cohort 1 and 41% of people in Cohort 2 had a medical test or hospital appointment cancelled since the first lockdown.
Having an annual health check is a vital way for healthcare professionals to identify any health related issues early onMoreover, yet just 46% (Cohort 1) and 48% (Cohort 2) of people with learning disabilities who usually have an annual health check, had not had one since the March 2020.
The study’s findings also revealed:
As Wave 2 interviews are due to begin shortly, the researchers are calling for people to join the study who they feel were under-represented in Wave 1. They are looking for:
If you fit any of the above criteria, please contact the research team.
Recover your password.
A password will be e-mailed to you.