Learning Disability England writes open letter to Prime Minister on health inequalities

Learning Disability England is inviting signatories to support its open letter to the government, urging it to prioritise the health of people with learning disabilities.

People with learning disabilities continue to face significant health inequalities and poorer health outcomes. The open letter to the Prime Minister sets out what needs to change to help people live longer, healthier lives.

The letter will be delivered to 10 Downing Street in July and calls on the Government to:

• Create a new national programme and strategy for people with learning disabilities
• Tackle health inequalities
• Keep everyone accountable for making change happen

They are asking organisations and individuals to sign the open letter by 8 July to champion the rights of people with learning disabilities and ensure they are seen, heard, and prioritised in health policy.

Learning Disability England and call for change

In the open letter, members of Learning Disability England say that problems with how people with learning disabilities are treated have persisted for many years. They recognise the work underway to tackle some of these problems, such as the rollout of the Oliver McGowan mandatory training in learning disability and autism and new guidance from the Mental Health Act and the Down Syndrome Act.

However, there is concern that things will not change and that people with learning disabilities will continue to die years younger from illnesses that could be prevented.

They add that there is only one mention of learning disability in the NHS 10-year plan, and reports such as the ‘Learning Disability Mortality Review’ (LeDeR) have faced problems and delays. In addition, there are 44% fewer learning disability nurses than there were 15 years ago, and hospitals are still home to over 2000 people with learning disabilities and/or autism. Other issues include people with learning disabilities being excluded as the NHS becomes more digital.

The open letter suggests some solutions, such as a national strategy based on the ‘Good Lives Framework’ rather than starting from scratch, and a new national NHS programme for learning disabilities that is co-led by a director with a learning disability and co-produced by people with learning disabilities.

They also want all health guidance and plans to have a focus on people with learning disabilities. This includes when plans are published on different conditions or aims, such as cancer or health inequalities, which is the basis of the Learning Disability Today campaign to ensure that learning disability is an seperate section in every NICE and SIGN guidance for healthcare professionals. More joint work is to follow on this campaign.

The letter can be signed using this form.

Alison Bloomer

Alison Bloomer is Editor of Learning Disability Today.

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