Make sure you're on the learning disability register to receive your vaccine
People with learning disabilities are much more likely to die of Covid and other illnesses which sometimes aren't picked up in time.
Latest figures show people with learning disabilities die over 20 years earlier than the general population. They are also between 4-6 times more likely to die of Covid (see below).
On Wednesday the government announced that all those with learning disabilities, who are on their GP's learning disability register, will now be invited to have the Covid-19 vaccine.
One of our Area Leads, Maisy Griffiths, says it is very important to get on the learning disability register as this also means people will get invited to have their annual health check.
Maisy has been working with other local organisations (Local clinical commissioning group, Southern Brooks and South Glos Council) to help improve health experiences for people with LD in the local area by creating a checklist for people to fill in before their annual health check to help reassure them and is a way of noting down their needs and requirements. Currently, only around 25 per cent of people attend these check-ups which means often treatable conditions aren't picked up.
Our checklist should be filled out and taken to the check-up. See the 'Download' button at the bottom of the page.
People with LDs can often die of preventable conditions such as constipation and cancers that are missed. (Learning Disability Mortality Review (LeDeR) Programme: Action from Learning https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/action-from-learn…)
A recent report published by Bristol University found that younger people with learning disabilities were much more likely to die of Covid than the general population where over 85s made up 45 per cent of deaths. This report also recommended that health checks be promoted more widely as this could really improve health outcomes for those with LDs.
Read more here Bristol University report Learning Disability Deaths and Covid
This is a positive step forward and we welcome the development today to recognise the vulnerability of people with a learning disability and offer them a vaccination. Sadly it has been known for some months that long-term health conditions, which are more prevalent in people with a learning disability, are associated with death from COVID 19
The report, Deaths of people identified as having learning disabilities with COVID-19 in England in the Spring of 2020 examined data from The English Learning Disabilities Mortality Review (LeDeR) and NHS England’s COVID-19 Patient Notification System which records deaths in hospital settings.
It found 451 per 100,000 people registered as having a learning disability died with COVID-19 between 21 March and 5 June, a death rate 4.1 times higher than the general population after adjusting for other factors such as age and sex.
But as not all deaths in people with learning difficulties are registered on these databases, researchers estimated the real rate may have been as high as 692 per 100,000, 6.3 times higher.
The latest LeDeR report (May 2020) shows strong concerns about the quality of care for people with LDs, and an average age of death that is 23 years younger than the general population for men with a learning disability and 27 years younger for women.
Downloads
Healthwatch Checklist for people with learning disabilities
