Learning Disabilities Collaborative – increasing uptake of flu vaccines and annual health checks
The West of England Learning Disabilities Collaborative (LDC) was established in early 2019 to address the disparity in age of death for people with learning disabilities and the general population. Many of these deaths continue to be from avoidable causes, such as pneumonia and sepsis. Working closely with primary care, the LDC focuses on three key priority areas:
- Using the National Early Warning Score 2 (NEWS2) and soft-signs tools to support early identification of physical deterioration.
- Increasing uptake of, and standardising the quality of, annual health checks.
- Increasing uptake of the annual flu vaccination, including promoting the nasal vaccine as a reasonable adjustment for people with a severe needle phobia.
New videos – Increasing the uptake of Annual Health Checks
NHS England and NHS Improvement South West, with support from the West of England AHSN, have created a new suite of free videos to assist healthcare professionals to increase the uptake of Annual Health Checks for people with learning disabilities.
The videos focus on building knowledge and awareness for healthcare professionals on managing the checks, understanding more about reasonable adjustments, The Mental Health Capacity Act and remote consultations.
A second suite of videos for people with a learning disability, and their carers and parents, who may want to learn more about the check is also available. A number of the videos feature Misfits Theatre Company from Bristol. Videos also discuss managing oral health to avoid future complications and how a Health Action Plan can be of benefit.
Videos are no longer than 7 minutes, with most around 4 minutes.
Read more about the West of England Learning Disabilities Collaborative.
