You Have the Right to a Free Annual Health Check
If you are 14 or older and have a learning disability, you can have a free health check at your doctor’s GP surgery every year.
This is called an Annual Health Check.
It is your chance to talk about your health, ask questions, and make a plan to help you stay well.
What happens at your check?
A nurse, doctor or another health professional will:
- Listen to you and/or your carer about how you are feeling.
- Check things like your weight, heart rate, and blood pressure.
- Talk about your mental health and how you are coping.
- Review your medications and vaccinations.
- Help you make a plan to keep healthy.
The Annual Health Check can help spot problems early, before you feel unwell. It also helps make sure you get the right care and support.
REMEMBER: This is for people with a learning disability – not a learning difficulty like dyslexia or ADHD. You can ask your GP to check if you are on the Learning Disability Register so you get invited every year.
How we can support:
Video Resources
Introduction to Annual Health Checks
All about your Learning Disability Annual Health Check
In partnership with NHS Birmingham and Solihull, Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care System and Birmingham City Council
Need help getting your Annual Health Check?
Midland Mencap can help connect you to the support you need.
Complete this form and a member of our team will contact you.
Or get in touch with us directly:
Call: 0121 442 2944
Email: checkandconnect@midlandmencap.org.uk
How we can support:
Learning Disability Information
Learning Disability Register
The learning disability register is a list of people who have a learning disability.
Doctors use it to make sure that people with a learning disability get the right support in the right ways. You can ask to be added to the learning disability register by contacting your GP surgery.
Annual Health Check
If you have a learning disability you can have a free, Annual Health Check at your GP surgery. Annual means that it’s done once a year.
Anyone who is aged 14 years or older who has a learning disability can have an Annual Health Check. It will help you stay healthy. You, or your carer, can contact your GP surgery to book your Annual Health Check.
The Annual Health Check usually takes place at the GP surgery. A doctor or nurse will talk to you and your carer about how you are feeling and ask you questions about your health.
Your health check will help you:
• Learn how to stay healthy
• Spot any illness before it gets worse
• Get help and advice about your health when you need it, from the right person.
Health Action Plan
You can ask your doctor to give you a health action plan at your Annual Health Check.
A health action plan is written by you and your doctor and tells you the things you need to do to keep healthy.
It says how you will get the support you need with your health and will help make sure that your appointments with your doctor are easy to understand.
Useful Resources
There are many resources below that will help you learn more about Annual Health Checks.
How to join the Learning Disability Register – English
Letter to give your GP – Download, print and complete this letter
What is an Annual Health Check
Gold Standard Health Check Document
Need help getting your Annual Health Check?
Midland Mencap can help connect you to the support you need.
Complete this form and a member of our team will contact you.
Or get in touch with us directly:
Call: 0121 442 2944
Email: checkandconnect@midlandmencap.org.uk
Carer Information
An Annual Health Check is an ideal opportunity for the GP to become involved in the care of someone you support who has a learning disability.
It also means that any reasonable adjustments that need to be made can be identified early and put in place for each appointment at the practice.
The GP learning disability register enables practice staff to identify people who may need extra help or support to access healthcare.
Anyone with a learning disability diagnosis can ask to go on it.
Benefits of having an Annual Health Check
- The person you support can build their confidence in going to the surgery and their familiarity with practice staff.
- Identification of any previously undetected health needs or health conditions.
- Health needs are acted upon, for example, referrals to other health care practitioners.
- GP’s and practice staff can get to know the person better when they are not unwell.
- Development of a Health Action Plan.
- Link to the local authorities to make sure all Education, Health and Care Plan reviews from Year 9 onwards include a focus on preparing for adulthood.
Additional information can be added to the Summary Care Record which can ‘flag’ reasonable adjustments so that all healthcare professionals that care for them are aware.
What to expect at an Annual Health Check
You may be asked to prepare for the Annual Health Check by filling in a questionnaire.
This will give you the opportunity to highlight anything you or the person you support would like to discuss, or if there might be any elements of the Health Check that they may find difficult or distressing.
It also helps the GP to know as much information as possible prior to the appointment.
During the Health Check, the GP or practice nurse will:
- Discuss and agree on a Health Action Plan.
- Do a general physical check which may include weight, heart rate, blood pressure and taking blood and urine samples.
- Ask about things that people with a learning disability often have problems with, such as epilepsy, constipation or problems with swallowing.
- Review medicines.
- Check any existing health problems such as asthma or diabetes.
- Discuss any other health appointments.
- Ask about the support you are getting.
- Discuss transition planning.
- Discuss how to stay healthy and offer general healthy living advice where appropriate.
Health Action Plans
Health Action Plans (HAPs) are care plans that detail what is needed to keep the person you support healthy.
This should include actions by the GP and other health practitioners and can also include actions for you and the person you support.
HAPs should, at a minimum, include shared goals for all healthcare professionals involved in a person’s care, including their GP, to work on together
Further information and resources can be found here:
Are you supporting someone with a learning disability to get their Annual Health Check?
Midland Mencap can help connect you to the support you need.
Complete this form and a member of our team will contact you.
Or get in touch with us directly:
Call: 0121 442 2944
Email: checkandconnect@midlandmencap.org.uk
Professionals Information
We have some useful links and resources for Social Care and health care professionals and GP’s that can support with Annual Health Checks.
We are happy to work with professionals and GP’s to help ensure that the Annual Health Check process is as smooth as possible, from invite and pre-health check questionnaires, all the way through to Health Action plans and any follow up.
Please reach out to the Check and Connect team at:
Call: 0121 442 2944