Annual Health Checks - Your health matters

Everyone deserves the best possible life.

Annual Health Checks are a friendly and supportive way to help people with a learning disability stay healthy and happy. We know that people with a learning disability often have poorer physical and mental health and live shorter lives than people without a learning disability, and we want to help change this statistic across Cumberland.

We are launching our Annual Health Checks project to help people with a learning disability, their families and carers understand the importance of these appointments.

What is an Annual Health Check?

An Annual Health Check is a routine health assessment completed by a health professional once a year. Anyone aged 14 years or older who has a learning disability should be invited to attend this vital appointment.

An Annual Health Check is designed to help you stay healthy by identifying any problems early. A health professional should check things like your:

Weight and height
Blood pressure
Your heart and breathing
Eyes and ears
Your lifestyle
Current medications

During the Annual Health Check you will get to know health professionals better, and they can offer any help before issues become a problem.

What to do if you have not been invited to an annual health check?

If you (or the person you support) is over 14 and has a learning disability they should have been invited for an annual health check. You should contact your doctor's surgery to make sure that:

You (or the person you support) is on the learning disability register
You (or the person you support) is identified as having a learning disability
That your surgery offers annual health checks, and if not ask which surgeries in the area can provide one.

Frequently Asked Questions

Take a look at the top asked questions...

If you (or the person you support) is over 14 and has a learning disability they should have been invited for an annual health check. You should contact your doctor's surgery to make sure that:

You (or the person you support) is on the learning disability register
You (or the person you support) is identified as having a learning disability
That your surgery offers annual health checks, and if not ask which surgeries in the area can provide one.

Adults and young people aged 14 or over with a learning disability who are on the doctor's practice learning disability register should be invited by their doctor to come for an annual health check.

Most doctors offer annual health checks to people with a learning disability. But they do not have to offer this service. If your doctor's practice has not offered you an annual health check, you can ask them if you can have one.

If they say no, ask your local community learning disability team to help you get one. You can also ask your doctor if there's another GP surgery in your area that provides health checks.