Healthcare for men and women with learning disabilities: understanding inequalities in access

Abstract

Healthcare for men and women with learning disabilities (known internationally as intellectual disabilities) has risen up the political agenda in the United Kingdom, propelled by a report from the charity Mencap. This report has resulted in renewed efforts, set out in Valuing People Now, to ensure that people with learning disabilities receive the healthcare they are entitled to. This paper, drawing upon experience in England, describes the challenges of providing healthcare to men and women with learning disabilities; reviews Death by Indifference and the reports produced in its aftermath; presents findings from a small-scale study of access to healthcare undertaken in the East of England; and concludes with a discussion of whether the policies in Valuing People Now will improve healthcare for men and women with learning disabilities.

Keywords:

• healthcare
• learning disability
• inequality
• access

Acknowledgments

The empirical work reported here was funded by the Learning Disability Partnership that we studied. Support for the preparation of this paper was provided by the Health Foundation and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care, based at the University of Cambridge. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health. The authors are grateful to the people who agreed to be interviewed, and the two anonymous referees who commented on the original manuscript.

Notes

1. See www.mencap.org.uk.