Annual health checks
5 mins read
This advice applies to England only.
Young people aged 14 or over with a learning disability are entitled to a free NHS health check every year. It is a chance for you and your child to talk to the GP and nurse about any health worries you have. And it allows GPs to spot and treat any health problems early.
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What are annual health checks?
Young people aged 14 and over with a learning disability are entitled to a free NHS health check with their GP every year.
Studies show people with learning disabilities have poorer physical and mental health than other people and die younger. Many of these deaths are avoidable. Sometimes health and medical problems get missed because professionals only see someone’s disability.
Annual health checks are designed to tackle these health inequalities. They are a chance for you and your child to talk about any health worries you have. And they allow GPs to spot and treat any health problems early. At the moment, only 53% of eligible people with learning disabilities are having annual health checks.
Annual checks can also make your child more confident about attending GP appointments. And they allow the GP and practice staff to get to know them and their care needs better, including any reasonable adjustments and communication preferences.
How to get an annual health check
Your child needs to be on their GP’s Learning Disability Register to receive an invitation for an annual health check. You can ask for your child to be registered at any time. But they will only be invited for an annual health check when they turn 14. This should happen automatically each year.
The GP Learning Disability Register allows the practice to identify children, young people and their families who need extra help to access healthcare. Your child being on the register also helps identify you and their siblings as carers. The GP will ask for your young person’s consent to add this information to the record. When your child is added to the register, a specific code is added to their medical record.
Your child does not need a formal or clinical diagnosis in order to join the register. The GP’s judgement is enough. If it is unclear whether your child has a learning disability, ask the GP to assess them with this simple Learning Disability Register Inclusion Tool.
Children over 16 may need to ask to join the Learning Disability Register themselves. If they are unable to make this decision, talk to their GP about making a “best interests” decision using the Mental Capacity Act (2005). This should involve family carers.
Some GP practices don’t offer annual health checks. Ask your local community learning disability team or learning disability nurse for advice if you’re in this situation. They should be able to help you access an annual health check.
Annual Health Checks for people with learning disabilities are entirely voluntary. If you feel your child’s specialists are adequately monitoring their general health needs, you may decide the health check is not for them.
What happens in an annual health check?
Before the health check, practices may ask you to complete a pre-check questionnaire to gather information about your child. You and your child might want to jot down any health worries or issues you want to raise.
The practice should ask you and your young person how best to carry out the health check. For example, you may want half the appointment at the GP surgery and half via video link. Find out more about making this kind of reasonable adjustments in our leaflet, Making GP surgeries more welcoming.
A GP and/ or a practice nurse usually carry out the annual health check. This will usually involve:
- A physical check-up, including weight, heart rate and blood pressure.
- Taking blood and urine samples.
- Asking about common health problems like constipation, epilepsy or problems with swallowing.
- Asking about medications and checking your child’s vaccination and screening status.
- If your child has asthma or diabetes, checking how that is going.
- Asking about other health appointments, such as physiotherapy or speech therapy.
- Making sure family carers are getting the support they need.
- Advising on health eating, exercise, contraception and stopping smoking.
The GP or practice nurse may do extra tests for young people if their learning disability is linked to a specific health risk. For example, if your young person has Down’s syndrome, they can test that their thyroid gland is working properly. Tailored health checks may be offered to people with Cerebral Palsy, Foetal Alcohol Syndrome, Fragile X Syndrome, Prader-Willi Syndrome, Rett Syndrome and Williams Syndrome.
Getting a Health Action Plan
After the check-up, the GP should provide you and your child with a Health Action Plan. This will help them know what they need to do to stay healthy.
The Health Action Plan may include information on managing health conditions and explain the support they need to do this. It will state who must provide the support or deliver the service and by when. It may include information on diet, exercise, staying safe and when to go for sight, hearing, and dental checks.
If your child has an education, health and care (EHC) plan, the Health Action Plan can help shape health outcomes.
Helpful resources
Supercharged Me is great for explaining health checks in a fun way. We also like the video Health is Everyone’s Responsibility, and Mencap’s Easy Read guide.
Parents can also find out more from our Annual Health Check factsheet and our guide to Making GP surgeries more welcoming.
Related information
Factsheet: GP annual health checks for children with learning disabilities
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Making GP practices more welcoming: a practical guide for professionals and families
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