Anna’s Blog – Closing the Health Inequality Gap
Recent research from King’s College London found that, according to data from the Office for National Statistics and the LeDeR Programme, people with a ‘profound intellectual disability’ are dying 24 years earlier than the wider population in the UK.
This is an alarming statistic, particularly as 40% of these deaths are considered avoidable. This means that some causes of death could have been avoided if an individual had received good quality healthcare at the right time.
Dr. Rory Sheehan, who co-authored the study and is a senior clinical lecturer at King’s Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, said: “Pneumonia and epilepsy are largely treatable, so seeing them as leading causes of avoidable death in this group points to a gap between the care people could receive and the care they are getting.”
Despite a 6% decrease in avoidable deaths since the LeDeR report in 2021, these findings continue to be a devastating but unsurprising number. The most recent study also found that adults with a minority ethnic background died around 14 years younger than those who were white. Finding these systemic differences only highlights how wide the health inequality gap is for those who also have a learning disability and complex health needs.
This is distressing news and clearly more can and should be done to reduce avoidable deaths. For example, the ‘Oliver McGowan’ mandatory training is an effective tool to help healthcare and care professionals provide safe, informed and appropriate support to autistic adults and adults with a learning disability. Ensuring medical professionals complete this training and view it as the valuable resource that it is, could significantly improve diagnostic outcomes. Initiatives and awareness raising around barriers to health care for people with a learning disability is also key to developing wider understanding amongst political decision makers and health professionals. For instance, local authorities could identify the healthcare services in their communities that remain inaccessible due to poor public transport links and work to improve access for all.
Being more mindful about our health, such as keeping track of health concerns, can also help change health outcomes. Knowing our bodies and understanding our rights are very important ways to get early medical intervention. For example, any adult with a learning disability is entitled to an annual health check-up. Logging any changes or unusual behaviours for non-speaking adults and adults who may need advocacy is essential to ensure health concerns are addressed. We recently wrote about the positive effects of the NHS ‘Martha’s Rule’ initiative, where escalation calls from patients, families, carers and staff have potentially prevented major deterioration of patients’ health.
It is clear that health inequality should be something of the past and more must be done to tackle this. Every person has the right to access high-quality healthcare, have opportunities for targeted intervention, annual health checks, vaccination programmes, and timely management of conditions like pneumonia and epilepsy. Yet research suggests that people with a learning disability often face higher barriers to accessing good healthcare. To see a meaningful change, we need to challenge each area – from inaccessible transport links across healthcare facilities to speaking up when diagnosis fails to address current needs. By working together, we can create better joined-up work provisions that are person-centred, holistic and, ultimately, reduce the gap.
Additional Reading: