The uptake of health checks for adults with learning disabilities in England: 2008/9‐2011/12

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to report on trends in the provision of health checks for adults with learning disabilities over the period 2008/9‐2011/12. Design/methodology/approach Analysis of data collected by the Information Centre for Health and Social Care from Primary Care Trusts in England. Findings Over the four years the percentage of eligible adults receiving a health check has consistently increased and now stands at 53 percent. There remain marked variations across both Strategic Health Authority areas and Primary Care Trusts. Research limitations/implications There remains considerable distance to travel before minimum standards of satisfactory performance in the provision of health checks are achieved nationally. It is important to consider possible obstacles to provision and how these can be addressed to improve uptake further. Originality/value The paper examines consistency of good and poor performance by local areas over time. It is clear that significant improvements are required in a number of strategic health authority and primary care trust areas if minimum standards are to be met.