A right to appropriate healthcare

People with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD) often have a higher level of associated healthcare needs and require good and appropriate support from the NHS.

• We must campaign for regular health checks with the person’s GP and wider primary healthcare teams as well as health action plans for all.
• We must campaign for better NHS provision in areas such as postural care, dysphagia and so on.
• We must make sure that the needs of people with complex health needs are represented within NHS commissioning.
• We must campaign for better experiences in acute hospital settings for people with complex health needs.

Find out what we are doing

• Mencap’s Death by Indifference campaign report showed that people with a learning disability are not getting the healthcare and treatment that they need. It triggered an Independent Inquiry. The report from this Inquiry has made strong recommendations for change.
• The Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities (FPLD)’s Healthy Lives project aimed to improve people with learning disabilities health by incorporating and connecting person centred planning and health action planning into people’s lives.

Find out what others are doing

• A research study is taking place to investigate access to osteopathy for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities from the perspective of the carer. For more information about this study contact: J.Gillitt@bso.ac.uk

What you can do

• Mencap is part of the ‘Protection of body shape’ steering group which is working to raise awareness about the importance of aiming to protect body shape (also known as ‘postural care’). The group has developed a survey to find out more about postural care and develop strategies which aim to protect body shape. Find out how to take part in the survey
• Tell us what you are doing
• Get involved!

Resources

Read our Health, Person Centred Planning and Other resources