The learning-disability annual health check and hospital passport (adults and young people 14+)

Step by step

1. Check you are on your GP's learning disability register

   The free annual health check is for anyone aged 14 or over with a learning disability. Your GP practice can only invite you if they know you have a learning disability and have added you to their learning disability register. Phone your GP practice (you, a family member or a carer can do this) and ask to be added to the learning disability register so you can have an annual health check.

2. Wait for your invite, then book the appointment

   Once you are on the register, your GP practice should invite you for a health check once a year. If you have not been invited, phone the practice and ask to book your annual health check. Ask for any reasonable adjustments you need, for example a longer appointment, a quiet waiting area, the first or last appointment of the day, or an easy-read letter.

3. Prepare for the check

   Think about anything worrying you about your health, any medicines you take, and how you have been feeling. It can help to write things down or bring someone who knows you well. If you already have a health action plan or hospital passport, take it with you.

4. Have the health check with a GP or nurse

   At the appointment the GP or nurse will usually check things like your weight, heart rate and blood pressure, and may take blood or urine samples. They will review your medicines, check your vaccinations, screen for conditions that are more common in people with a learning disability (such as epilepsy, or problems with hearing or sight), and talk with you about how you are feeling, relationships and staying healthy.

5. Agree and get a copy of your health action plan

   Together you agree any actions and next steps and these are written down in your health action plan (sometimes called a health profile). It may include referrals to an optician, dentist or hearing service. Ask for your own copy. If you are a young person with an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan, the health action plan can be discussed at your annual review.

6. Fill in a hospital passport and keep it handy

   A hospital passport tells hospital staff about you: your learning disability, how you like to communicate, what helps you and what to avoid. Download a free template from Mencap or NHS England, or ask your GP or the hospital's learning disability liaison team for one. Fill it in with someone who knows you well and keep it where you can grab it quickly if you need to go to hospital.

7. Use your passport and ask for reasonable adjustments in hospital

   If you go to Northampton General Hospital or Kettering General Hospital, give your hospital passport to the staff and ask them to contact the hospital's learning disability (and autism) liaison team. You have a right to reasonable adjustments, for example easy-read information, extra time, or a quiet space. The liaison team can help make sure these happen.