Better training for medical students can combat health inequalities for people with learning disabilities

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People with learning disabilities experience health inequalities and can face significant barriers in accessing healthcare. Whilst doctors have traditionally received little specific training in this area, there are increasingly new initiatives aimed at changing attitudes and improving knowledge and skills.

Here, in her debut blog, Genevieve Young Southward looks at an Australian initiative that aimed to involve people with disabilities directly in the training of medical students.

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We need to empower & educate all stakeholders and provide person-centred care to move LD health care forward and reduce health inequity

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Despite an increasing body of research evidence that demonstrates the ongoing health inequalities experienced by people with learning disabilities, there have been few changes in policy and practice.

In her debut blog, Rosalyn Hithersay presents a paper that describes a series of workshops that took place in 2013 with the aim of addressing this shift from evidence to action.

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Social determinants of mental health: how our societies are making us mentally unwell and what we can do about it

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Mark Horowitz summarises the new WHO and UCL Institute of Health Equity (Michael Marmot) report and research paper on social determinants of mental health. He concludes that it’s time to focus on the root causes of mental distress, namely poverty, unemployment, poor education and social isolation.

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Cultural competence education for health professionals: does learning about culture make any difference to patients?

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John Baker summarises a recent Cochrane systematic review of cultural competence education for health professionals, which tentatively concludes that low quality evidence supports this approach.

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Commissioning to address mental health ethnic inequalities

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Caroline De Brun highlights the new guidance for commissioners of mental health services for people from black and minority ethnic communities, produced by the Joint Commissioning Panel for Mental Health.

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BMA sets out actions for ‘parity of esteem’ in learning disability health outcomes

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During her presidency of the BMA, Professor Sheila Hollins has hosted a number of seminars on issues faced by vulnerable groups in the NHS, one of which looked at the issues facing people with learning disabilities. This report by the BMA Board of Science aims to move towards ‘parity of esteem’, a term which is [read the full story…]

Guide for CCGs on Personal Health Budgets for people with learning disabilities

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Background Personal Health budgets were introduced to enable people with long term conditions and disabilities to have greater choice, flexibility and control over the health care and support they receive. This month (April 2014), people who are eligible for NHS Continuing Healthcare (NHS CHC) will have the right to ask for a personal health budget. [read the full story…]

New charter for social care organisations to tackle health inequalities for people with learning disabilities

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Last year, we posted a guest blog by Pauline Heslop, a researcher at the Norah Fry Research Centre, who set out the alarming findings of a confidential enquiry into premature deaths of people with learning disabilities. The enquiry found that people with learning disabilities die significantly younger in England and Wales than people without learning [read the full story…]

Cochrane review finds no clear evidence for psychosocial interventions to help people with both severe mental illness and substance misuse

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Marcus Munafo
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Substance use is common in people with mental health problems, and this can have important negative consequences for health and social function. The high comorbidity of mental health problems and substance use is a major contributor to the shorter life expectancy of this population – a person with a severe mental disorder can expect to [read the full story…]