Learning disability assessment at gp surgery

[elliejjtiny]

Had a phone call today from the gp receptionist. Mil answered phone so I don't have many details but I've been asked to take ds4 (aged 9.5) to the gp surgery in March for a "learning disability assessment" .

Anyone know what this is? Or why we've been asked to do it? We already know he has learning difficulties (moderate). I don't really see the point of it as he is already being monitored by school for his learning needs and by 6 different Drs for his various health problems. Although if it means he will be on a higher priority list to see the gp when he needs to then I'm all in favour of that. He rarely needs to see the gp but when he does, we have the usual problems everyone seems to have these days of not being able to get an appointment.

I can only answer from the persepctive of having a (now) adult son with moderate LDs.
We get called up for an annual health check (a bit pointless as he has one main medical need and sees a specialist for that) and he does get offered his Flu and Covid jabs early.
However I will say that if I ring and say he really needs to see them (rare) they are very good at getting him seen quickly. You might find that they are helpful in signposting to support you might not know of (such as a carer's assessment for yourself) too, but that tends to be dependent on you GP's own knowledge base!

Only involved post adulthood but a relative of mine gets an annual health check due to learning disability. I believe it's because they are less likely to be able to spot issues or advocate for themselves and therefore generally have poorer health outcome. The disability team were great at helping and we have a hospital passport for any potential admissions which basically outlines their extra needs and support requirements.

Thankyou. It seems like a really good idea for adults/older teenagers but I do wonder how much use it would be for a 9 year old.

There's really good evidence that those with LDs have poorer physical health so we do this for all with an LD diagnosis. But I thought it was adults only - maybe ring the surgery and double check.

Thankyou. I rang the gp surgery and the receptionist said she didn't know, she could only tell me that the appointment was for 30 minutes with the gp and it was a face to face appointment. He already gets dla, an ehcp and a hospital passport. We are happy with the care he is getting. I don't mind going as long as ds is happy but it seems like a waste of appointment time when people are struggling to get appointments.

Health outcomes for people with ld are much worse than the general population.
If his GP sees him, then they might make some adjustments- straightforward things like giving longer appointments and using face-to-face rather than telephone consultations.

That sounds like a really good idea. My ds has had a lot of problems with his ears and every time he gets an ear infection I have to argue with the gp receptionist that we need a face to face appointment rather than calpol and wait it out. It would be nice to not have to do that.

GPs are supposed to keep a register of all patients with LDs. They then have access to an annual health check and reasonable adjustments made for their appointments to meet their individual needs. Those on the register were also a priority for the Covid vaccine and iirc, should get an annual flu jab as well.

I had never heard of it, but it was mentioned to me by our GP’s Social Prescriber. I booked an appointment with one of the GPs and had the assessment for my ds over the phone, as at the time he was unable talk on the phone himself. All very quick and simple. (I am his registered carer and although my son was older than yours at the time, I’m registered to have full access and responsibility for his medical care, so the GP was happy to deal with me instead.)

I wonder if you might be able to do it via telephone appointment as well, rather than dragging your ds in to the surgery, which seems a bit unnecessary if he is otherwise healthy at the moment. (I tend to avoid visits to the surgery unless essential, especially with the amount of viruses doing the rounds at the moment, as I figure the waiting room is where I am most likely to encounter people who are infectious.)

I just had a phone call from the gp receptionist who said that the appointment had been made in error and he wasn't meant to have it until he is 14. So mystery solved.