Covid 19 vaccine and Learning disabilities

[Laurenalexiskelly]

My DS is twenty two years old with moderate learning difficulties.
He attended a Special school and receives PIP. I get carers allowance for him. I am getting my first dose next week.
With the announcement today of prioritising adults with learning disabilities for the vaccine, I emailed the Doctors and asked if he could go the Learning Disability Register.
They say he doesn't qualify to go on it and the priority group is only for severe learning disabilities and he will have to wait his turn and go in his age group.
On the BBC, they are stating all Learning Disabilities are eligible.
Who is right ?

Anyone with any level of learning disability should be on the learning disability register with the GP. You are correct. Call the GP back and explain he's made an error and he needs to go on the list. If he won't budge call your local learning disability team and explain your son is being denied access to health appointments he needs because of his GP. Your son should have an annual health check with the GP to check he is well for example. Our area has LD liaison nurses who would support with this issue. Good luck!

Are you in England? It was only announced very recently, so it could be that your GP is a bit behind.

I know it's been announced in Scotland too, but I'm not sure about other parts of UK, so it may depend on where you are.

(I'm talking about the vaccination priority btw, not the Learning Disability Register.)

Just to clarify is it a learning DIFFICULTY or DISABILITY? Those terms aren't interchangeable.

It's a learning disability.
I have spoken to the Practice Manager and she insists he does not qualify for the list and says it is very strict. She says it states on his records that he has learning disabilities but they have to be profound.
We are in England.
She said only those with Cerebral Palsy or Downs Syndrome could have the vaccine earlier.
He doesn't have any yearly health checks.
I have emailed Mencap to see what they say.

Sorry just realised in my first post I had used the word difficulties by mistake.

I have no idea what she is talking about. I don't know much about the vaccine roll out so can't comment as much on that but everyone with a learning disability should be on that register. If mencap are not able to support then contact your local learning disability team and they should be able to help you sort this out.

Mencap are reporting this, you are just ahead of the practice. Email the practice cut and paste the information you need and ask for clarification and confirmation of a new code to group 6.

This really is unacceptable. I work for a local Mencap in a region where there has been a big drive over recent years to ensure that everyone with learning disabilities is on the register with their GP. It is definitely not just those who have a profound learning disability.

Different but I've spent most of the day trying to get someone with severe mental health difficulties on the list. It's so infuriating when the government literature says one thing and the docs another. So feel your pain

Thanks for all the replies. I have emailed again with all the information and it is being passed over to a clinician.
I'm not very hopeful though.
MissMarpleTheMurderer
I hope you manage to get it sorted out. I feel like I'm going round in circles. I don't know why the surgery are making it so complicated.