Better access to primary healthcare for adults with learning disabilities: evaluation of a group programme to improve knowledge and skills.

Accessible summary • Many people with learning disability have poor health, compared with other people. • Each person taking part in this study told their health story and set themselves health targets. • Some of the things they learnt were: what to do when they are in pain; how to make appointments with the doctor; and how to make their needs clear when they are in the doctor’s surgery. • This research is important in helping people feel more confident when they visit their doctor, and in making it more likely that they are able to stay healthy. • The health of people with learning disabilities is poor when compared with the general population but this difference is not reflected in higher rates of access to primary healthcare. • This paper will report on a study undertaken to run and evaluate a 12-week programme to enable people with learning disabilities to better access primary healthcare. • The importance of this research lies in the successful outcomes achieved, and in the distinctive properties of the programme, which used practice-based groups, and focussed on the development of health skills as well as health knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]