News Release, 14 September 2006
In response to the Disability Rights Commission’s report, ‘Equal Treatment: Closing the Gap’, Barbara McIntosh, Co-Director of the Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities today said:
“It is good that the Disability Rights Commission has put this issue more firmly on the agenda. We have known for many years that people with learning disabilities experience poor physical health, shorter life expectancy and don’t always receive good responses from the NHS.
“We are clear that people with learning disabilities need a comprehensive and sensitive approach to protecting their health. Health promotion needs to start early in life to reduce the impact of known risk factors, and access to good quality primary and secondary health care must be improved.
“The DRC hasn’t fully tackled the issue of the rights of people with learning disabilities to have good healthcare. We need to ensure that there will be much better and more tailored health promotion work as well as improved training for clinical and non-clinical staff working with people with learning disabilities. Too often lack of knowledge by staff lead to very real health needs being overlooked.
“If the Government is serious about equal rights for health care it needs to ensure that care managers, frontline support workers and advocates know how to help people with learning disabilities access the health care they are entitled to.”
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Note to editors
For further information and interview requests contact please contact the press office on 020 7803 1105 / 1128 or email the press office
The Foundation promotes the rights, quality of life and opportunities of people with learning disabilities and their families. We do this by working with people with learning disabilities, their families and those who support them to:
- Do research and develop projects that promote social inclusion and citizenship
- Support local communities and services to include people with learning disabilities
- Make practical improvements in services for people with learning disabilities
- Spread knowledge and information.
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