Improvement Cymru recently launched the Once For Wales Health Profile.  This document aims to  improve the consistency, safety and timeliness of healthcare provided to people with a learning disability in Wales.

It will provide details of their individual health needs and this can then be used by healthcare providers to provide safe, person-centred healthcare.

Improvement Cymru was commissioned by Welsh Government to lead this work as part of the Learning Disability Improving Lives Programme.

Professor Ruth Northway, from the University of South Wales, who developed the health profile alongside Improvement Cymru, said: “People with learning disabilities continue to experience premature deaths and avoidable health problems due to a range of barriers that limit their access to healthcare. Communication is a key barrier, when people with learning disabilities visit a hospital or medical setting, they can experience difficulty in expressing themselves and getting the care that they need.

The Health Profile aims to help address this through providing key information for healthcare staff. Having one tool that will be used throughout Wales aims to ensure that the tool is clearly recognised by all healthcare professionals. Guidance has been developed to accompany this for people with a learning disability, their families and carers, and for health professionals to assist with the completion of the tool and understanding how it should be used.”