Annual health checks and the learning disability register

People aged 14 or over who are on the GP learning disability register are eligible for an annual health check. Reception and admin staff often help patients and carers understand invites, book appointments and reduce missed checks.

Why the register matters

The register allows the practice to identify patients who should be offered an annual health check and to record any reasonable adjustments they need. If a patient or carer asks whether they are on the register, staff should follow the local process for checking or refer the query to the appropriate colleague.

Invites that are inaccessible, poorly timed appointments, or carers not receiving authorised information can lead to missed checks. Frontline staff can help by checking communication needs and recording barriers to access.

Support the process

• Use accessible invites and reminders where possible.
• Check whether a supporter should be involved.
• Record failed attendance and access barriers.
• Escalate repeated missed checks for review.

An annual health check is only offered fairly when the invite, booking and attendance route are accessible.

If a patient repeatedly misses checks, review whether the invitation, booking route or reminder format needs changing before assuming disengagement.

Access to annual health checks depends on the whole pathway: invite letters, telephone booking, reminders, carer contact, attendance and follow-up. If any step is inaccessible, a patient may appear not to engage even though the process is unusable for them.

Register queries