Missing the mark on health checks

In May 2022, the Scottish Government made the announcement that it would provide health boards with the necessary funds to ensure that every Scot with a learning disability would be offered an annual health check.

- BY WEST SCOTLAND LABOUR MSP PAUL O'KANE

A total of £2 million per year was pledged to health boards to deliver these checks and it was specifically stated that by March 2023, all Scots would have been offered their first one.

This announcement went somewhat under the radar at the time but it was nevertheless a bold and welcome development.

People with learning disabilities experience higher rates of undiagnosed conditions and preventable illnesses and, on average, die 20 years earlier than the general population.

Unfortunately, what was promised was not delivered.

March 31, 2023 had come and gone and many boards had still not started to offer the checks.

The new deadline for checks to start being offered was March 31, 2024.

In November last year, it was revealed that the majority of boards had barely started to offer the checks.