Basildon Sporting Village Hosts Our Big Health Day

On Thursday, 18th June Sport for Confidence hosted ‘The Big Health Day’ to improve the accessibility of health and care services for individuals with a Learning Disability and / or autism in South Essex. 

 

Findings from the LeDer report (2022) show that, on average, people with a learning disability and autism die at the age of 55. The average age of death for the general population is 82 years, meaning that people with a learning disability and autism are dying 27 years younger than the general population. A significant contributing reason for this is that, traditionally, people with a disability and/or Autism can struggle to access services and easy to understand information on vital health topics such as cancer screening which leads to potentially fatal health risks going undetected. 

 

Occupational Therapists play a key role in tackling health inequalities as they bring their comprehensive understanding of why people, groups and communities are not able to engage in occupations that have health benefits and provide practical support to enable people to access health care they are entitled to. 

 

Naomi Tucker, Occupational Therapist, Sport For Confidence, says: “Specifically, people with learning disabilities and/or autism often have poorer physical and mental health than the rest of the population, which leads to many dying earlier than they should from conditions that could have been treated or prevented. 

 

“Our work is about breaking down barriers and improving access to healthcare through awareness and education both with the targeted population, to know their rights, as well as organisations and professionals to ensure they are delivering on this.” 

 

The Big Health Day is part of a two-year funded partnership between Sport for Confidence and the Basildon and Brentwood Alliance (NHS Integrated Care Board) designed to reduce health inequalities for individuals with learning disabilities and / or autism. The event was delivered in collaboration with many other community health and social care organisations including: The South Essex NHS learning disability team, local Primary Care Networks (PCNs), Social Care services, as well as local organisations such as the Hamlin Trust and REMAP. 

 

Sport for Confidence offered opportunities for people to engage in physical activity sessions, to highlight the benefits of physical activity to support a person’s holistic health. The day also presented opportunities for people to find out about important health screenings such as breast cancer, testicular cancer and diabetic eye screening in an accessible way. 

 

Representatives from local GP practices and Primary Care Networks were also present supporting individuals to book their Learning Disability Annual Health Check. Attending a yearly Annual Health check is an effective way of identifying previously unrecognised health needs including those associated with life-threatening illnesses (Public Health England, 2024) 

 

Sport for Confidence focuses on tackling health inequalities, making it a priority for everyone to access the local services they may need to look after their own health and wellbeing. With three occupational therapists now working within Primary Care, the organisation is extending its reach and influence, engaging as many adults as possible with learning disabilities and long-term health conditions, to support people to access and integrate in their community, to lead a fulfilling and meaningful way that supports their mental and physical health. 

 

Alongside The Big Health Day, Sport for Confidence is working within the Primary Care space to support GP practices to be more accessible. This includes working towards the Learning Disability Friendly GP Accreditation which ensures GP practices are delivering good quality Annual Health Checks, making reasonable adjustment for their patients and demonstrating person-centred care. Going to the GP is the first point of contact into the healthcare system and if that is not accessible or supported for people with LD/autism then vital health needs go undetected. 

 

 

For more information on the work of Sport For Confidence in Primary Care, visit sportforconfidence.com