Our researchers are enabling GPs to screen adults and young people with learning disabilities for a range of health conditions through an effective screening tool, the Cardiff Health Check.

People with an intellectual disability experience more health problems than the general population but they find it difficult to report their symptoms or the illness they experience. Cardiff University researchers developed the Cardiff Health Check which enables GPs to proactively screen for physical and mental health problems in adults with intellectual disabilities. This has lead to hundreds of thousands of people receiving Health Action Plans designed to improve their health and wellbeing after various health conditions were picked up through the Cardiff Health Check.

What is the Cardiff Health Check?

Prior to our research, there was no standardised health check for doctors to use to specifically screen people with intellectual disabilities. This meant that treatable illnesses frequently went undetected and there was a gap in care that resulted in reduced quality of life and significant early mortality. For example, men with intellectual disabilities die on average 13 years sooner than men in the general population, and women with intellectual disabilities die on average 20 years earlier than other women.

To address the urgent need for proactive health checking in adults with intellectual disabilities, Cardiff University researchers, led by professor Michael Kerr, developed and evaluated the Cardiff Health Check (also known as the Welsh Health Check).

This assessment tool allows GPs to conduct medication reviews and to proactively screen patients for various health indicators by measuring their weight, blood pressure, urine, smoking status, alcohol consumption and cholesterol. The Cardiff Health Check also considers immunizations, includes cervical and mammography screens, and measurement of respiratory, cardiovascular, abdominal, central nervous system function. It additionally covers medical issues common in intellectually disabled people, including epilepsy, behavioural disturbance, poor mobility and communication difficulties.