Introduction

Some people with learning disabilities do not readily attempt to use healthcare facilities. The reasons for this are varied and often include factors such as communication diffi culties and the presence of disabling barriers, such as Jonno encountered above. Therefore, people with learning dis - abilities who do make the effort to access health support services are often thwarted by the disabling barriers that they encounter. Consequently, many people with learning disabilities need appropriate assistance and a service ready and able to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ to enable proper access and benefi t from health services. In the absence of appropriate assistance and reasonable adjustments, their healthcare needs too often remain signifi cantly unmet.