Bild's Health Inequalities wants to help support people to live long, happy and healthy lives.

Health inequalities refer to the differences in health experienced by different groups of people that are often avoidable and unjustified. Health inequalities are experienced by people with learning difficulties and autistic people throughout their lives. We want to change this.

This is the first generation of people with learning disabilities who are growing older in the community, following the demise of long stay hospitals. Improvements in healthcare are insuring that people with learning disabilities are living longer.

However, serious inequalities in the health treatment of those with learning difficulties and autistic people are experienced at every age and stage and impacts both their physical and mental health. As a result, people with learning disabilities and autistic people are three-four times more likely to die from avoidable causes.

It is essential that appropriate training is given to health and social care staff across the UK, to improve people’s experiences. The voices of people with learning disabilities – and their carers and families – should be at the heart of healthcare decisions.

Our work on health inequalities includes facilitating the established Growing Older with Learning Disabilities (GOLD) initiative. We have held annual conferences on Growing Older with Learning Disabilities since 2019 and host free webinars to support understanding and improve practice.

Our aim and scope: to work collaboratively to improve provision and support for people with learning disabilities:

• Throughout their lives
• Accessing mental and physical healthcare and treatment
• As they grow older
• Who have older carers
• Who have dementia
• Who are preparing for end of life
• (Across the UK)

Our vision:

• People with learning disabilities live a good life
• People with learning disabilities receive good support and provision (including as they grow older and good palliative care)
• People with learning disabilities, family carers and staff have access to information and resources they need and involved in planning their own support and futures
• People with learning disabilities have as good health and wellbeing as rest of the population (reduced health inequalities, loneliness and social isolation, risk of premature death)