Voice & Participation Group speaks up on health inequalities

Health, News, Voice & Participation July 8th, 2026

At our recent weekend meeting, we talked again about what health inequalities are and how these affect people with learning disabilities.

We discussed and signed Learning Disability England’s open letter calling on the Government to make a clear plan to improve the health of people with learning disabilities.

We shared our experiences of using health services and talked about some of the barriers we face. These included:

Not always being listened to.
People speaking to our carers or family members instead of speaking directly to us.
Difficulty making appointments and getting to them.
Transport problems, especially when services are far away.
Digital systems that can make things harder.
Not having enough choice about appointments or healthcare professionals.
Worries about accessing NHS dentistry.

We also talked about how unfair and stressful it can be when people are blamed for missing appointments. Sometimes this happens because they do not have the support they need, cannot get transport, or face other challenges that are beyond their control.

Our message is clear: health services need to listen to people with learning disabilities and involve us from the start.

As members of Reach’s Voice & Participation Group, we have experience helping organisations improve services through co-production and co-design. We are ready to work with services in Nottinghamshire to help people live happier, healthier lives.