Disability

The NHS defines a learning disability as a 'reduced ability and difficult with everyday activities, affecting the way a person learns and the ability to understand complex information, learning new skills or looking after themselves at home'.

People with learning disabilities have a much greater propensity to develop health problems, both physical and mental health, as compared with the general population. There are over 2 million people in the UK living with sight loss. By 2050 this number is predicted to almost double to just under four million people.

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Our resources

Data and reports

The Neurodivergent HNA for adults, produced in 2023, highlights substantial health inequalities affecting adults with learning disabilities, autism and ADHD in Kent, including markedly lower life expectancy, unmet healthcare needs, and disadvantages in housing, employment and financial wellbeing. Demand for diagnostic and support services is rising, while many people report barriers to access, poor communication and inadequate support. The report calls for coordinated system-wide improvements, service redesign and stronger co-production to reduce inequalities and improve outcomes.

In Kent, the prevalence of a learning disability (as recorded by General practices) is about 0.6% of the population. This presentation (PPTX, 2.6 MB) also explores, educational outcomes, employment, health checks, and, other long term conditions compared to England and the South East.

Additional information can be found in our Health and Social Care Maps self-serve tool. We are constantly developing this resource in response to your feedback.

We have produced literature reviews for support for families with disabled children, and access to Special Educational Needs and Disability services for Nepalese families.

We have also produced an eye health needs assessment (PDF, 1.3 MB), estimates of the prevalence of cerebral palsy in Kent, and an analysis of the uptake of learning disability annual health checks (PDF, 1.5 MB).

External resources

A number of organisations produce statistics relating to disability and its impact on health, both at national and local levels.

NHS Digital provides a range of statistics relating to disability and learning disability. They also publish the following reports and statistics on particular topics:
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) provides a range of statistics relating to disability.
The National General Practice Profiles present a range of practice and CCG-level data relating to learning disabilities and sensory impairment.
The Office for Health Improvement & Disparities (OHID) Learning Disability Profiles provide a range of data about people with learning disabilities at Local Authority level.
The KCC area profiles contain 2021 census data on people with long-term health problems or disability at various geographies.
The Foundation for People with Learning Difficulties provides a summary of key statistics on health inequalities for people with learning difficulties.