Strong Voices

Intellectually disabled individuals have the highest mortality risks of any group, with life expectancies of up to 22 years shorter than those of their non-disabled peers (Beltran-Castillon & McLeod, 2023). This alarming statistic is not due to inherently worse health but to preventable reasons that could be managed through early intervention and regular health screenings.

A lack of systematic health screening is one of the main reasons for intellectually disabled people being overly reliant on emergency and hospital care. They are 2.7 times more likely than non-disabled people to be admitted to the emergency department, and 3.6 times more likely to be hospitalised for conditions that could have been avoided (Beltran-Castillon & McLeod, 2023). Intellectually disabled people also experience higher rates than non-disabled people of lung disease, heart disease, diabetes, cancer and mental health conditions — ailments that benefit significantly from early detection and management.

Implementing annual health checks for intellectually disabled people could be a game-changer

Since 2007, IHC has advocated for funded annual health checks for all intellectually disabled people in New Zealand.

Evidence from gold-standard randomised controlled trials in Australia underscores the effectiveness of these health checks in determining health conditions. These studies have shown a 60% increase in new diagnoses, identifying an average 2.54 additional health problems per individual (Lennox et al., 2007).

UK research has shown significant reductions in emergency room admissions and potentially avoidable hospitalisations, as well as reductions in emergency admissions for intellectually disabled people with severe health needs (Carey et al., 2017).

Annual health checks for intellectually disabled people could save lives

IHC has recently extracted some mortality data from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI). Using this data as well as evidence proving the effectiveness of health checks for the geriatric population, we estimate that implementing annual health checks in New Zealand could save approximately 104 lives each year.

Beyond saving lives, annual health checks for intellectually disabled people would ease pressure on hospitals. Regular health checks would lower demand and wait times for emergency departments and shift the focus from emergency and hospital care to primary care. Plus, the early identification of treatable conditions would allow for a more efficient prioritisation of specialist assessments and treatments.

Universal health checks for intellectually disabled people have been in place in Australia and the UK since 2007. In New Zealand, IDEA Services and other service providers have implemented these checks for intellectually disabled people for many years, but a lack of funding has made wider adoption challenging. The overseas and local experiences in providing these checks give us a solid foundation for rolling out a funded health check programme quickly and effectively if we were to receive additional funding from the Ministry of Health.

Annual health checks for intellectually disabled people would identify health conditions early, keeping people out of hospitals and reducing early mortality. We believe this is a pragmatic, evidence-based approach that aligns very well with the current government’s focus on social investment.

We are uniquely placed in New Zealand to have large data sets like the IDI that we can use to monitor the effects of health checks on intellectually disabled people. If annual health checks were rolled out by the Ministry of Health, it could also use the IDI to monitor and evaluate impacts.

The case for funded annual health checks is not just about extending life expectancy — it’s about ensuring a better quality of life and equitable healthcare for all New Zealanders.