“For patients with a learning disability, the potential benefit of the Summary Care Record would be if they are able to add key information about their needs that they want clinicians to know at the point of treatment. This could be important information about how they communicate, for example, how they show they are in pain. The record could also provide contact details for their carer.”

“Mencap’s landmark Death by Indifference report in 2007, and subsequent reports and inquiries, have shown that people with a learning disability face discrimination within the health system, and in some cases die needlessly. 

"Consequently, information in a patient’s Summary Care Record could prove vital for health professionals, especially in cases where a person communicates non-verbally and is therefore reliant on health professionals having sufficient knowledge and understanding of them to provide good and safe healthcare.”

David Congdon, Head of Campaigns and Policy, Mencap