Health inequalities and the impact of COVID-19 on people with learning disabilities
Tuesday 30 November 2021, 2.00pm – 3.30pm
The LGA will be hosting a webinar on Health inequalities and the impact of COVID-19 on people with learning disabilities.
Health inequalities such as deprivation, low income and poor housing have always meant poorer health, reduced quality of life and early death for many people. The COVID-19 pandemic has starkly exposed how these existing inequalities – and the interconnections between them such as race, gender, disability or geography – are associated with an increased risk of becoming ill with a disease such as COVID-19. Behind the national figures lie the unequal burdens carried by different population groups and regions. The measures taken to suppress the virus have also affected people differently – with both immediate and longer-term consequences for their health and wellbeing.
The impact of inequalities on the health of people with learning disabilities had already been made clear before the global pandemic in the 2019 Learning Disabilities Mortality Review (LeDeR) reports recommendations. Similarly, the Office for National Statistics has reported the risk of death involving COVID-19 was significantly higher for people with learning disabilities.
Funded by Government and organised by the LGA, this webinar will discuss COVID-19 risk factors and the evidence to date on inequalities impacting people with a learning disability. It will examine both the impact of COVID-19 and the impact of the pandemic restrictions on people with a learning disability as well as what steps councils can and are taking to reduce those inequalities.
Confirmed speakers include:
- Cllr Louise Gittins, Leader, Cheshire West and Chester Council
- Professor Christopher Hatton, Manchester Metropolitan University
This is a virtual Zoom webinar. To book your place, please register below.