Doctors actor highlights healthcare access issues on walk

An actor with Down’s syndrome has completed a 16-mile walk in a bid to raise awareness of the barriers people with learning difficulties face when trying to access healthcare.

Rishard Beckett, who played Lawrence in former BBC soap Doctors, walked the canal route from Rugby to Coventry on Thursday.

It came after an NHS-commissioned report said people with a learning disability were, on average, more likely to die from a treatable cause than the general population.

NHS England in the Midlands said GPs were working to ensure people with a learning disability were accommodated by the healthcare system.

Mr Beckett, from Rugby, gave an acting performance with friends during his walk to demonstrate how difficult it can be for people with learning disabilities to answer healthcare questions.

He played the part of a patient who was struggling to respond to questions being asked of him by a doctor.

“I want to help people and make sure that their health is OK,” he told BBC Midlands Today.

Emma O ‘Brien, from charity Grapevine, accompanied Mr Beckett on the walk and said there were “huge barriers” to accessing healthcare.

She said it was easier for people without disabilities to call up a doctor, speak to a receptionist and make an appointment.

“Someone with a learning disability might need reasonable adjustments to be able to do that,” she added.

The latest Learning from Lives and Deaths – People with a Learning Disability and Autistic People (Leder) paper was published in September by King’s College London.

It analysed the deaths of 3,556 people with a learning disability from January to December 2023 and found 39% of them were classed as avoidable deaths – 18% higher than the rate for the general population.

A spokesperson for NHS England in the Midlands said there had been an improvement in care for people with a learning disability over the past few years, with a “measurable impact on health outcomes”.

They said: “Across the Midlands, GPs are working on ensuring that people with a learning disability get the reasonable adjustments they need to access healthcare including recording specific requirements and offering longer appointment slots.”