Cancer help for people with learning disabilities

A new service will use specialist nurses to help people with learning disabilities get cancer screenings in East Yorkshire.

Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust said patients with learning disabilities were less likely to attend appointments.

It said the initiative will run in Bridlington and Goole.

Funding is being provided by Humber and North Yorkshire Cancer Alliance as part of a £400,000 project to improve early cancer detection rates.

Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board said the new nurses would "make a real and lasting difference for people with learning disabilities".

“This grant will allow us to take a significant step forward in addressing some of the health inequalities faced by people with learning disabilities in accessing cancer screening services," the board said.

The introduction of a dedicated learning disabilities nurse and creating paid roles for experts "with lived experience", it could ensure support is specialist and meets the needs of communities.

"This initiative underscores our commitment to improving health outcomes for the most vulnerable in our geography, particularly in areas like Bridlington and Goole where deprivation adds further challenges to accessing care," the board added.

The trust added the nurses would be recruited in the near future.

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