“I’m George. I’m not Down’s George or Down Syndrome George. I’m George. That’s who I am.”
George Webster has become quite the household name in recent years. A CBeebies television presenter and a BAFTA winner, his highly successful picture book, This is Me, was released last year. We sent him a copy of our new Nuffield Trust report, Preventing people with a learning disability from dying too young, which he read and then discussed with his Dad, Rob. We were delighted to get a video of this conversation and to hear George’s main reflections on the new report.
The paper looks at five important health care services and functions that could be improved for people with a learning disability, and makes a series of recommendations to improve their health.
Staff training
One suggestion from the report is that giving training to health and care workers on how to use the Digital Flag – which tells staff if a person has a learning disability – will help that person get the support they need when using health services, and will also help staff know what extra support they can give. George agrees that this is a good idea.
“I think people should get trained,” he tells Rob. “All of us need to respect each other equally. We all have different needs – physically, mentally and medically in life. Just see us as us, not us with a learning disability. That’s what I think doctors, nurses and other staff in the NHS should be trained on.”
“So they see you as you, and make adjustments as well?”, asks Rob.
“Yes, look at what people need. Don’t think they are not able to do something.”
Weight management
The report also finds that people with a learning disability are more likely to be obese, particularly during their teenage years and in young adulthood. George, who is a founding officer of the National Down Syndrome Policy Group and an ambassador for Mencap, acknowledges that this may be true, but that we should be wary of painting everyone with the same brush.
“There are a lot of people with a learning disability who are obese, but there are also some with a learning disability who are not obese. Look at me! I’m not obese. I have friends with a learning disability and they’re not obese. We all need to be educated in making healthy choices and to know what isn’t healthy, to make sure we’re healthy and fit.”
He agrees with the report’s suggestion that support should be put in place for people who are overweight to lose weight. “They’ll then know what they can and can’t consume every day,” he argues. “It’s important to have the right amount of calories. Make sure that people have the right food, make sure on the right portion sizes, make sure they’re not eating a lot of bad food. You can have it once as a treat, but not every day.” He concurs with the suggestion that this could be labelled a weight management service – something he jokes he already receives through his parents and his sister!
Better coordination and support
One vital reflection from the report is that people with a learning disability find it harder to get the help they need to stay healthy. They need better support for mental health problems, and their physical health problems are often found later.
George says he agrees with one of the main report recommendations, which is that the number of health and social care staff working in care coordination roles needs to be increased, to help join up care for people with a learning disability. “Lots of people with a learning disability do get support,” he says. “But there are some others who don’t.”
The report argues that the NHS should make annual health checks better for people with a learning disability. George again concurs – the quality of those checks should be “more than good”, he argues – although his own experience on this is better. He knows his nurse practitioner well and their relationship is good. “It gives me a chance to talk about things medically, and he can advise me on stuff.”
He receives his annual review at the GP because they know he has a learning disability. “Yes, they know that, but they don’t see that,” he says positively. “We do not describe ourselves as someone with a learning disability, or a learning disability person. We’re all people.”
*George Webster is a CBeebies star, a BAFTA winner, an author and an ambassador for people with Down Syndrome. He has been described as a pioneer, with his BBC Bitesize piece on myths around Down Syndrome and his Strictly dance receiving millions of views online.
The new Nuffield Trust report on improving health and care services for people with a learning disability has been published today.