Improving the implementation of annual health assessments for people with intellectual disability

About

An annual health assessment is a comprehensive assessment of a person. It is a structured way of identifying health issues and conditions that are preventable.

There is strong evidence that annual health assessments are an effective way to identify unmet health needs in people with intellectual disability.

The Comprehensive Health Assessment Program (CHAP) is an evidence-based tool for carrying out annual health assessments for people with intellectual disability in Australia. There are free versions of the CHAP available for adults and young people aged 12 to 18 years.

This project will focus on making the Comprehensive Health Assessment Program (CHAP) tool freely available to:

• people with intellectual disability
• their families and carers
• disability service providers
• support workers
• practice nurses
• general practitioners (GPs).

Health and disability sectors should share responsibility for ensuring that annual health assessments are completed.

This project is a priority of the National Roadmap for Improving the Health of People with Intellectual Disability.

Funding

We have invested $6.7 million to improve uptake of annual health assessments for people with intellectual disability.

Goals

This project aims to:

• increase uptake of annual health assessments by people with intellectual disability
• increase use of the CHAP tool by people with intellectual disability, their supporters, and GPs providing annual health assessments
• provide more comprehensive health plans for people with intellectual disability that include:
  • action on health promotion and disease prevention
  • improved disease detection and management
• improve communication about health between:
  • primary health care providers
  • people with intellectual disability, their families and carers, support workers and disability service providers.

Progress

We have obtained a permanent licence to update and publish the CHAP tool. 

We have published a 2023 version of the CHAP for adults and a 2024 version of the CHAP for young people aged 12 to 18 years.

We will also:

• ensure people with intellectual disability and their supporters are aware of and can access the CHAP and annual health assessments
• integrate the CHAP into GP software.

Resources

The Comprehensive Health Assessment Program (CHAP) is an evidence-based tool for conducting annual health assessments for people with intellectual disability in Australia. A review and update of the CHAP happens annually, in line with current evidence and clinical guidelines.

Contact

For more information about the annual health assessments, please contact the Department of Health and Aged Care.