Having a smear test can be worrying. For women with intellectual disabilities there is the added fear of not understanding what is happening. This book is designed to support women like Carol who is invited to have a smear test. It begins with a nurse telling Carol and her friends how to stay healthy ‘down below’. It goes on to explain what happens to Carol from receiving the invitation for a smear test, making the preliminary visit to the GP practice, deciding whether she will have the smear or not, having the smear, and receiving the results. We then see her being recalled for a further test.

Feelings, information and consent are all addressed. Ideally this book should be used to prepare women before going to have a smear test. It will also be invaluable to GPs, practice nurses and health and other professionals to use during preparatory visits by women with intellectual disabilities, and when women come for a smear test.

Find out more here.

The review was set up to look at how the legislation in the Mental Health Act 1983 is used and how practice can improve. The purpose of the review is to understand the reasons for:

• rising rates of detention under the Act
• the disproportionate number of people from black and minority ethnic groups detained under the Act
• processes that are out of step with a modern mental health care system

The review will seek the views of service users, carers, relevant professionals, and affected organisations in producing recommendations. It will produce a report with recommendations for change in autumn 2018.

More information and links to carer and service user surveys here.

Putting my life down on paper – and looking back over my work as a learning disabilities campaigner – helped me to become me, rather than part of a two

Access the article here.

Latest news from STOMP is available here.

Read the blog here.