Down's Syndrome site launched

Health Minister Jacqui Smith was today launching a website which aims to combat medical discrimination against people with Down's syndrome and other learning disabilities.

The site, created by the Down's Syndrome Association and St George's Hospital Medical School in London, has been created to provide a broad range of information for medical students and health professionals.

Campaigners said that inadvertent medical discrimination is based on ignorance and that improvements to training and information available will be an effective antidote to the problem.

The website, www.learningdisability.info, has been part-funded by the Department of Health and was being launched in Westminster today where Ms Smith and Lord Rix, president of Mencap, were speaking.

Carol Boys, chief executive of the Down's Syndrome Association, said: "We hope that medical schools across the UK will encourage their students to use the site to improve the currently patchy provision of training in this area."

learningdisability.info