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The government confirmed Monday’s report will be the last LeDeR publication, with future data being recorded for people with autism and ADHD in England, along with other health outcomes.
In a written ministerial statement, Health Minister Preet Kaur Gill said the figures in the report were “unacceptable”.
“I want to assure you that we take them seriously,” she said.
The government is “committed to improving outcomes” through early intervention, she said, as well as focusing on training to identify people with learning difficulties on GP registers, to ensure they attend health checks.
NHS England says it will roll out a “reasonable adjustments digital flag” to ensure all disability adjustments are recorded.
The Royal College of Nurses is concerned about the number of health professionals who are already working with disabled or autistic patients.
According to its own report published earlier this summer, the number of specialist nurses has fallen by 44% – from 7,000 to 4,500 – in just over a decade, and only 500 new recruits have been recruited to learn the specialty this year.
The disability charity’s chief executive, John Sparks OBE, said he was concerned that ending the LeDeR report in its current state would “de-prioritise” the issue.
“This is literally a matter of life and death, and risks reversing years of hard-earned progress,” he said.
“We urgently need to know how the government can support and address independent investigations and, importantly, the causes of avoidable deaths.
“People with learning disabilities need to know that their lives have value.”
For Charlie Lander’s family, LeDeR is an important piece of work that highlights the health inequities some people face.
Lander, who had a severe learning disability and pica syndrome – an eating disorder that leads to cravings for non-food items – He died in the hospital in June 2022 at the age of 48After swallowing a plastic glove that causes intestinal obstruction.
