The LeDeR programme, funded by NHS England and NHS Improvement, was established in 2017 to improve healthcare for people with a learning disability and autistic people. LeDeR aims to:
- Improve care for people with a learning disability and autistic people.
- Reduce health inequalities for people with a learning disability and autistic people.
- Prevent people with a learning disability and autistic people from early deaths.
People with a learning disability often have poorer physical and mental health than other people and may face barriers to accessing health and care to keep them healthy and are therefore dying earlier than they should. The learning from deaths, people with a learning disability and autistic people (LeDer) Programme was set up as a service improvement programme to look at why people are dying and what we can do to change services locally and nationally improve the health of people with a learning disability and reduce health inequalities. (NHSE)
LeDeR summarises the lives and deaths of people with a learning disability and autistic people who died in England in annual reports. The 2021 and 2022 reports are made by researchers at King’s College London collaborating with academic partners at the University of Central Lancashire and Kingston University London (Kings College London).
Birmingham and Solihull are committed in fully engaging with our national programmes including early deaths of people with learning disabilities and autism (LeDeR) and the learning disability and Autism transformation programme, (Dr Helen Jones) we are working with various departments to work in partnership to get things right and ensure we look on how we can do better within our organisation, this includes working with our expert by experience service users. By finding out why people died we can understand what needs to be changed to make a difference in people’s lives.
What is an LeDer Review?
A standardised review process is used via an integrated care system, which is responsible for ensuring LeDer reviews are completed based on health and social care received by people with a learning disability and autistic people aged four years and over) who have died. LeDer reviews are not investigations or part of a complaints process, each notified death which is notified to LeDer will have an initial review of the health and social care they received prior to their death. (NHSE)
Report the death of someone with a learning disability or an autistic person
Below is a video from NHS England outlining what an LeDer is.
(NHS England, 2023)
What is LeDeR?
