Learning disability health inequalities are a ‘national shame’

People with learning disabilities and autism die decades earlier than the general population. We know this from successive LeDeR reports. For people with autism and a learning disability the difference can be approaching 30 years, according to the latest LeDeR report published in November 2023, which is based on data for 2022. Of the 2,054 deaths in people with a learning disability, 853 (42%) were avoidable. The report goes on to make the point that good care can prevent deaths.