The 2024 Learning from Lives and Deaths - people with a learning disability and autistic people (LeDeR) report has been published by King's College London. It aims to improve the care that adults who have a learning disability and autistic people receive in England.
Responding to the report, Professor Rohit Shankar MBE,
Chair of the Intellectual Disability Faculty at the Royal College of
Psychiatrists, said:
“We welcome the LeDeR report which makes it clear that people with learning disabilities continue to experience poor health outcomes in England and crucially highlights where change is needed. Steps must now be taken to improve services and build on the important progress that has already been made.
“For years, research has shown that individuals with intellectual disabilities die on average nearly 20 years younger than the rest of the population. While it is good that the proportion of avoidable deaths has been reduced to 39%, this is still far too high. Too often, people do not receive the reasonable adjustments they need, and services are not working together to identify and respond to problems early.
“All healthcare staff should be trained to communicate clearly with patients who have an intellectual disability and recognise when they also have a mental or physical illness. However, it is becoming increasingly difficult to provide high-quality care from within services that are overstretched and understaffed. This increases the risk of patients falling through the cracks as services work in isolation rather than having the resources needed to provide co-ordinated support.
“Autistic people are more likely to be affected by a mental illness, which can contribute to poorer outcomes and premature deaths. It is shocking to see the report highlight that they experience much higher suicide rates than the rest of the population.
“The LeDeR report has consistently shone a light on these challenges, which were previously overlooked, and it is vital that these metrics are continued so that there remains focus on addressing them in a meaningful way each year.
“It is positive to see that progress has been made in some areas, such as the recognition of epilepsy alongside intellectual disabilities, but more is needed. Psychiatrists have an important role to play in driving improvements in training, services and joined-up working, all of which would lead to better outcomes for our patients. The College is also working systematically to address these gaps.
“Reducing the health inequalities faced by people with learning disabilities and autistic people must be a priority across the health and social care system and the UK Government must now treat the findings of the report with the seriousness and urgency they deserve.”
For further information, please contact:
- Email: press@rcpsych.ac.uk
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