2023 LeDeR report into avoidable and preventable deaths of people with learning disabilities
The Learning from Lives and Deaths – people with a learning disability and autistic people (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.
In September 2025, LeDeR published their report 2023, which you can read here.
This report analysed the deaths of 3,556 people in 2023 and found that the percentage of “avoidable deaths” – where death occurs in someone under the age of 75 to a condition deemed preventable, treatable, or both – has fallen from 46% in 2021 to 39% in 2023. However, the rate is almost double that of avoidable deaths in the general population. The analysis also found that 37% of cases reported some form of delay in care or treatment, while 28% reported instances where diagnosis and treatment guidelines were not met.
