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.
Too many people with a learning disability are dying earlier than they should, many from things which could have been treated or prevented.
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 to improve the health of people with a learning disability and reduce health inequalities.
By finding out more about why people died we can understand what needs to be changed to make a difference to people’s lives.
What is a LeDeR review?
Integrated care systems are responsible for ensuring that LeDeR reviews are completed based on the health and social care received by people with a learning disability and autistic people (aged four years and over) who have died, using the standardised review process.
This enables the integrated care systems to identify good practice and what has worked well, as well as where improvements in the provision of care could be made. Local actions are taken to address the issues identified in reviews.
Recurrent themes and significant issues are identified and addressed at a more systematic level, regionally and nationally.
A LeDeR review is not a mortality review. It does not restrict itself to the last episode of care before the person’s death. Instead, it looks at key episodes of health and social care the person received that may have been relevant to their overall health outcomes. LeDeR reviews take account of any mortality review that may have taken place following a person’s death.
LeDeR reviews are not investigations or part of a complaints process, and any serious concerns about the quality of care provided should be raised with the provider of that service directly or with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) via their online system.
Every person with a learning disability whose death is notified to LeDeR will have an initial review of the health and social care they received prior to their death.
Using their professional judgement and the evidence available to them, the reviewer will determine where a focused review is required. The person’s family has the right to request a focused review. Focused reviews will also be completed for every person from a minority ethnic background.
