- 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.
The LeDeR annual reports are made by researchers at King’s College London collaborating with academic partners at the University of Lancashire and Kingston University London and summatrise the lives and deaths of people with a learning disability and autistic people who died in England.
The Annual Report for 2023 was published in September 2025. Responding to this, a VODG spoeksperson said:
“The latest LeDeR findings highlight the stark realities facing people with a learning disability and autistic people in the UK.
“With 39% of deaths among people with a learning disability and autistic people being avoidable - nearly double that of the general population - this is a sombre reminder of the urgent need for systemic change and should be a national cause for concern.
“As the report highlights, the existing measures to reduce barriers to healthcare, enhance preventative care, and to tackle the profound inequalities remain inconsistent and insufficient.
“While some progress has been made, we cannot expect meaningful improvements without universal application of these checks. As transformations linked to the 10-year health plan are implemented, it is crucial to embed and sustain focus on these vulnerable groups.
“VODG remains committed to advocating for and supporting initiatives that drive changes to create a fair, inclusive healthcare system for people with learning disabilities and autistic people.
“We also echo the sentiment that change is not happening fast enough to address the significant challenges faced by this group, and we urge the Government to ensure that all local health systems maintain the commitment and prioritisation established by the Learning Disabilities Mortality Review.”