People with learning disabilities die on average 23 to 27 years earlier than the wider population. The LeDeR Programme, (Learning from lives and deaths - People with a learning disability and autistic people) looks at what could be the reasons behind this health inequality, and identifies how we can deliver improvements in the quality of health and social care of people with learning disabilities. The focus of LeDeR is to improve services, reduce inequalities in health and to reduce premature death.

The LeDeR programme is commissioned by NHS England, coordinated by South West and Central Commissioning Support Unit and delivered locally. Every death of a person with a learning disability is individually reviewed as part of the programme, once notified to the LeDeR programme. The findings are then collated into national and local reports to identify key themes and learning points which are used to improve services.

For each individual who has died a reviewer is allocated who will look at the health needs of the person and the care they were getting, as well as whether annual health checks were being carried out, the right services were being accessed, medication was being reviewed, and reasonable adjustments were being made. The reviewers will talk to people who knew the person who has died to find out about their life and death.

Anyone can notify the LeDeR programme of the death of a person with a learning disability. You do not need anyone’s permission to report the death. To report a death please click on this link:  Report a death to LeDeR

More information on LedeR can be found on the NHS England website.

• Read the most recent Birmingham and Solihull Annual LeDeR Report 2020/21
• Read an easy read version of the Birmingham and Solihull Annual LeDeR Report 2020/21
• Read the Birmingham and Solihull Annual LeDeR Report 2019
• Read an easy read version of the Birmingham and Solihull LeDeR Report 2019 

A film of the 2019 Birmingham and Solihull LeDeR annual report is available to watch below:

Working in partnership with other organisations, a 3 year strategic plan for Birmingham and Solihull has been written, which focusses on some of the key areas of improvement needed to improve the health and experiences of people with learning disabilities and their families.

Read our 2021 - 2024 Strategic Plan or access the easy read version.

Birmingham and Solihull CCG worked with local advocacy groups and Solihull Experts by Experience to develop some short videos which highlight the inequalities faced, what the strategic priorities mean for them and what they would like services to do:

• What the strategic priorities mean for people with learning disabilities
• What we want services to do
• Impact on inequality on people with learning disabilities

Why LeDeR matters:

 Further information on the national programme:

The most recent national annual report was produced by Bristol University, you can read the report here.

You can access the LeDeR national website here.

If you would like more information about the local LeDeR programme please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.