Adults with learning disabilities die 20 years early, report finds

People with learning disabilities and autism in England are dying almost 20 years younger than the rest of the population, a long-awaited report has said.

The annual mortality review commissioned by NHS England, external was originally meant to be published last year but faced repeated delays.

It found 39% of deaths of people with learning disabilities and autism were classed as avoidable in 2023, almost twice as high as the general population.

NHS England said it was rolling out more training for staff and identifying patients with learning disabilities earlier so they can be given more appropriate care.

The charity Mencap says about 1.5 million people in the UK have a learning disability which it defines as a lifelong reduced intellectual ability, usually identified soon after birth or in the early years.

The Learning Disabilities Mortality Review (LeDeR) was created in 2015 to try to understand why so many in that group were dying younger than the wider population and from avoidable causes.

The latest research, led by a team at King's College London, looked at data from the deaths of 3,556 adults in 2023 and compared it to previous years.

It found that while there had been some improvements, with life expectancy increasing slightly to 62.5 years old, those with learning disabilities and autism were still experiencing significant inequalities.

"These stark new figures show people with a learning disability are dying a shocking 19.5 years younger than the general population," said Mencap's chief executive Jon Sparkes.

"People with a learning disability and their families deserve better. In this day and age, no one should die early because they don't get the right treatment."

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Source: BBC News, 2 September 2025