'He was neglected': Adults with learning disabilities dying 20 years early, report says
ITV News has highlighted the scandal, hearing from people with learning disabilities and their families who say their health concerns were dismissed or not taken seriously by authorities, as ITV News Investigations Editor Daniel Hewitt reports
People with learning disabilities in England are dying 20 years younger than the general population, a new NHS report has revealed.
Almost 40% of deaths of learning disabled people were found to be avoidable, almost double the rest of the population.
Campaigners have described the findings as shocking and unacceptable.
The latest 'Learning from Lives and Deaths report (LeDeR)', an annual study into the deaths of learning disabled and autistic people commissioned by NHS England, looked at 3,556 deaths in 2023.
It found the average age of death was 62.5, a slight improvement on the year before, when it was 62.2.
Ethnic minorities with a learning disability die even younger, at 56.9 years of age, for Asian people, the average age of death was 43.2.
That is incredibly young compared to the general population, who live on average to 82.
LeDeR found the most common causes of avoidable deaths were flu and pneumonia (14.9%), followed by cancers of the digestive organs (9.7%) and coronary heart disease (9.5%).
Jon Sparkes, Mencap's CEO, told ITV News that there are a number of reasons for health inequalities for people with learning disabilities and autism.
"Late diagnosis is one of them. Lower rates of screening is another. Health systems being inaccessible, or not communicating effectively with people with learning disabilities.
"It really is not acceptable when we are dealing with something as important as people dying early and twice as many are considered to be avoidable.
“These stark new figures show people with a learning disability are dying a shocking 19.5 years younger than the general population and are three times more likely to die from a condition which could have been treated. 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.
"There is still a huge amount of work needed to improve the life expectancy of people with a learning disability in Black and Asian communities who face the impact of additional intersectional inequalities."
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Eddie Cassie was learning disabled. He needed 24-hour care to help him eat, drink and take medication.
In May 2023, he had a fall at his care home and was admitted to hospital, but it wasn't the fall that killed Eddie, but a lack of care in hospital.
Eddie died in June 2023 from aspiration pneumonia, an infection caused by fluid or matter passing into the lungs.
This was caused by nurses feeding Eddie jelly, despite it being repeatedly highlighted as a food not to be given as it carried a high risk of aspiration due to Eddie's dysphagia, a choking condition.
Teresa and Mary, Eddie's sisters, told ITV News how their brother was neglected due to his learning disability and was powerless to do anything.
"He was declining so rapidly, he didn't understand what was happening. You could see he was really ill, he didn't respond, he was semi-conscious and drowsy," said Mary.
"My sister wiped his mouth because it seemed there was something on his lips, and a whole paracetamol fell out.
"It was neglect," said Teresa.
"It was a lack of understanding of his condition. People didn't take the time to learn about him and understand what his needs were, to keep him safe.
"Eddie was a lost voice."
In July 2025, a coroner ruled that Eddie died through neglect - his death was wholly avoidable.
Rahima Begum, 28, has a learning disability and cerebral palsy. She is cared for at home by her mum in East London. She told ITV News she is fearful every time she needs medical treatment.
When she had to go to the hospital for a chest infection, she said: "I was constantly fighting for respect.
"One time, a doctor was speaking to my sister, and I was awake. He told her that she should contemplate letting me go because of my quality of life. This was so upsetting to hear because I was right there.
"It felt like they had just given up on me and that I was invisible. Also, the fact that he didn't respect me enough to speak to me or involve me. Felt like I was not a person but a thing. This was not a one-off.
"Often, doctors and nurses would not talk to me directly and assume I would not understand.
"The NHS is not built to look after people with a learning disability the way it needs to. Disabilities are complex and unique, so treatment should be tailored to them. One size fits all approach does not work."
The LeDeR report was established in 2015 to tackle the gap in health inequalities for learning disabled and autistic people.
The latest report was due to be published in 2024, but was delayed due to what the Department of Health called "data issues".
ITV News has heard from sources close to the programme that staff face potential redundancies, and the upcoming abolition of NHS England is causing concerns about the report's future.
An NHS spokesperson said: “While this report shows encouraging progress, it is clear there is much more to do to meet the needs of people with a learning disability and autistic people.
“The NHS has rolled out training to more than three million health and care staff to improve the care offered to Learning Disability and Autism patients, and all disabled people have a ‘reasonable adjustment digital flag’ so they are recognised and care for appropriately when getting NHS support.
“The NHS also remains committed to reviewing every death that is notified to LeDeR to make sure lessons are learned to reduce avoidable mortality and health inequalities.
“Practical data issues caused the delay of the report, and we regret the distress this may have caused to bereaved families, their carers & friends.”
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this story, you can email investigations@itv.com
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