Following the completion of a nationwide review which was launched in the wake of Connor Sparrowhawk’s death in Oxford, Minister for Care, Caroline Dinenage, speaks about what action the Government is taking to reduce early deaths and health inequalities in people with learning disabilities.

Mr Sparrowhawk, 18, who had autism and epilepsy, drowned in a bath tub while left unsupervised at an NHS care unit Headington in 2013

Every person with a learning disability must receive the same high-quality healthcare you and I expect.

For too long many people with learning disabilities have experienced avoidable harm or have even had their lives cut tragically short, in part because of a lack of understanding about their needs.

This is completely unacceptable.

I want to pay tribute to Dr Sara Ryan, who along with others, have campaigned tirelessly on this issue following the tragic death of her son Connor Sparrowhawk in Oxford, and have given a powerful voice to those who are often not heard.

The Learning Disability Mortality Review (LeDeR) Programme, the first national mortality review of its kind, published its first report and recommendations earlier this year.

It was established to help reduce early deaths and health inequalities for people with a learning disability, and found there was much more to be done to ensure patients were receiving the right support and not unnecessarily suffering, or unthinkably, dying, as a result of poor quality of care.

So we’re taking action, rolling out measures to address the inequality in life expectancy between people with learning disabilities and the wider population. Importantly this will include consulting on a commitment to expand training for all health and care staff caring for those with learning disabilities so they are better equipped to provide compassionate and informed care.

This training could cover the relevant sections of law, the need to make adjustments to the way care is provided, and how to provide the kind of care which will help people reach their full potential.

Recently I visited the Royal London hospital in Whitechapel and met an out-patient called Aiden.

He has a ‘passport’ that tells all health and care staff, wherever he goes in hospital, about his health needs, his likes and dislikes and the best way for staff to communicate with him.

This is such a simple tool to make sure people with learning disabilities aren’t faced with endless questions they might not be able to answer, or struggle with.

Most importantly, it ensures their care can be consistent.

Adjustments can be this simple, but we must consult on any changes to involve people with learning disabilities, their families and carers, the wider sector, NHS and social care providers as well as the public to tell us what they need and avoid this becoming a ‘tick box’ exercise and make a meaningful difference in the future.

All the measures announced today, including sharing what we’ve learned from the named social worker pilot, recognise the clear need to promote awareness among health and care staff of the needs of people with learning disabilities.

This is a fantastic opportunity for our hardworking health and care professionals to grow and develop.

With the right training they will be able to adapt to further improve the quality service or assist people with learning disabilities through practical support, advice and information, must-have knowledge of learning disabilities and the need to make reasonable adjustments to the way that care or information is provided.

Not only will this drastically improve quality of care, it will save lives.

The health service has identified learning disabilities and autism as one of its top four clinical priorities to feed into the development of the Long-Term Plan.

The Government has also committed to increase NHS funding by an extra £56 million a day in real terms by 2023, and we will agree a long-term plan with NHS leaders, clinicians, and health experts to guarantee the future of our health service so everyone, regardless of their health needs, will getter better care.

I am dedicated to reducing the health inequalities that people with learning disabilities face.

We will reduce the number of people whose deaths may have been preventable with different health and care interventions.

And we must improve support to help enhance the lives of people with learning disabilities across the country – anything less is, simply, not good enough.