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Last Thursday (12th September) saw more than 100 people attend the first ever Learning Disability Mortality Review (LeDeR) conference in north east London (NEL). The LeDeR programme, delivered by the NHS, is designed to help health and social care services learn from reviewing the deaths of people with learning disabilities. The focus is to reduce the mortality gap between people with learning disabilities and the general population. The event showcased the significant progress NEL has made in completing LeDeR reviews, and there was a focus on the learning that has come from the reviews.

The event highlighted that only one London Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STP) had completed more reviews than North East London, and that London has completed more reviews than any other region in the country. There were key speakers and sessions on the Mental Capacity Act and annual health checks.

Presenters included Jane Milligan, Accountable Officer, North East London Commissioning Alliance (NELCA) and Paul Gilluiley, Chief Medical Director, East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT). The conference also featured the Include Choir, an inclusive choir for people with and without speaking or understanding disabilities.

A wide range of health and care professionals attended the conference, including GPs, community teams, commissioners, representatives from NHS England, local authorities and other organisations, and importantly there was a good representation of carers as well.

Chetan Vyas, Director of Quality and Safety at NHS Waltham Forest, Newham and Tower Hamlets CCGs, said: “I am absolutely delighted at the success of the first NEL LeDeR event, with a large audience coming to hear about the learning from the reviews. I would also like to extend my thanks to my team for organising this on behalf of north east London. This conference is a major step forward in making a difference to health and care services for people with learning disabilities and their carers across north east London – with a focus on narrowing the mortality gap. We hope to share more of the best practices that we have learned in the future.”

Jane Milligan, Accountable Officer for NELCA, said: “This day was a brilliant example of the importance of LeDeR and the interest in it from health and social care teams. The work across our patch to complete as many reviews as possible has not gone unnoticed, and this was a chance for everyone to better understand why that is so important. I’m proud to be part of an organisation that is working so hard to improve the lives of those with learning disabilities and reduce inequalities. And the choir, Include, were simply fantastic.”