Improving health and lives for people with learning disabilities

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It is well known that people with learning disabilities have poorer health and die younger than other people. An investigation into the standards of care for people with learning disabilities was announced today [Tuesday 23 March] by the Department of Health . The Confidential Inquiry will find out what can be changed to improve the health of people with learning disabilities to enable them to live longer. The University of Bristol's Norah Fry Research Centre and the Department of Community-based Medicine , together with colleagues from Bristol Primary Care Trust and the Royal College of General Practitioners , will carry out the three-year Confidential Inquiry. The Inquiry will aim to determine whether there are any preventable or modifiable factors associated with the deaths of people with learning disabilities, and share any examples of best practice. Initial findings are expected to be published next spring [2011]. When someone with learning disabilities (living in the areas covered by the Inquiry) dies, the investigation team will conduct a detailed review of the care and support provided to them.