Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 22 September (HL10271), what assurance mechanisms NHS England and the Department for Health and Social Care have in place to monitor (1) the trusts and NHS organisations that are implementing learning disabilities mortality review (LeDeR) report recommendations, and (2) the improvements that are made directly as a result of implementing LeDeR report recommendations.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) and National Health Service organisations have a key role to play in reducing the health inequalities and premature mortality experienced by people with a learning disability and autistic people.

ICBs are responsible for ensuring that learning disabilities mortality (LeDeR) reviews are completed in their local area so that NHS organisations can implement the learning from those reviews and improve the quality of services. ICBs are expected to prioritise LeDeR reviews within their delivery plans, and as part of their local governance to learn from deaths. The analysis of findings from local LeDeR reviews should inform which areas organisations prioritise for quality improvement activity. In its Action from Learning Report, NHS England shares improvement initiatives being taken across England and provides guidance on what action needs to be taken by health and care organisations.

The 2025/2026 NHS priorities and operational planning guidance requires that integrated care systems and NHS trusts work together to reduce health inequalities. The NHS England Operating Framework sets out further information on how NHS England operates and works together with ICBs and NHS providers to deliver health and care services and improve health outcomes.