Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government how they intend to ensure that the health and care needs of people with learning disabilities are addressed through a dedicated strategic framework; and what mechanisms for national accountability will be included in such a framework.

The 10-Year Health Plan recognises the need to reduce health inequalities for people with a learning disability and sets out our aims to support a shift to empowering patients and preventing sickness, rather than just treating it, and offering more holistic, on-going support in the community.

The Government is committed to improving care for people with a learning disability. Whilst there are no plans to develop a dedicated strategic framework, there is significant work already underway and clear expectations in place for health and care services to take actions which should improve health outcomes for this group. This includes the roll out of mandatory training on learning disability and autism for health and care staff, implementation of a Reasonable Adjustment Digital Flag, continued uptake of annual health checks and health action plans, and the Mental Health Act reforms. Progress continues to be made on these initiatives.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are expected to drive service improvements and governance through existing frameworks. ICBs have an Executive Lead on learning disability and autism and an Executive Lead on learning from lives and deaths, or LeDeR. Each ICB is required to consider and demonstrate how they will reduce the health inequalities faced by people with a learning disability and autistic people within their local populations within the five-year strategic plans mandated as part of the Medium-Term Planning Framework, which is available on the NHS.UK website.

The Government recognises that more could be done to ensure consistent delivery and will continue to work with NHS England to strengthen oversight and support where needed.