JSNA - Learning Disabilities in North Yorkshire (All Ages) 2021

People with learning disabilities (LD) are some of the most vulnerable in society, experiencing health inequalities, social exclusion and stigmatisation. In general, people with LD have greater and more complex health needs than the general population; often these needs go unidentified and untreated. Life expectancy is shorter for people with LD than the general population, and adults with LD often experience barriers to accessing healthcare services, and poor levels of care and are more likely to die from a preventable cause than the general population.

Figures show on average people with LD live 15 to 20 years less than the general population (PHE, 2015). Age at death varies with the severity of the condition but life expectancy rates are particularly poor for those with moderate to severe Learning Disability – around 3 times higher than the general population (Marmot, 2018).