A NEW system to review the death of people in Essex with a learning disability will begin this week to see if they could have been avoided.

Health and social care staff across the county have joined together to improve the life chances of those with learning disabilities because they are four times as likely to die of preventable causes compared with the general population.

NHS England has nationally commissioned the Learning Disabilities Mortality Review (LeDeR) programme to understand the circumstances leading to each death.

The programme was launched across Essex on Friday. It will ensure a local review is held each time a resident with a learning disability dies.

To report the death of someone with a learning disability, call 0300 777 4774. The calls will be charged at local rates. Alternatively, visit bris.ac.uk/sps/leder/notification-system.