• NHS England and Improvement agrees to publish data on mental health, learning difficulty and autism deaths from covid-19 next week
  • Comes after HSJ revealed NHS England and Improvement plans to publish data on LD and autism deaths next year
  • Earlier this week HSJ revealed Public Health England has convened a panel to analyse the deaths of patients with learning difficulties and autism

NHS England and Improvement have agreed to publish data they receive on the coronavirus deaths of people with learning disabilities, autism and mental health illness.

The organisation told HSJ on Monday that data on covid-19 deaths received from the national Learning Disability Mortality Review Programme, would be published in the 2021 annual report from the programme.

However yesterday NHSE/I’ medical director Stephen Powis said it would commit to publishing the data, alongside the deaths of mental health patients who have died in hospital, from next week.

HSJ revealed on Wednesday that Public Health England had convened a panel to analyse the deaths of people with learning difficulties and autism.

It has agreed with NHSE to transfer the data from the LeDer programme. PHE has yet to clarify when this analysis will be published.

Yesterday the Care Quality Commission revealed 56 people who were detailed under the Mental Health Act had died from covid-19 since 1 March — causing the number of deaths of people detailed to roughly double compared to the same period in 2019.

In a statement NHS England and Improvement said it will publish data ”which has been verified on the deaths of anyone with a learning disability, autism or mental ill health who has died, with covid-19, in any NHS setting.”

HSJ has asked the regulator to confirm where the data has been sourced. It does not appear the data will include deaths in the private sector, care homes or community. 

This article was updated at 9:21 on 11 May after HSJ recieved a comment from NHS England and Improvement. 

Source Date

 

 

 

Topics