NHS England have created and published a new case study which illustrates how collaborative working has transformed the lives of people with a learning disability, autism or both, in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

Through work led by the Learning Disability and Autism (LDA) Collaborative, the case study details how local learning disability services are now in the top third for performance in the country, achieving all targets set. These include carrying out more health checks than ever before – delivering to more than two-in-three (71%) local people with a learning disability, and reducing by one-in-four the number of people having long-term stays in hospital since 2019.

The case study also notes that the ‘success can be attributed towards the system’s commitment to delivering a full cultural change and recognising the valuable insight that different system partners bring when coming together to design and deliver solutions for their local population’.

Laura Smith, Service Group Manager for Learning Disabilities and Autism at Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust, said:

“We are delighted to have been recognised for the work we’ve done as a collaborative to deliver improvements in our performance. But more importantly, we remain completely focused on the quality of care that is being provided, which is essential to improving and transforming the lives of autistic people and people with a learning disability.”

Mark Roberts, Associate Director at Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust and Lead for the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland LDA Collaborative, said:

“The Collaborative team has worked tirelessly to improve local services over the last two years and the recognition of everyone’s work by our NHS England colleagues is really encouraging. Our efforts have been effective because of the beautiful diversity of the skills and knowledge of the people that come together in our new arrangements and the common purpose that we all share. We have much more work to do, but we have the energy, commitment, and determination to see it through.”

The LDA Collaborative is led by Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust, with partners and representatives including the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Integrated Care Board, Leicester County Council, Leicestershire County Council, Rutland County Council, as well as voluntary and community organisations, and experts by experience.

The full NHS England case study is available to read here.