The Next 20: Using data to tackle health inequalities for people with learning disabilities

In this episode of The Next 20, Chris Bradley is joined by Liz Williams - who has spent her career working alongside people with learning disabilities and autistic people - to discuss a project commissioned by Surrey Heartlands to better understand the health inequalities experienced by people with learning disabilities. Published in 2022, the report explored how factors such as deprivation, living circumstances and access to services influence health outcomes for people with learning disabilities across Surrey Heartlands. The work aimed to strengthen understanding of the causes of long-term inequalities and support efforts to reduce the significant gap in life expectancy compared with the wider population. Drawing on the findings of the project, Liz reflects on what the data revealed, why local insight matters when addressing inequalities, and how systems can use evidence to target support where it can have the greatest impact.