Last week, as January 2026 came to a close, members of the Cumbria Confirm and Challenge Group heard whispers that the 2023 LeDer report had finally been republished. This followed the shocking news of its withdrawal back in December 2025 due to inaccurate data, including around 300 deaths being reported incorrectly. After originally being published in September 2025, this was a report which had already faced criticism from the group for its lengthy delays.
Comments from the Cumbria Confirm and Challenge Group included feelings of anger and frustration:
‘It’s appalling that the report in September included incorrect information’
‘Information about people’s lives and deaths should be treated with the upmost respect’
‘If information isn’t presented clearly, it leads to confusion’
‘Any delay to a report is a delay to progress and learning’
‘People won’t trust the system to report the findings accurately. This could mean that future deaths are not reported which stops learning for health and social care professionals. There need to be opportunities for the gaps in health care need to be reduced.’
And quite simply… ‘They should have got it right the first time’
Of course, we were interested in finding out what the updated report data tells us:
- 40.2% of deaths were avoidable compared to the 38.8% originally reported.
- Diseases of the circulatory system are identified as the most common cause of death, compared to respiratory conditions as originally thought.
- 31.5% of autistic deaths were due to suicide compared to the 29.1% identified in the original report.
But ultimately the bigger picture hasn’t changed – people are still facing health inequalities, people are still dying too young, and some of these deaths are avoidable. For the Cumbria Confirm and Challenge Group, this is what the real talking point needs to be.
We asked the question – and so what? What actually happens as a result of this report? When is meaningful change going to happen?
Lives and Deaths can’t just be bundled up in a report and LeDeR can’t just be sidelined. It’s too important. People deserve better. We’ll continue to speak up – it’s lives, not just numbers.
