Thursday 10 October 2024
The Autism Centre of Excellence is working to ensure autism is fully addressed by the Lampard Inquiry
Following the recent tragic death of Fox Leban, the Autism Centre of Excellence (ACE) is appealing for the families of autistic people who died while under the care of Essex NHS Trusts to get in touch with the charity.
Twenty-year-old Fox, who was autistic, died on Friday (4 October 2024) while under the care of Essex Partnership University NHS Trust (EPUT).
Tom Purser, CEO of ACE said: “We would like to extend our deepest sympathies to Fox’s family, friends and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time.
“Sadly, Fox’s death is not an isolated incident. EPUT is one of the Essex NHS Trusts being scrutinised byThe Lampard Inquiry; an independent statutory inquiry investigating the deaths of over 2,000 mental health inpatients in Essex. We believe many of these deaths were of autistic people.”
The charity’s mission is to improve the lives of autistic people, who on average die 16 years younger than non-autistic people and are seven times more likely to die by suicide. As part of this mission, ACE applied to be a Core Participant in the Lampard Inquiry; to ensure autism and the interests of autistic people are being appropriately considered.
Tom continued: “As a national charity with no direct link to Essex, the Inquiry team did not consider us to meet the criteria for Core Participant status. Despite not receiving Core Participant status, we are committed to working to ensure autistic people – both those who were formally diagnosed and those suspected to be autistic – are recognised during the Inquiry. It is essential that autism-specific learnings are identified by the Inquiry, and that action is taken before more innocent lives are lost.
“As part of this vital work, we’d like to hear from the friends or family members of any autistic people, or anyone suspected of being autistic, who died while under the care of Essex NHS Trusts, even if they aren’t already part of the Lampard Inquiry. Your personal experiences will help shape our work as we campaign for real, positive change for autistic people.”
Families of autistic people who died while under the care of Essex NHS Trusts can contact the ACE by emailing: info@autismcentreofexcellence.org.
The Autism Centre of Excellence exists to make a big difference; by funding and commissioning world-leading research, delivering projects which directly impact the lives of autistic people, and campaigning to achieve change.
The stats
- Reduced life expectancy: Autistic adults die more than 16 years younger than non-autistic adults; this gap increases to 30 years for autistic people with a learning disability.
- Poor mental health: 80% of autistic people suffer from mental health problems including severe anxiety and depression. This compares to 25% of the general population.
- High suicide rates: Autistic people are up to seven times more likely to attempt suicide than non-autistic people. Suicide or deliberate self-inflicted harm is the most common category of death in autistic children without a learning difficulty.
The Autism Centre of Excellence (ACE) exists to make a big difference; by funding and commissioning world-leading research, delivering projects which directly impact the lives of autistic people, and campaigning to achieve change.