People with learning disabilities tell ministers: 'We are people too'

A leading Christian charity which works with over 2,500 people with learning disabilities across the UK has backed a report published on Monday claiming the NHS and social services in England are failing to meet the health needs of people with learning disabilities.

The Prospects charity is also urging Government ministers, NHS directors and social service leaders to host an urgent consultation with people with learning disabilities who want to tell them “we are people too!”

The health service and local government ombudsmen said the standard of care of people with learning disabilities was an "indictment of our society" after reviewing the deaths of six people. They found one man died as a result of failings in his care, while a second death could have been avoided.

The ombudsmen investigated the cases after they were highlighted by the charity Mencap.

They looked into complaints made by the families of the six people who died between 2003 and 2005. The report found failings by hospitals, local health bosses, the official NHS regulator and social care services provided by councils, although none of the complaints against GPs were upheld. It linked the care of two of the six - Mark Cannon, 30, from Romford, east London, and Martin Ryan, 43, from Richmond, west London - to their eventual deaths.

It also said the failings in the care of two more - Tom Wakefield, 20, from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, and Ted Hughes, 61, from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire - was partly due to the fact that they had learning disabilities.

Care was found to be inadequate in the final two cases, although the ombudsmen ruled this could not be put down to the way the organisations treated people with learning disabilities. Nonetheless, they said there was enough evidence to suggest the problems were endemic across the services.

Ann Abraham, the health service ombudsman, said: "The recurrence of complaints across different agencies leads us to believe that the quality of care in the NHS and social services for people with learning disabilities is at best patchy and at worst an indictment of our society."

Hospitals were criticised for the inadequate care and treatment given to people with learning disabilities as well as the way they looked into complaints. Councils were attacked for failing to provide or secure adequate levels of health care, while local health managers working for primary care trusts were said to be struggling to plan services properly.

In particular, investigators said staff needed to improve communication with the patients and their families, and social care and NHS teams had to work together better to ensure discharge arrangements were good enough.

David Bendor-Samuel, communications director of Prospects for people with learning disabilities, based in Reading, said: "What's horrifying about this report is that the deaths were preventable. For years charities such as ours have been highlighting the communication issues with PCTs and hospitals and unfortunately, it has taken these deaths for the Government to act."

Prospects is keen to ensure Government action is immediate, and is offering two key pieces of work it has done with the Southern Health and Social Services Council (SHSSC) in Northern Ireland as a starting tool.

Mr Bendor-Samuel said: "Our clients have worked together with the Southern Health and Social Services Council (SHSSC) in Northern Ireland to produce a booklet, 'We are people too', for GPs in how to communicate with and relate to people with learning disabilities and this is already being used in Northern Ireland.

"In addition, in partnership with Southern Health and Social Services Council, we have produced a video and booklet entitled 'Patient People' which deals directly with the very real difficulties people with learning disabilities face when receiving treatment in hospitals.

"We would urge Government Ministers to use these resources immediate to help prevent further deaths, whilst they look at longer-term ways of addressing the root causes of the problems."

Prospects has written to the Health Secretary requesting an urgent meeting to discuss how their resources can be rolled out nationwide. MP supporters of the charity are also expected to table an Early Day Motion calling for a debate or presentation on the issue, where members of the public with learning disabilities can tell MPs first hand of their experiences and make their case for better treatment.