Slade House is not allowed to take any new admissions until action is taken.

The unit provides care for people with a learning disability and people with mental health problems.  

Jan Tregelles, chief executive of Mencap, and Vivien Cooper, CEO of The Challenging Behaviour Foundation, say:

We were all sickened by the appalling abuse of people with a learning disability exposed at Winterbourne View, yet over two and a half years later, we are still hearing that assessment and treatment centres are failing the very people they exist to support.

The Care Quality Commission has uncovered shocking failures at Slade House in Oxford [1], and it has now also been confirmed that in the summer a young man died there whilst in the care of that unit [2]. How many more cases of neglect, abuse and now death do we need to see before action is taken?

We have serious doubts about whether the government will meet the deadline they have set for ensuring that over 3,000 people with a learning disability and behaviour that challenges are properly supported to leave in-patient institutions and return to their local communities. It is vital that the government and local areas take urgent action – while vulnerable people remain in these units, they are at high risk of abuse.

-ENDS-

Notes to editors

For more information, please contact the Mencap press office on 020 7696 6950 or media@mencap.org.uk.

[1] CQC inspection report of Slade House: www.cqc.org.uk/directory/rw11v

[2] My daft life blog: mydaftlife.wordpress.com/

About Out of sight

Out of Sight is a campaign report by Mencap and the Challenging Behaviour Foundation and tells the stories of James, Chrissy, Joe, Emmanuel and Victoria. In the report, their families talk about the terrible neglect and abuse their loved ones have experienced in institutions like Winterbourne View, often far away from home.

Mencap and The Challenging Behaviour Foundation are two of the voluntary organisations who were asked to sign a Concordat agreement with the Department of Health, to hold the government to account.

The charities will continue to work to ensure people with learning disabilities and their families have a strong voice in all of the Winterbourne View Joint Improvement Programme work, as well as providing support to families fighting to bring their loved ones back closer to home.

About Mencap

There are 1.4 million people with a learning disability in the UK. Mencap works to support people with a learning disability, their families and carers by fighting to change laws, improve services and access to education, employment and leisure facilities.

Mencap supports thousands of people with a learning disability to live their lives the way they want.

For advice and information about learning disability and Mencap services in your area, contact Mencap Direct on 0808 808 1111 (9am-5pm, Monday-Friday) or email help@mencap.org.uk.

About The Challenging Behaviour Foundation

The Challenging Behaviour Foundation provides information, support and training around challenging behaviour associated with severe learning disabilities, and leads the ‘Challenging Behaviour National Strategy Group’ which seeks to influence policy and practice nationally on behalf of individuals who challenge and their families.

The Challenging Behaviour Foundation was founded in 1997 by Vivien Cooper, parent of a son with severe learning disabilities and behaviour described as challenging. Today the Challenging Behaviour Foundation is in regular contact with over 5000 families and professionals across the UK.

There are an estimated 30,000 individuals in England with severe learning disabilities and behaviour described as challenging.