Mencap and ITV News story easy read

Over 2000 people with a learning disability or autistic people are locked up in mental health hospitals in England. 

Lots of the people who are locked up are not there because they have a mental health problem.  

They are locked up because there is not enough of the right support, housing, and staff in the community . 

Mencap has worked with ITV News to find out how much it costs to keep people with a learning disability and autistic people locked up in mental health hospitals. 

We found out for one year it costs the government about £534 million to keep people locked up.

We think this money is being wasted.

We think the money would be better spent on social care , housing and the right support in the community. 

The government promised it would reduce the number of people with a learning disability and autistic people who are held in mental health hospitals.

But they have not met their own targets.

They said by March 2024 there would be half the amount of people held in mental health hospitals.

But we think the government are now 6 years behind on that promise.

People with a learning disability and autistic people are having their lives ruined. 

The government must stop wasting money on the wrong type of care and act now.

Sign our online petition to tell the government they must act now and stop wasting so much money on the wrong kind of care.