Our Homes Not Hospitals campaign

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 . 

We found out for 1 year it costs about £534 million to keep people locked up.

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

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

They are often a long way from their family and friends.

And they are more at risk of being hurt or abused.

The next government must stop wasting money on the wrong type of care.

We want the next government to:

• Make a plan to get people with a learning disability and autistic people out of mental health hospitals if they do not need to be there. 
  
  The plan has to make sure people who go into hospital are not there for too long.
  
  The plan should work out why the number of people locked up in mental health hospitals has not gone down very much in some parts of England.

• Make sure there is enough support and housing in the community.
  
  They should also make sure there is the right support in the community to make sure people do not need to go to hospital in the first place.

• Change the laws on mental health so that having a learning disability or autism can not be used as a reason to keep someone locked in a mental health hospital.