What is the issue?
Over 2000 people with a learning disability A learning disability is to do with the way someone's brain works. It makes it harder for someone to learn, understand or do things. or autistic people are being held in inpatient mental health hospitals in England.
It’s a
human rights
Human
rights
Rights are the things everyone should be allowed to do like have a say, or go to school.
are the rights that everyone has. These include the right to go to school and the right to start a family.
scandal that we want to stop.
Many people are locked up because there is a lack of the right community A community is the people and places in an area. support, skilled social care Social care means the services that give care and support to people who need it. , and suitable housing - not because of a mental health problem.
Elliot’s story
The last government promised to reduce the number of people like Elliot held in mental health hospitals by 50%, but progress is years behind schedule. There must be urgent action to get more people back in their community with the right support.
The last government promised to reduce the number of people with a learning disability and autistic people in inpatient mental health hospitals.
They repeatedly missed their own deadlines, and the progress by the last government, the NHS and local authorities was far too slow.
Thousands of families have been devastated due to this failure to act – and thousands more will continue to suffer if action isn’t taken urgently.
The latest commitment was to reduce the number of people with a learning disability and autistic people in inpatient units by 50% by March 2024.
The last government missed this target, and we estimate it won’t be met until 2031 at the earliest.
Enough is enough – people should be able to live in homes, not hospitals.
What is Mencap calling for?
An updated and strengthened action plan
The new government needs to update and strengthen the Building the Right Support Action plan and targets as a matter of urgency, as the current targets are out of date. In particular, the plan must tackle the ongoing inappropriate detention of people with a learning disability and autistic people and the shocking lengths of stay. It must also address the huge variation in progress between local areas in reducing the number of inpatients with a learning disability and/or autistic people.
The right support in the community
The last government published a clear model in 2015 for the support and services that should be in place in all local areas. The new government must ensure that local areas develop the right community support- without this the human rights scandal will continue. We need urgent investment in community support, with a real focus on early intervention and prevention. Like anyone else, people with a learning disability and autistic people should be able to live life in the community with the right support and suitable housing, close to family and friends.
A reform of the Mental Health Act
Currently, people with a learning disability and autistic people can currently be sectioned under the Mental Health Act, even if they don’t have a mental health condition. While detained, they are at increased risk of
abuse
Abuse is when someone bullies you and does or says something to you that makes you feel hurt, upset or scared.
and
neglect
Neglect is when you are not being cared for or supported.
in these settings, where there is often a high use of medication and restrictive practices, such as physical, chemical and mechanical restraint and being kept in isolation.
No one with a learning disability should be locked away in a mental health hospital simply because they can’t get the right support to live in their community.
Your campaigning is working!
In the King's Speech, the new government committed to modernise the Mental Health Act "so it is fit for the 21st Century." This is an important step forward in ending this scandal.
Over 18,000 people signed our open letter with National Autistic Society, Voiceability and the Challenging Behaviour Challenging behaviour can be when someone hurts themselves, hits or pinches someone else, or breaks something. Some people might behave like this because they are upset or because people do not understand them. Foundation to call for urgent change to mental health law Laws are the rules that everyone in the country has to follow. If you don't follow the rules you can get in trouble with the police. .
We look forward to working with the government The Government are the people who run the country. The Government decide how much tax people should pay and how things like the National Health Service (NHS) should work. to make sure they deliver on their promise for change for people with a learning disability and their families.
Find out the progress in your local area
The last government's target was that by the end of March 2024 there would be no more than 30 adults with a learning disability and/or autism Autism is a disability. Autistic people find it difficult to understand what other people think and feel. They also find it difficult to tell people what they think and feel. Everyone with autism is different. in mental health hospitals per million adults who live in a local area. Click on the map to find out if your local area has met the target.
74% of local areas aren’t meeting the required level. This is unacceptable.
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