In a joint statement, Mencap and the Challenging Behaviour Foundation, said:

“We are in the final 10 months of a 3 year Transforming Care programme that promised to “Build the Right Support” for people with a learning disability who display behaviour that challenges, but the messages in this report are all too familiar. The report states that 'for each individual, progress has been hampered by multiple, often system-wide issues that are blocking their successful move from hospital' – these multiple system wide issues are the very issues the Transforming Care programme is meant to address. 

“Seven years after the abuse uncovered by Panorama at Winterbourne View Hospital, the recommendations set out in this report are all things that should have been developed at the start of the 3-year programme, not with 10 months left to go. NHS England and the Department for Health and Social Care must urgently address these issues, and ensure the right community support and services are developed so that people with a learning disability can live fulfilling lives in the community close to loved ones, as promised.”

-ENDS-

For further information or to arrange interviews, please contact the Mencap press office on 020 7696 5414 or media@mencap.org.uk or for out of hours 07770 656 659.

Notes to editors

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 the Learning Disability Helpline on 0808 808 1111 (9am-5pm, Monday-Friday) or email help@mencap.org.uk.

What is a learning disability?

A learning disability is a reduced intellectual ability which can cause problems with everyday tasks – for example shopping and cooking, or travelling to new places – which affects someone for their whole life.

People with a learning disability can take longer to learn new things and may need support to develop new skills, understand difficult information and engage with other people. The level of support someone needs is different with every individual. For example, someone with a severe learning disability might need much more support with daily tasks than someone with a mild learning disability.

Learning disability is not a mental illness or a learning difficulty. Very often the term ‘learning difficulty’ is wrongly used interchangeably with ‘learning disability’.