On Tuesday 25th June, the CQC published a report on how changes to the Mental Health Act code of practice have failed to strengthen safeguards needed to protect vulnerable Being vulnerable means being at risk of harm, or that you need special care because of your age or disability. people with a learning disability.
The report revealed how the Mental Health Act code of practice is not being used as it was intended due to a lack of awareness and understanding of the statutory guidance Guidance means being given clear instructions to be able to do something well. amongst providers and staff.
Dan Scorer, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at the learning disability charity Mencap, said:
“Today’s CQC’s report reveals that changes made to the Mental Health Act code of practice have failed to strengthen the safeguards needed to protect some of the most vulnerable people in our society. A learning disability is not a mental health condition. Yet children and adults who have a learning disability are being inappropriately sectioned under the Mental Health Act and locked away in inpatient units where 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. – even when they do not have a treatable mental health condition.
“Children and adults with a learning disability deserve to live in homes not hospitals. That’s why we need the government The Government are the people who run the country. The Government decide how much tax Tax is the money that pays for things like schools, hospitals and the police. There are different types of taxes like income tax Income tax is the money that is taken out of the money you earn every month. It helps to pay for things we all need like hospitals and schools. , VAT VAT is also called Value Added Tax. VAT is the extra money you pay when you buy things. The money goes to the government to pay for things like schools and hospitals. and council tax Council A council is also called a local authority A local authority is also called a council. They are a group of people who make decisions about some of the things in the area where you live like schools, social care Social care means the services that give care and support to people who need it. (support for people), parks and dustbin collection. . They are a group of people who make decisions about some of the things in the area where you live. These include: schools, social care (support for people), parks and dustbin collection. Tax is the money that people pay to the council A council is also called a local authority A local authority is also called a council. They are a group of people who make decisions about some of the things in the area where you live like schools, social care Social care means the services that give care and support to people who need it. (support for people), parks and dustbin collection. . They are a group of people who make decisions about some of the things in the area where you live. These include: schools, social care (support for people), parks and dustbin collection. . It helps to pay for things like social care (support for people), parks and dustbin collection. . people should pay and how things like the National Health Service A service gives people what they need, like healthcare services that help people when they are ill, and support services that give people support. ( NHS The NHS is the National Health Service. The NHS gives free healthcare to everyone in the UK and includes things like your GP (doctors) surgery and hospitals. ) should work. and NHS to get on with closing down these inpatient units and investing in good quality social care in the community A community is the people and places in an area. that we know people with a learning disability need and deserve. As we await the government’s response to the review into the Mental Health Act, we again call on them to set up an independent review specifically into the treatment of people 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. under the Act, which neither the review or today’s report have adequately addressed.”
Read the full CQC report online here.
-ENDS-
For further information or to arrange interviews, contact Mencap’s media team:
- email media@mencap.org.uk
- phone 020 7696 5414 (including out of hours).
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 Education is when you learn things. When you fill in a form to get a job, education means you write where you went to school, college or university. , employment Employment means having a job. and leisure Leisure is when you have time to do things you enjoy like playing sports or going to the pub. 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’s freephone Learning Disability Helpline on 0808 808 1111 (9am-3pm, Monday-Friday) or email helpline@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;
Learning disability is not a mental illness or a learning difficulty, such as dyslexia Dyslexia is a learning difficulty. People who have dyslexia can find it hard to read, write and spell. . Very often the term ‘learning difficulty’ is wrongly used interchangeably with ‘learning disability’.
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.