Mental health: Government bid to end detentions scandal ‘doesn’t go far enough’
Written by News on 05/11/2019
The government’s attempt to end the scandal of locking up young adults with autism and/or learning difficulties has been given a cautious welcome by families and campaigners.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) confirmed that “all 2,250 people with a learning disability and autism who are inpatients in mental health hospitals will have their care reviewed over the next 12 months”.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock acknowledged that the current system had issues that needed to be addressed.
Mr Hancock said: “For those living with learning disabilities and autistic people, the current system can leave them in isolation for long periods of time, with no prospect of release into the community.
“I am determined to put this right and today we are committing to reviewing the care of every patient with learning disability and autism over the next 12 months – alongside a clear plan to get them discharged back into their homes and communities.”
He added: “I have also asked for advice on separating out the law regarding those with learning disabilities and autism from the law regarding mental health. This will start with those in the most restrictive settings.”
Responding to the government’s announcement, Jeremy – the father of an autistic teenager who is being held in a mental health unit – said: “These are more promises from the DHSC. After all they promised to halve the number of people detained by 2020. Matt Hancock added another five years to this last year.
“It doesn’t go far enough. There are no definites, no proper deadlines, no clarity. It is another placating response from Hancock.”
Jeremy’s daughter Bethany is locked up for 24 hours day without any physical human contact. He told Sky News his daughter was being held in a “cell” where food was served to her by sliding it across the floor.
Bethany has autism and was sectioned under the Mental Health Act when she was 15 years old because she was deemed a risk to herself and others. She has been locked up for almost three years.
Jeremy said his daughter’s “cell” is “10ft wide, 14ft to 15ft long”, and had “no furniture except a mattress on the floor which she sleeps on”.
He added: “There is no access to fresh air, not a window she can see out of. It’s incredibly bright. Beth’s sensory needs need somewhere calm. It’s noisy, you can hear people on the secure ward. People who are distressed.”
A report into Bethany’s care now sits on the health secretary’s desk. It makes over 80 separate recommendations to improve Bethany’s quality of care.
Jeremy said the government’s response to the health care crisis left too many unanswered questions.
He said: “Who will oversee commissioning decisions? And will the reviews be independent? There are so many missed opportunities especially in light of the JCHR report and Beth’s report. It’s not acting on those recommendations.”
The JCHR (Joint Committee on Human Rights) report was published last week and warned that many young people are having their human rights breached by the “horrific” conditions of mental health hospitals.
It found the detention of people with learning disabilities and autism was “often inappropriate” and “causes suffering and does long-term damage” – and the government was told it must urgently overhaul how facilities are inspected to improve standards and protect those who are meant to be being cared for.
Mr Hancock said an independent panel chaired by Baroness Sheila Hollins will be created to address issues raised.
Baroness Hollins said she hoped the new panel would “implement solutions that will transform people’s lives”.
She said: “I don’t think it can ever be right to segregate someone as a form of care, and even more so when there is no planned end date.
“The oversight panel will actively review progress of an action learning project designed to identify existing barriers, and implement solutions that will transform people’s lives.”
(c) Sky News 2019: Mental health: Government bid to end detentions scandal ‘doesn’t go far enough’
