Looking for accommodation to meet Beth's needs out of hospital is not an easy task. This is something that is missing. There is supported living, secure (hospital) or own accommodation. There are very few places that are specialised in Autism.
This means that our Autistic loved ones end up in care homes, home with family who are unsupported or in secure places like hospital.
This is what I am wanting to change. Every signature makes that a step closer to been heard by the government.
Money is wasted holding people in hospital with no exit plans as there is nowhere to send them that has the right support.
Money would be better spent making these places available and freeing up the hospitals which can take the most appropriate patients, those with poor mental health who are desperate for help.
The hospital have said they are aware that these places are filling up with Autistic people with no exit plans.
This is a real problem and needs action NOW.
Not only for Autistic people held there for years but also for the people who are begging for help and there are no beds for them.
This is NOT just a NHS problem, it is a government problem. The whole system needs a complete change and with charities such as MENCAP, MIND, NEAS and more fighting for change we need to be listened to, addressed and action needs to happen NOW.
NHS England promised that by May 2019: 35-50% of inpatient beds for people with a learning disability and/or Autism would be closed. the right support would be developed in local communities for people with a learning disability and/or Autism and behaviour that challenges. (MENCAP)
No Freedom, No Dignity, No Life
It’s Time to Act – the Government must bring in the Mental Health Bill and make it law. We’re calling on the Prime Minister to introduce the Mental Health Bill and make it law as a matter of urgency, in line with the Government's promise to reform the outdated Mental Health Act (MENCAP)
Over 2000 people with a learning disability or autistic people are being held in inpatient mental health hospitals in England.
It’s a human rights scandal that we want to stop.Many people are locked up because there is a lack of the right community support, skilled social care, and suitable housing - not because of a mental health problem.
Over the last 12 years, the government has promised to reduce the number of people with a learning disability and autistic people in inpatient mental health hospitals.
They have repeatedly missed their own deadlines, and the progress by government, the NHS and local authorities has been far too slow.
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.
We estimate the government will miss this target by at least 4 years.
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 (MENCAP)
The government published a clear model in 2015 for the support and services that should be in place in all local areas. This includes social care providers with the right skills, suitable housing, and health and social care professionals in the community with the right expertise to help prevent and manage crisis situations. This has still not been delivered. (MENCAP)
In total 2030 autistic people and people with learning disabilities are in inpatient mental health hospitals in England https://www.autism.org.uk
1,280 (63%) of these people are autistic
In 2011 shocking abuse was uncovered at Winterbourne View Hospital, an inpatient unit for people with learning disabilities. This scandal led to the acknowledgement that there is a significant number of autistic people, those with a learning disability or both, stuck inappropriately in inpatient settings – largely because services to support them in the community simply do not exist.
The Government’s response came in the form of the Transforming Care programme which aimed to close up to half of the inpatient mental health beds and move people back to their local communities by 1 June 2014. This did not happen.
In 2015, NHS England published a three-year closure programme and national plan called Building the Right Support. This set out how the NHS and local authorities in England propose to improve the lives of autistic people and those with a learning disability or both in inpatient settings.
The key promises they aimed to achieve by the end of May 2019 included:
Closing 35-50% of inpatient beds for autistic people with or without a learning disability.
The right support would be developed in communities to support these people.
Alongside this, NHS England published a ‘service model’ setting out all the local support that should be available in each area by March 2019.
But this is still not the case.
There is simply not enough of the right type of community services, which is a key reason why autistic people are still being admitted to inpatient care and why it’s often so hard for them to move back to the community.
Please sign and share and make a huge difference
Comments