When will they listen and act!
- bethanysfightforfr
- Oct 13, 2023
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 14, 2023
North East Autism Society
Did you know there are more than 2000 autistic people and those with learning disabilities stuck in mental health units in England?
Most are detained under the Mental Health Act, which wrongly defines autism as a 'mental disorder'.
Beckii Davis's brother Elliot spent more than four years in hospital after the family thought he was going in for a review.
She says: "People like Elliot don't need to be shut away. They just need compassion, understanding and the proper support."
An autistic man who was detained in mental health hospitals for 42 years is enjoying living in a home of his own for the first time in his adult life.
Myles Cohen (above right), who was sectioned as a 17-year-old, was finally discharged from hospital in time to celebrate his 60th birthday.
Now he lives in a purpose-built bungalow in Sunderland with round-the-clock support of carers from the North East Autism Society (NEAS).
His next-door neighbour Derek Blenkinsop, 55, (above left) was on the same hospital ward as Myles and was discharged a month after him, also into the care of NEAS.
John Phillipson, CEO of NEAS, adds: “Their case shows that with the proper assessment and preparation, there are a lot of people stuck in hospital who could be living in the community. Twelve years on from Winterbourne View, it’s time we learned these lessons.”
MENCAP
Sign our letter and tell the Prime Minister it's Time To Act on reforming mental health laws in England.
Under the current Mental Health Act, having a learning disability or autism can be enough reason for a person to be sectioned - even if they do NOT have a mental health condition.
Locked in mental health hospitals which are often totally unsuited to supporting people with a learning disability or autistic people, many are detained far from home and family, and at an increased risk of abuse and neglect, for years at a time.
Enough is enough - people should live in homes, not hospitals.
Take action now - take a moment to sign our letter and tell the government to do what they promised to change the law to protect people with a learning disability and autistic people:
Locked Away: Our Autism Scandal - Dispatches
Autistic patients trapped in mental health units tell their stories, revealing a system of poor treatment, abuse and long stretches inside with their symptoms only getting worse
I need as many signatures as possible to reach parliament. My Autistic daughter Beth has been in a psychiatric hospital, mostly PICU for almost 3 years. This is as a result of ‘challenging behaviour’ due to environment and not accessing the right support, she is deemed not safe to be let out. Now, if she were a criminal and had robbed, stabbed or worse, there would be funding to reform to get back in the community. Criminals get more rights than Autistic people who deserve so much better!
We need the Government to create more suitable places for Autistic people who may have challenging behaviours, places where they can access the right support and thrive in a community that they should be very much part of. Beth has spent all her adult years in hospital and hasn’t had the experience of being able to be an adult. This right has been taken away meaning she will need more support when she does leave to learn independence skills, life skills and to be able to manage without a whole team of people. This is a very expensive resource as well as almost 3 years on a picu unit. Money that could have been better spent on making a positive difference. When will they get it right
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