Poor healthcare for those with a learning disability

3^rd January 2012 - An investigation by The Guardian newspaper in partnership with the mental health charity Mencap has identified the cases of 74 people with a learning disability who died while in NHS care. It also highlights a further 17 serious incidents.

Families allege that hospital blunders, poorly trained staff and indifference are to blame.

Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, the NHS medical director said in a press comment: "One of the measures of a civilised society is how well it looks after the most vulnerable members of its society. So I take very seriously any evidence that this is not reflected in our NHS."

Catalogue of neglect

Of the cases highlighted in the report, 59 took place within the last five years.

Older cases include that of Lisa Sharpe, who died aged 21 in 2004. Hers is one of four deaths among the 74 to have occurred at Basildon hospital in Essex. The ombudsman ruled the hospital was guilty of "service failure".

In the case of 52-year-old Carole Foster, who died in 2006 aged 52, the ombudsman found her care at Fairfield hospital in Bury was so bad that her death was avoidable.

David Congdon, Mencap’s head of campaigns and policy, said in a press release: "These cases confirm that too many parts of the health service still do not understand how to treat people with a learning disability and they are an appalling catalogue of neglect and indignity.

"The article shows that health professionals are still making the same errors that we highlighted in our Death by indifference report (2007).These include ignoring crucial advice from families, failing to diagnose serious illness, assuming that the quality of life of some individuals is so poor that their lives are not worth saving and failing to recognise pain and distress.

"In some cases this also has meant failing to provide the most basic nursing care such as leaving patients dehydrated and without food. If attitudes and training aren’t overhauled across the board, people will continue to die needlessly."

Government reaction

Health Minister Paul Burstow said in a media comment: "This Government is committed to improving the health of people with learning disabilities. We share Mencap's concerns that some people with learning disabilities are not receiving the high quality health care that they should expect.

"We have extended the contract for a Government-funded Confidential Inquiry into the premature and avoidable death of people with learning disabilities."

He says they deserve good quality individualised care: "That is why the CQC (Care Quality Commission) is carrying out a programme of unannounced inspections into all hospitals for people with learning disabilities to make sure people are being treated with the dignity they deserve."