19. In the right place?
Inner North Central London Branch
(MFD) That this meeting of RCN Congress discusses why people with moderate learning disabilities are still being inappropriately placed
Debate report
Dominic Walsh, from the Inner North Central London Branch, asked Congress delegates to discuss why people with moderate learning disabilities are still being inappropriately placed. He referred to the 2011 BBC programme, Panorama, which exposed severe abuse of residents at Winterbourne View care home and expressed concern that a year on, some residents had been forced to live away from their families. It is important to ensure they live happy and fulfilled lives and were not just “placed”, he said.
Prevention, not just investigation of abuse is essential said Lynne Phair, and Gareth Phillips said it was important to develop a service for forensic learning disability patients, so they are not forced into forensic mental health services. A specialist service must be developed, he said.
Hamish Kemp lamented the cuts in social services affecting people with learning disabilities and his views were echoed by first-time speaker Beverley Bishop who said there was a shortage of supported living placements. Deputy President Cecilia Anim spoke passionately, urging members to do everything in their power to support people with learning disabilities. “They must have a choice, like all of us,” she said.
In response Dominic Walsh said: “A cap on money is clearly impacting on care. All care is complex. And complex is never cheap.”
Background
In May 2011, BBC Panorama exposed severe abuse of residents at Winterbourne View care home in its programme, The hospital that stopped caring. A serious case review was subsequently launched, which found significant service and system failures across health care services.
BBC Panorama returned to the issue in a follow-up programme in October 2012, revealing ongoing concerns for former residents of Winterbourne, who continued to suffer from frequent relocation, often away from their families, to other care homes.
The RCN’s 2011 position paper, Learning from the past - setting out the future, asserted the need for better education and leadership in the workforce, and for person-centred care that is appropriate to the needs of the individual and their family. Of key concern is the availability of sufficient support in the community to enable people to live as independent a life as possible, outside of institutions and close to their families and loved ones.
Serious concerns also exist over the ever decreasing numbers of learning disability nurses across the UK, at a time when the population of this group of people is increasing at both ends of the age-continuum. In April 2012, the RCN launched a short film, The power andimportance of learning disability nursing, to highlight the need for a skilled workforce in the face of growing demand for care services.
The RCN is committed to collaborating with professional bodies to safeguard people with learning disabilities. In December 2012 the RCN signed a Department of Health (DH) Concordat: programme of action, and we are a member of the Learning Disability Professional Senate.
The RCN Learning Disability Nursing Forum has also played a key role in addressing the issues; successfully lobbying in all four countries, which contributed to the launch of the Scottish Government 2012 report, Strengthening the commitment: the report of the UK modernising learning disability review. This reiterates the commitment to improving care for people with learning disabilities.
Examples of good practice exist in Scotland to ensure that adults with learning disabilities are able to live independently in the community. All long-stay learning disability hospitals have closed since 2000.
Further progress is still needed across all nations, and the RCN continues to work closely with stakeholders across the UK to ensure the necessary safeguards are in place across all areas to enable safe practice and care.
References and further reading
Local Government Ombudsman (2009) Six lives: the provision of public services to people with learning disabilities, London: Stationery Office (HC 203-I). Available at: www.ombudsman.org.uk/data/assets/pdf_file/0013/1408/six-lives-part1-overview.pdf (accessed 18/03/13) (Web).
Michael J (2008) Healthcare for all: report of the independent inquiry into access to healthcare for people with learning disabilities, [London: Department of Health]. Available at: www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/@dh/@en/documents/digitalasset/dh_106126.pdf (accessed 14/03/13) (Web).
Scottish Government (2012) Strengthening the commitment: the report of the UK Modernising Learning Disabilities Nursing Review, Edinburgh: SG. Available at: www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/0039/00391946.pdf (accessed 14/03/13) (Web).
