LEARNING DISABILITIES

Health Action Planning and Health Facilitation for people with learning disabilities: good practice guidance (19th March 2009)
The purpose of this guidance is to describe and clarify good practice in health facilitation and health action planning and support localities to make progress on this and on reducing health inequalities experienced by people with learning disabilities. It builds on previous DH guidance and reflects the learning that has taken place since 2002 along with key recommendations of relevant recent reports and research.
Guidance

Six lives: the provision of public services to people with learning disabilities (24th March 2009)
An independent report, based on six investigations, published today by the Health Service Ombudsman and the Local Government Ombudsman reveals:

• Significant and distressing failures in service across health and social care;
• One person died as a consequence of public service failure. It is likely the death of another individual could have been avoided, had the care and treatment provided not fallen so far below the relevant standards.
• People with learning disabilities experienced prolonged suffering and poor care, and some of these failures were for disability related reasons;
• Some public bodies failed to live up to human rights principles, especially those of dignity and equality;
• Many organisations responded inadequately to the complaints made against them which left family members feeling drained and demoralised.

The Ombudsmen recommend that NHS bodies and councils urgently confront whether they have the correct systems and culture in place to protect individuals with learning disabilities from discrimination, in line with existing laws and guidance.
Report