Watchdog claims hospitals are failing people with learning disabilities

The Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB) say the safety of people with learning disabilities in England is being compromised when they are admitted to hospital.

The body reviewed the care people receive and said there were “persistent and widespread” risks, and warned that staff were not equipped with the skills or support to meet the needs of patients with learning disabilities.

The watchdog warned that systems in place to share information about patients were unreliable, and added that there was an inconsistency in the availability of specialist teams – known as learning disability liaison services – that were in place in hospitals to support general staff.

It also said that general staff had insufficient training, although it did note a national mandatory training programme is currently being rolled out.

Clare Crowley, senior investigator at the HSSIB, said “If needs are not met, it can cause distress and confusion for the patient and their families and carers, and raises the risk of poor health outcomes and, in the worst cases, harm.”

Saffron Cordery of NHS Providers, said services were committed to “stamping out” the inequalities this group of patients faced, but she added that there needed to be investment in training programmes and a more consistent approach to specialist support.

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Posted by Karen Motley, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (jacquelinevance@chadlaw.co.uk), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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