Too many people with a learning disability are dying prematurely as they are not getting access to the right care and treatment, according to research from charity Mencap.
The research found that a failure to diagnose and treat people with learning disabilities effectively is leading to ‘avoidable’ deaths. The health ombudsman is now calling for urgent action to address this problem, highlighting one case where a patient was deemed ‘too difficult’ to assess by their GP.
Jan Tregelles, chief executive of Mencap, said: ‘A scandal of avoidable deaths on the scale of Mid-Staffordshire takes place every single year for children and adults with a learning disability in the NHS. This tragic waste of life, often caused by poor care and delays in diagnosis and treatment, highlights the scale of discrimination faced by disabled patients in the health service.
‘People with a learning disability and their families have waited too long for change, which is why we are glad to be working with the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman to give people the tools they need to speak up and make their concerns known before it is too late.’
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) has joined forces with the charity to launch the Complain for Change campaign, providing simple information on how people with a learning disability can complain about their treatment.
Julie Mellor, Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, said: ‘It is really tragic that the lives of people with a learning disability are in some cases being cut short because they aren’t getting the right care and treatment at the right time.
‘That’s why we are launching the Complain for Change campaign to tell people how they can complain, so people with a learning disability and their families can make problems known and get them put right. We want those working in health and care to make sure the needs of patients are being met.’
Research published last year by the University of Bristol found that on average men with a learning disability died 13 years earlier than men in the general population, while women with a learning disability died 20 years earlier than women in the general population.
