Source · Select Committees · Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation 1
1
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Autistic people and people with learning disabilities have the right to live independent, free and...
Conclusion
Autistic people and people with learning disabilities have the right to live independent, free and fulfilled lives in the community and it is an unacceptable violation of their human rights to deny them the chance to do so. It is also more expensive to detain autistic people and people with learning disabilities in inpatient settings and this takes up resources that are not then available for more humane community care. We are therefore deeply concerned that community support and provision for autistic people and people with learning disabilities, and financial investment in those services, is significantly below the level required to meet the needs of those individuals and to provide adequate support for them in the community. Fixing this must be a greater priority for both the Department of Health & Social Care and NHS England & Improvement.
Paragraph Reference:
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Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
We agree with some of this suggestion. It is hard to say how much money it would cost to move everyone out of mental health hospitals and back into their community because the money comes from many different places. Between April 2022 and March 2023 the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England will spend over £90 million in services for people with a learning disability and autistic £90 million people. This includes £21 million between April 2022 and March 2023 given to £21 million local councils in England so they can move people with a learning disability and autistic people out of mental health hospitals and back into their community. It is hard to say how much it costs to support someone to live in the community. Different people need different amounts of support. We are looking at how money is used for people's support. , We want to find more information about how this money is used in local areas.