Select committee: Health and Social Care Committee

Recommendation 10

Fifth Report - The treatment of autistic people and people with learning disabilities Published 13 Jul 2021 Paragraph 74 Addressed to Department of Health and Social Care

Health and Social Care Committee Treatment of autistic people and individuals with learning disabilities All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗

Recommendation (the committee's words)

We welcome the Government’s announcement that it will bring into force the Mental Health Units (Use of Force) Act 2018 in November 2021. This will go some way to reducing the use of restricted practices in inpatient facilities. However, we remain concerned that the use of restrictive practices remains commonplace in many inpatient facilities and therefore still presents a long-term risk to autistic people and people with learning disabilities. We recommend that in addition to the requirement of the Mental Health Units (Use of Force Act) two further reforms are introduced: i) use of restraint on individuals in inpatient facilities is published twice every calendar year; and ii) all providers are required to meet with both families and commissioners within a month of each incidence of restraint, whether chemical or physical, to explain why it happened and what measures are being taken to prevent a reoccurrence.

From: Health and Social Care Committee, Fifth Report - The treatment of autistic people and people with learning disabilities (HC 21), paragraph 74, 13 July 2021

Government response

The government responded to the whole report on 27 July 2022 (deadline 13 September 2021).

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.

The government's response welcomes the Committee's report and sets out its position recommendation by recommendation, accepting some in full, some "in principle" or "in part", and not accepting others, alongside the Building the Right Support action plan and the draft Mental Health Bill.

On costs, it accepts the recommendation for a complete assessment "in principle" while noting "the practical challenges in providing a complete assessment of costs"; a task and finish group is to develop "targeted solutions" on funding and financial oversight.
It does not accept a ban on long-term admissions or the Trieste model: "we do not intend to implement the Trieste model of care" and does not agree admissions "should be banned altogether", pointing to Mental Health Act reforms.
On weekly reviews and compensation, it accepts recommendation 4 "in part": it does "not intend to implement weekly formal reviews" or to introduce compensation under the Mental Health Act, but proposes additional review points and Tribunal referrals.
On closing Assessment and Treatment Units, it accepts "in principle" that care must be person-centred but does "not accept" closing all mental health inpatient units within two years, and expects to keep some capacity, including forensic.

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