The Big Question

What has gone wrong with NHS learning difficulties services?

Angie Lawrence – Single mother
There are still grave shortfalls in standards relating to NHS treatment of people with learning difficulties. These people cannot so easily voice their concerns and are often so dependent on NHS services that they dare not complain for fear of retribution. The Healthcare Commission should do more detailed and more frequent inspections.

Karen Shook – Disability equality adviser
The NHS culture has still a long way to go before it stops using the “medical model” for disabled people. Providers may strive to include people with learning difficulties in monitoring and improving services but for those people who do not have a voice and no one to advocate for them, care can be inadequate and abusive.

Richard West – Inspired Services
Why are people with learning difficulties still in hospitals? We should now be living in the community – living with our partners and doing things when we like. We have equal rights and the new equality duty should support this. And what about people who do not have English as their first language – are they getting a fair service?

Len Smith – Gypsy activist
This seems to run parallel with the general decline in standards of health care services within the NHS. We hear constantly about demotivation of staff for a variety of reasons, but I also believe that fewer care staff see their jobs as a calling any more. In caring agendas of any kind, there has to be a degree of dedication.