Introduction
Central and local government spend £8 billion a year between them on supporting adults aged 18–64 who have a learning disability. The Department sets policy for adult learning disability services, while local authorities provide social care services and NHS England is responsible for meeting their health needs. There are an estimated 930,000 adults with a learning disability in England, 129,000 of whom receive local authority social care support. There are approximately 2,500 people with a learning disability who are in mental health hospitals as they are considered a danger to themselves or to others. Since 2012, following the abuse scandal at Winterbourne View, the Department committed to move people, where appropriate, out of mental health hospitals into the community. In 2015 it launched the Transforming Care programme which aims to reduce the number of beds for people with a learning disability in mental health hospitals by 35%–50% by 2019 and provide support for people to live in the community instead.
24 April 2017