NHS failing to meet the needs of people with learning disabilities, Casey warns

People with learning disabilities are being failed by NHS services that do not always understand their needs or make reasonable adjustments to their care, the chair of England’s adult social care commission has warned.

Baroness Louise Casey said hospitals were not consistently equipped to treat and support people with learning disabilities. She raised concerns that some patients were not properly heard and that the carers who understood how they communicated could be excluded from decisions or prevented from supporting them on wards.

Casey highlighted the case of a 70-year-old woman with profound learning disabilities who was admitted to a general ward following a stroke. Her regular carers were reportedly not allowed onto the ward, despite being best placed to understand what she was communicating and how she needed to be supported.

The warning comes amid continuing concern about unequal health outcomes. People with learning disabilities have substantially shorter life expectancy than the wider population, with Casey arguing that inadequate NHS care is one factor contributing to avoidable illness and premature deaths.

She also criticised fragmentation between health and social care and raised concerns about excessive profits being made by some private providers supporting people with complex needs. However, she acknowledged that sudden changes could place people at further risk where private services currently provide essential support.

Baroness Casey is leading the government’s independent review of adult social care in England. Its recommendations, expected by summer 2027, are intended to help shape plans for a National Care Service and address how support should be organised, delivered and funded.

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