Responding to the Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB) investigation report on caring for adults with a learning disability in acute hospitals, Dr Rhidian Hughes, Chief Executive of the Voluntary Organisations Disability Group (VODG) says:
‘We endorse the report and its recommendations. There can be no doubt there are urgent improvements that must be made to the commissioning and provision of these types of services for people with a learning disability.
‘People with a learning disability face significant health inequalities, often facing avoidable harm because of a lack of awareness, training and communication within health services. Ensuring adjustments are made to meet people’s needs must be an integral part of the DNA of service provision if people with a learning disability are to get the right support when in hospital.
‘It is also important to recognise the role third sector community services have in offering high quality preventative support, which can be beneficial in mitigating hospital admissions, but increasingly lack the funding needed as social care budgets fail to keep pace with demand.‘
ENDS
- The full HSSIB report can be found here: https://www.hssib.org.uk/patient-safety-investigations/caring-for-adults-with-learning-disabilities-in-acute-hospitals/investigation-report/#executive-summary