Learning Disability news

Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock announced today that the government will fund specialist, independent advocates.

Granting long-stay hospitals responsibility for care commissioning will create serious conflicts of interest - and may undermine people's right.

Disability charity United Response launches their Am I Your Problem? campaign which aims to challenge the indifference, hidden discrimination, and sometimes outright hostility faced by people with learning disabilities and autistics. 

Cross-sector concerns have repeatedly been raised about the Mental Capacity (Amendment) Bill since proposals were introduced last summer. The Bill, which campaigners fear will dilute existing human rights safeguards and give undue power and responsibility to organisations supporting older and disabled people.

Figures produced by the Scottish Children’s Services Coalition have highlighted dramatic increases in the number of pupils being identified as needing additional support needs (ASN) in Scotland’s schools.

Ambitious about Autism's Youth Council have created a resource to help tackle loneliness amongst peers and make youth groups more accessible. 

In collaboration with Slimming World, the University of Sheffield has conducted research into making weight loss programmes more accessible to people with learning disabilities. Now, Slimming World will roll out the adaptations to more than 5,000 consultants. 

The National Quality Board of NHS England wrote 'National Guidance on Learning from Deaths' to see deaths under NHS properly investigated. One year later, the Care Quality Commission finds that whilst some trusts are implementing the guidance, others must do more.