Number of autistic people in inappropriate mental health settings has increased

A group of charities have written to the Minister of State for Care, Stephen Kinnock MP, urging swift action as new data shows 2,025 autistic people and people with a learning disability remain locked away in mental health hospitals.

The Government said it will not commence important changes to detention criteria for people with a learning disability and autistic people included in the Mental Health Bill until it is satisfied there is sufficient support in the community.

The charities, which include the National Autistic Society, Mencap, and The Challenging Behaviour Foundation, want it to urgently produce a comprehensive plan for this, especially as it has been one year since the NHS and Government failed to meet their target to reduce the numbers.

Not only has the target been missed, but the number of people detained has actually increased since then. There are now 55 more autistic people detained than there were in March 2024 –a 4% increase since the target was missed.

Why has the mental health hospital target been missed?

The 2019 NHS Long Term Plan introduced a target to reduce the number of autistic people and people with a learning disability in mental health hospitals to half (50%) of the number recorded in March 2015, by March 2024. But the target was missed, with a reduction of around only 30%.

One year on, the number of autistic people detained continues to rise, and it has increased by 136% since 2015.

The NHS Priorities and Operational Planning Guidance for 2025/26 has introduced a new target of a 10% minimum reduction, which would mean 200 people discharged into the community by around March 2026. However, despite this less ambitious target, it’s still unclear what actions the Government will take to reach it.

Mel Merritt, Head of Policy and Campaigns at the National Autistic Society, said: “The only way to end the human rights scandal of autistic people and people with learning disabilities being locked up in mental health hospitals is to have a proper Government plan. Anything less is a failure to confront the issues. Currently, autistic people are deprived of their basic liberties in mental health hospitals, where they often face abuse, overmedication, and unnecessary restraint.

“Changes in legislation, going through parliament now, are desperately needed. But without a plan and provisions in place, the Government is consigning people to unnecessary detentions, where the average stay is nearly five years.”

Alison Bloomer

Alison Bloomer is Editor of Learning Disability Today. She has over 25 years of experience writing for medical journals and trade publications. Subjects include healthcare, pharmaceuticals, disability, insurance, stock market and emerging technologies. She is also a mother to a gorgeous 13-year-old boy who has a learning disability.

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