Two years ago, the previous Committee of Public Accounts reported on the Department of Health’s efforts to move people with a learning disability out of mental health hospitals and into the community. In April 2017, the acting Committee published a report (pdf) on current local support.
The report found that:
- Progress had been poor but the Committee was promised improvements
- The Department and NHS England have since made progress. They have developed the Transforming Care programme and moved some people out of hospital.
- There needs to be a greater focus on measuring outcomes and improvements to the quality of life from the £8 billion central and local government spend each year on this support.
The Committee recommends that:
- Starting in July 2017, NHS England should update the Committee annually on its progress to reduce the number of beds in mental health hospitals
- NHS England should report to the Committee in six months on the effectiveness of its refreshed care and treatment policy
- NHS England should set out how it will ensure that patients and families are supported to advocate for themselves or have access to effective advocacy.
Read the full report (pdf) and conclusions and recommendations.