As part of the ‘Building the Right Support Action Plan’, which was published yesterday, the Government is set to take steps to ensure individuals with learning difficulties and autistic people get access to better care.
By 2024, the Government aims to halve the number of people with a learning disability and autistic people in inpatient care, compared to March 2015. To set this plan into motion, it will provide an additional £90 million from 2022 to 2023 with a view to speed up discharges.
This will come in the form of a £40 million investment to improve the capacity of crisis support for those with autism or learning disabilities across the country, as well as £30 million to fund key workers for children and young people with complex needs.
The Mental Health Act is also set to see reforms to reduce the authority for autistic people and those with a learning disability to be detained.
Along with this, there is a proposal that learning disabilities and autism should not be classed as mental health disorders that require compulsory treatment.
Why is quality support key?
Ensuring that individuals have access to the right support can make a dramatic difference to their quality of life.
Not only for people’s physical needs but taking a person-centred approach to ensure everyone gets the support they need is essential for individuals’ mental health.
As outlined in the plan, for people that do require inpatient care, it is vital for them to have access to a community, rather than feeling restricted.
We adopt this approach at Almond Care, with our aim to fit our care around our clients’ lifestyles and ensure they feel respected, cared for and independent.
