04.11.14
Shortage of learning disability nurses putting thousands of lives at risk – Mencap
A shortage of specialist nurses trained to care for people with learning disabilities is putting thousands of lives at risk, with three vulnerable patients dying a day due to lack of care, according to Mencap.
Research by the charity has discovered that 42% of NHS acute trusts do not have a learning disability liaison nurse, and no trust has learning disability nurse cover 24 hours a day. On average trusts have 30 hours of learning disability cover out of a 168-hour week.
According to Mencap this lack of provision has led to 1,200 people with a learning disability dying avoidably in the NHS every year. People with learning disabilities often find it difficult to communicate their condition, and Mencap said there had been numerous cases in which doctors had dismissed dangerous symptoms as merely an aspect of a patient's disability.
The number of learning disability nurses employed in the English NHS has fallen from 5,700 in September 2009, to fewer than 4,000 in July this year – the latest month for which data exist.
Jan Tregelles, chief executive at Mencap, said: “In order to tackle the unacceptable inequalities that people with a learning disability face in the NHS, greater learning disability training and awareness is fundamental. Hospital staff must no longer write-off someone’s illness as a consequence of their disability and they must start listening to what families have to say. People with a learning disability are losing their lives as a result of inaction. When is this ever acceptable?
“What’s more, we know that the right training and awareness is critical. Where professionals such as learning disability liaison nurses are in post, they have made a really positive difference to the experiences and health outcomes of people with a learning disability.
“The government must take action to ensure that people with a learning disability get the high quality healthcare they need and put an end to this scandal of avoidable deaths. No more excuses - people with a learning disability and their families deserve better.”
Mencap is calling for better training for NHS employees. In an open letter co-signed by representatives of the British Medical Association and the Royal College of Nursing, the charity also calls for 24-hour learning disability nurse cover across the NHS.
“For ten years successive governments have been told by doctors, nurses, researchers, families and Mencap that steps could be taken to prevent these deaths,” the letter says. “The presence of Learning Disability Liaison Nurses – health professionals trained to care for people with a learning disability – has been a key recommendation, yet we now know that almost half of acute NHS Trusts don’t employ any, with none offering 24-hour availability.
“1,200 people with a learning disability are dying prematurely every year because the health system is not meeting their needs. This is three people a day. How many more lives have to be lost until every hospital has dedicated learning disability liaison nurses, available 24 hours a day, to care for people with a learning disability?”
Health minister Norman Lamb "strongly shared Mencap's view that the NHS has to change". He said: "We've commissioned more student places for learning disability nurses, and we are working to encourage more people to consider this as a career path."
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