Shocking call to lump learning disability into mental health
New consultation recommends statutory body to 'provide and lead services'
A paper commissioned by Edwina Hart MBE AM, the Minister for Health and Social Services, has put forward a principle recommendation that a statutory body 'responsible for mental health and well being in Wales' is established. More worryingly it further recommends that the body would 'provide and lead services for people with learning disabilities'.
The paper, 'A Well Being and Mental Health Service Fit For Wales', gives the personal view of Professor Michael A H Williams.
The paper says: 'The body would be responsible for the provision of services for people with learning difficulties. This would include advocacy and liaison services together with other health, social welfare and voluntary services. The reduction of inpatients with learning difficulties in mental health hospitals is the result of the explicit resourcing of a more enlightened well resourced policy introduced in the late 1980s. The provision of accommodation and support for people with learning difficulties is a good example of the NHS and voluntary organisations such as housing associations, combining to provide care in the community.'
Jim Crowe, Director of Learning Disability Wales, writes: "This extraordinary proposal would place the provision of all services for adults with a learning disability and all supports and all advocacy under the control of one remote all Wales NHS agency. In one step, thirty years of work in Wales to promote the social model of disability, to develop learning disability services under a social services lead, to provide integrated, community based models of service will be buried.
"The medical prescription in this report is remarkable in that it has been written from such a narrow mental health and personal perspective. 'A Well Being and Mental Health Service Fit For Wales' runs to 24 pages. One sentence in the executive summary and three short paragraphs in the main report refer to adults with learning disabilities. One of these paragraphs is quoted above. The only reference to children and young people with learning disabilities is in relation to CAMHS services, so it is not clear who it is proposed will have responsibility for this group.
"The report claims that its proposals have resulted from wide consultation but none of the individuals acknowledged works in the learning disability field or is a parent or person with a learning disability. Most seriously, none of the relevant all Welsh policy statements and frameworks, starting from the All Wales Mental Handicap Strategy 1983 are referred to in the report or references. The only reference to policy and learning disability mistakenly refers to the 1989 Mental Health Strategy. We are not qualified to comment on whether the report will provide a better approach for mental health services.
"We should always be open to ways in which we can more effectively promote the right of children, young people and adults with a learning disability to have equal opportunities as a citizen of Wales. We should always challenge, question and be open to re-thinking how we organise our services and support. It is, however, frankly alarming and undermining to the credibility of the National Assembly of Wales that such an uninformed report can be given such status, ignoring thirty years of unique Welsh policy activity and developments."
Deadline for comments is 2 September 2008. Email mentalhealthyourviews@wales.gsi.gov.uk
'A Well Being and Mental Health Service Fit For Wales' can be downloaded at: http://new.wales.gov.uk/consultations/currentconsultation/healandsoccarecurrcons/iechydmeddwlcymru/?lang=en
Learning Disability Wales would like to stress the importance of everyone reviewing and commenting on the consultation.
The paper will be discussed at the next meeting of the Learning Disability Implementation Advisory Group (LDIAG) on 10 July.
Learning Disability Wales are planning a consultation events for the first week of August to enable the learning disabled community in Wales to respond to the consultation. News on these events will be forthcoming. Click here for more information
