People with learning disabilities should not have to call a hospital home

People with learning disabilities should not have to call a hospital home Care Quality Commission report into Calderstone’s NHS trust is sharp reminder why urgent action is needed.

The report by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) that was announced yesterday paints a sickening picture of what was found within inpatient units for people with a learning disability run by Calderstones NHS trust.

The CQC found serious deficiencies in the quality of care, including dirty and unsafe wards and seclusion rooms, inadequate staffing, frequent use of physical restraint and seclusion – including face-down restraint – and failures in relation to the Mental Health Act. The CQC report also reveals that 40% of patients at Calderstones have been there for five years or more, mostly detained under the Mental Health Act, many subject to Ministry of Justice restrictions. Continue reading... The Guardian