DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
News Release (2007/0233) issued by The Government News Network on 9
August 2007
£175 million to
build new homes in the community signals the end of institutions
People with learning disabilities will no longer face the
prospect of being institutionalised as a result of landmark action
announced Care Services Minister Ivan Lewis today.
Mr Lewis opened a bidding process for £175million for Local
Authorities and Primary Care Trusts to make the transition from
providing campus accommodation to more appropriate independent
arrangements for those with learning disabilities.
Currently at least 1600 people who have a learning disability
live in NHS campuses and are not given the opportunity to develop
important social skills, or the freedom to make everyday decisions.
This funding will give Local Authorities and Primary Care Trusts
enough money to make sure we provide housing and day facilities
which will ensure that whilst living in the community, individuals
receive the necessary support to make a smooth transition to a
better way of life.
Before leaving the NHS campus each person will be individually
assessed and given a 'person centred care plan' to
ensure they will continue to receive the correct support in their
new way of living.
Announcing the opening of the bidding process, Ivan Lewis said:
"This announcement will bring to a close one of the darkest
chapters in our nation's history. Putting people with
learning disabilities in hospitals and large scale institutions
was a scandal which disfigured our society. People who are neither
a danger to themselves or others have the right to live in the community.
"I am proud of the fact that by 2010 the remaining residents
in NHS campuses will move into the community. Every individual
will receive high quality support at a level required to ensure
they have a full life. No one will be left isolated and
vulnerable. This decision underlines the Government's belief
that people with learning disabilities are people first with a
right to expect equality of citizenship."
Welcoming the announcement, Dame Jo Williams from MENCAP said:
"Mencap welcomes the closure of NHS campuses. People with a
learning disability should have the opportunity to make choices
about where and how they live. The funding provides the incentive
for Primary Care Trusts, in conjunction with local authorities, to
get on with closure plans, so people with a learning disability
can live their lives the way they want, within their community."
Ends
Notes to Editors
1. Many campuses are in the South East, but most regions in
England have people living in Campuses
Strategic Health Authority Campus-Number of people *
South West 317
South Central 123
South East Coastal 101
London 250
Eastern 254
East Midlands 260
West Midlands 195
Yorkshire and Humber 37
North East 66 North West 6
Totals 1609
- This list is compiled from voluntary data gathered by Valuing
People Support Team regional advisors.
- From October 2007, NHS providers and commissioners are mandated
to provide data every 6 months, progressing towards the 2010
closure date (Ref: ROCR/OR/0204).
2. In the white paper: Our health Our care Our say (2006) we
committed to closing all NHS campuses by 2010.
3. Capital Funding of £175m will be available every year for 3
years, from 2007-08 to 2009-10. PCTs who are ready with their
reprovision plans can bid for capital funding this year, and must
show that they can spend the money on capital within this
financial year. If PCTs are not ready with their plans to bid this
year, they can send us an indication of their reprovision plans
and how much capital money they might need next year and the year after.
4. Long stay learning disability hospitals were set up in 1913
and many people with learning disabilities lived in these so
called 'colonies'. When the NHS was formed in 1945 the
colonies became hospitals, in 1969 there were 60,000 people living
in these. In the 1970s the Government were keen to see people
moved out of these hospitals. In 1993 The Community Care Act
changed the way that people got money for support. A lot of people
had already moved out of hospitals by then and many of these were
living in houses ran by NHS Trusts who had run the hospitals.
These were the NHS campuses.
5. In 2001 Valuing People said that people with learning
disabilities should not be living in hospitals. In 2006 Our
Health Our Care Our Say said people should not be living in
campuses either, and now the Government is taking supportive
action to ensure this plan becomes a reality.
[ENDS]