Almost half of doctors (46%) and a third of nurses (37%) report that people with a learning disability receive a poorer standard of healthcare than the rest of the population, according to a survey published by learning disability charity, Mencap.
The survey of over 1,000 healthcare professionals also found that almost half of doctors (45%) and a third of nurses (33%) admitted that they had personally witnessed a patient with a learning disability being treated with neglect or a lack of dignity or receiving poor quality care. In addition, nearly four out of ten doctors (39%) and a third of nurses (34%) went as far as saying that people with a learning disability are discriminated against in the NHS. By law, all healthcare professionals must ensure people with a learning disability have access to equal healthcare by making reasonable adjustments if necessary. However, the survey results also revealed that more than a third of health professionals (35%) have not been trained in how to make reasonable adjustments for patients with a learning disability, which can often mean the difference between life and death. Furthermore, over half of doctors (53%) and more than two thirds of nurses (68%) said they needed specific guidelines on how care and treatment should be adjusted to meet the needs of those with a learning disability. Mencap’s Death by indifference report in 2007 highlighted six cases of people with a learning disability who died unnecessarily in NHS hospitals. Since then, the charity has received more accounts of tragic cases from families and carers – including the case of Emma Kemp who had a learning disability and was diagnosed with cancer. Emma Kemp’s mother, Jane, was told that Emma had a 50% chance of survival with treatment, but the hospital staff were worried that it would be difficult to treat her because of her learning disability. Emma Kemp’s doctors decided not to treat her, saying that she would not co-operate with treatment. Her mother eventually agreed that palliative care would be appropriate. Jane Kemp told Mencap about the discrimination Emma faced: “One doctor actually said: ‘if she was a normal young woman we would not hesitate to treat her’. When I agreed that Emma should only receive palliative care treatment, I did so because I was then told that Emma only had a 10% chance of survival and that it would be cruel to treat her. I now know that this was not true, that I was misled into agreeing with the decision that cost my daughter her life.” In response to these findings, Mencap has developed a charter with a number of the medical Royal Colleges which spells out the adjustments that healthcare professionals need to make to their working practices when treating someone with a learning disability. The charity now wants health Trusts to sign up to its “Getting it right” charter to stop indifference and make these rights a reality for patients with a learning disability. Mark Goldring, Mencap’s chief executive, said: “Our charter sets out a standard of practice and will make health Trusts accountable to people with a learning disability, their families and carers. The fact that so many healthcare professionals recognise the gaps in their own training and the need for specific guidelines for treating people with a learning disability, shows the need for urgent action before more people suffer. We want hospitals and health Trusts to sign up immediately.” To sign up, visit: www.mencap.org.uk/gettingitright
