Care for people with learning disabilities ‘must improve’

The government has outlined a number of measures that could be implemented to eliminate the "unacceptable" inequalities that people with learning disabilities face within the NHS.

Two new publications from the Department of Health have revealed that although some improvements have been made in recent years, many people with learning disabilities are still experiencing poor care quality.

As such, the National Clinical Director for Learning Disability has been tasked with examining the feasibility of developing best practice guidelines for the treatment of this patient group.

Efforts will also be made to improve the way the NHS identifies people with learning disabilities, introduce patient-held records for those affected by several health conditions and offer a known contact to coordinate the care of patients with multiple long-term conditions.

Care and support minister Norman Lamb said: "We wouldn’t accept this kind of poor care for cancer patients, so there is no reason why it is acceptable for people with learning disabilities."

Despite these steps, the announcement was met with disappointment by mental health charity Mencap, which said a lack of set goals or timescales will hamper efforts to tackle the problem.