Editorial
3LEARNING DISABILITY PRACTICE April 2009 | Volume 12 | Number 3
They seemed unable to see the individuals
before them as human beings
Ever been in hospital? It cannot be
much fun, what with the illness and the
worry that inevitably goes along with
it. At least for most people a positive
outcome is pretty much guaranteed.
Unless you have a learning disability.
The health and local government
ombudsmen have issued a report into
the deaths of six people with learning
disabilities that were first highlighted
in Mencap's 2007 report Death by
Indifference (see news page 5). They
found failures that led to prolonged
suffering and inappropriate care.
The report was widely covered in the
national press and no doubt many
people with learning disabilities will
have been worried by what they saw.
The ombudsmen's job is to carry
out independent investigations into
complaints about the NHS and local
authorities in England and to help
improve public services as a result.
Their report, Six Lives: the provision of
public services to people with learning
disabilities, identified shortcomings in
communication, partnership working,
relationships with families and
carers, quality of management and
advocacy, and failures to follow routine
procedures.
The ombudsmen are planning to hold
the government and the health and
social care regulators to account in
future: they are expected to monitor
future performance in this area and
to report back to the ombudsmen on
their findings.
The report briefly mentions that
the Nursing and Midwifery
Council's code of professional
conduct was `not being consistently
upheld to the extreme detriment of
the individuals concerned'.
But there is a wider issue here. The
nurses and other professionals and
carers seemed unable to see the
individuals before them as human
beings. It was as if people with learning
disabilities deserved a lower standard
of care and compassion; one that
would have been unacceptable for
other patients.
If people with learning disabilities
are to be reassured that they will be
safe when they go to hospital, every
professional needs to recognise their
personal responsibilities in caring
for people with learning disabilities
wherever they encounter them.
A sad state of affairs
Editor Colin Parish
Tel: 020 8872 3153
colin.parish@rcnpublishing.co.uk
Consultant editor Bob Gates
Managing director/Publisher Linda Thomas
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Editorial Advisory Board
Sandra Akintola Central and North West London
NHS foundation Trust
Dr Roger Banks North Wales Trust
Dr Michael Brown NHS Lothian
Maurice Devine Nursing officer, Department of
Health, Social Services and Public Safety
Paula Edmondson Freelance consultant and
trainer
Dr Bob Hallawell University of Nottingham
Neil James University of Glamorgan
Nina Jhowry self advocate, Berkshire
Dr Karen McKenzie University of Edinburgh
Professor Duncan Mitchell Manchester
Metropolitan University and Manchester Learning
Disability Partnership
Dr Raghu Raghavan Northumbria University
Dr Su Shaw University of Huddersfield
Dr Eamonn Slevin University of Ulster
Dr John Sweeney University College Cork
Mary Waight Berkshire East Primary Care Trust
Learning Disability Practice seeks to
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Colin Parish
Editor
References
Mencap (2007) Death by Indifference. Mencap, London.
Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (2009) Six Lives: The provision of public services to people with learning
disabilities. The Stationery Office, London.

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