Imagine your child had been locked in Rampton high-security mental health hospital for years, even though they weren’t mentally ill or had committed a crime. That’s the nightmare the mother of a young man called Adam is living through.
Adam is in Rampton because he is autistic and has a learning disability. He is locked away from family, friends and society purely because the adult social care crisis means that the support he needs to live a fulfilled and happy life has not been put in place.
The public accounts committee has criticised the Department of Health and Social Care’s “patchwork funding”, short-term approach to social care and delays to promised reform. Any one of us might need these services but autistic people like Adam show the catastrophic consequences of the government’s lack of focus and vision.
There are an estimated one million autistic people in the UK. Every autistic person has different needs, and many can work and make a considerable economic contribution. But because society and services are not accessible or inclusive, autistic people face one of the highest rates of poor mental health, significantly lower life expectancy and one of the lowest employment rates.
The Autism Alliance’s Breaking Point campaign found that 77 per cent of autistic adults reach crisis point while waiting for social care to be provided. Many are admitted to mental health hospitals, where they face medication, restraint and trauma.
This is unacceptable and avoidable: with the right support, many autistic people can thrive, both in employment and in society. While there has been a positive increase in autism awareness in recent years, policy has not caught up. Despite the 2009 Autism Act, successive national strategies and many commitments, outcomes for autistic people have not changed appreciably in the past 15 to 20 years.
The crisis in social care has forced local authorities to cut costs, and not complying with duties in the 2014 Care Act has become normalised. There is weak accountability for meeting needs, and persistent discrimination. Systemic change is required.
But here lies an opportunity. Reconfiguring services and fostering a culture that values difference, identifies strengths and meets needs would transform lives and benefit the economy: not just for Adam but for every one of us who might one day rely on social care.
In an uncertain and unpredictable world, this presents a singular and powerful vision. It should be the vision we set, and that we all pursue.
