Blog: Ask yourself why?

Over 2000 people with learning disabilities and autistic people in England are in in-patient mental health hospitals. Why?

For autistic people and people with learning disabilities with traumatic life experiences of separation and institutionalisation every day feels a challenge.

The right support that cherishes individuality and provides a foundation on which to explore, feel loved and feel included can change someone’s life.

Why are people locked away, miles away from home, restrained, segregated, often in solitary confinement, over-medicated, and denied contact with loved ones?

There is evidence that people live better lives out of hospital. People speak of living an ordinary life; being close to loved ones; or being able to cook their own dinner; of being able to go magnet fishing; watch wind turbines at any time of the day; of having a quiet home with their own door key is consistent.

(Much of the below comes from our new report about Small Supports in Plymouth).

• When I hear Mark speak about the difference in his life after 12 months of support from Unique Support Solutions, a small supports organisation in Leeds.
• When I interview Hughie from Glasgow and ask about the support he received from a small support organisation when he moved out of Lennox Castle 25 years ago, and his life now.
• When I see the change from 156 incidents of police/ambulance/GP call outs for a person per year to 3 per year.
• When I see someone’s support costing less than half what it used to in a secure private hospital (with all the trauma that brings).
• When I hear about a young man with a history of traumatic seizures and epilepsy and then learn he has not had a seizure in four years since being supported by a small support organisation.
• When I consistently see better lives, happier people and less money being spent by commissioners.
• When I see the wider impact across linked services such as the police, the ambulance services and the vast difference in time spent alongside someone in intense distress and I can see the evidence across the whole local system.

If you get the support right, then the impact is so much wider than just a person being able to live their best life. There are less calls to the ambulance services, less calls to the police, less time needed from the GP, the social worker, the nurse and hence the multi-disciplinary team.

Then I think about the impact of the economic investment in the local economy, small support organisations stay local, employ local people and the funding invested in support travels directly into the local economy.

If you get the support right then there is an impact across the whole local system.

So, why are people still placed in hospitals?

When you put all of this together, you have to ask yourself, why are we not developing more new small support organisations?

There is a growing body of evidence and learning that Small Support organisations work. They do not set out to fix a person or try and ‘modify’ them, they see the person, listen to them and their loved ones and set out the support that is most needed to enable the person to have the best life possible.

Small Support organisations understand that every day isn’t always a good day. They stick by the person and they never walk away …whatever that means to the team and the organisation.

Whether over 20 years, four years or 12 months, Small Support organisations consistently show their ability to support people with complicated and very individual support needs to live their best lives.

Want to find out more?

Read our new report A Deep Dive into the Plymouth Small Supports Story. The report shines a light on Small Supports organisation Beyond Limits. The report includes data showing reduction in incidents and medication and individual stories of better lives.

Watch a film about Mark’s Story, which is produced by NHS England.

Visit our Living Library of people’s individual and moving stories.

Join our programme of free online lunchtime sessions this autumn.

Or, just email us on smallsupports@ndti.org.uk