Guardian sponsored investigation identifies 74 deaths of vulnerable people in NHS care
A report by Mencap that was commissioned by The Guardian suggest the the NHS caused or contributed to the deaths of at least 74 patients with a learning disability because of poor care in the last decade.
The deaths were either caused or complicated by mistakes in hospitals and decisions by staff who failed to treat them properly.
In one example the report talks about the death of Lisa Sharpe, a 21 year old who suffered from cerebral palsy and epilepsy. She was admitted to Basilbon Hospital suffering from vomitting, after a prologued stay in hospital she died and one of the contributing factors was that medics did not notice dangerously high levels of anti-epileptic drugs in her bloodstream.
David Congdon, Mencap's Head of Campaigns and Policy said
"These cases are a damning indictment of NHS care for people with a learning disability. "They confirm that too many parts of the health service still do not understand how to treat people with a learning disability and they are an appalling catalogue of neglect and indignity. As a result of institutional discrimination in the NHS, people with a learning disability are dying when their lives could be saved."
You can read the complete article along with other associated items in The Guardian.