Current situation
People with a learning disability should be able to live their life in the way they choose, like anyone else. Getting the right care and support can be crucial for this to happen. Mencap believe that people with a learning disability must also have choice and control over where they live and how they are supported.
Care and support can range from a few hours to 24 hours a day. This can include many things, like supporting someone to get up and get dressed, develop friendships and relationships, and become active members of their community.
The issues
- 1 in 4 people with a learning disability now spends less than 1 hour a day outside of their home due to cuts to day services (Mencap’s Stuck at Home report, 2012)
- Spending on adult social care in England has fallen í4.6bn over the last five years⁴, so there is real pressure on the system
- Today, support for people with a learning disability comprises around 30% of social care funding in the UK. If pressures on the system persist, there will be an estimated í926m funding shortage for learning disability support services by 2020⁵
- There are currently around 3,480⁶ people with a learning disability in inpatient units in England. Many are there due to a lack of the right support and services in their local community