One in four adults with a learning disability stuck at home due to cuts

One in four adults with a learning disability now spends less than one hour a day outside their home due to cuts to day services, according to a new report from Mencap.

And the charity found nearly a third of local authorities have closed day services in the last three years.

The findings, outlined in the report Stuck at home follow a freedom of information request by the charity to 151 local authorities in England that provide day services and a survey of 280 people with a learning disability and their families and 194 professionals who work with people with a learning disability.

The freedom of information requests also reveal more than half of people with a learning disability who are known to social services do not receive any day service provision, compared to 48 per cent in 2009/10.

In addition, three in five (60 per cent) of local authorities have increased charges for going to day services and for vital services such as transport to a service, on average by 70 per cent.

Mencap says families have also been hit hard, with almost one in four family carers stating that their family is financially worse off due to the changes to day service provision, and a further one in five (19 per cent) fearing that they will be forced to give up work to look after their child or family member. Nearly three quarters of carers (72 per cent) fear that their child will not receive the support they need to live a full and independent life.

Mark Goldring, the chief executive at Mencap, said: “Our social care system is letting down this country’s most marginalised adults. It is deeply worrying that progress towards greater participation of disabled people in the community and mainstream society risks being undone.

“While we support the modernisation of day centres, we urge local authorities to find other ways of saving money that do not take vital services away from vulnerable people, and we urge the government to make a strong commitment to addressing the social care funding crisis through its forthcoming White Paper and draft Bill.”