NAS responds to NAO's 'Care services for people with learning disabilities and challenging behaviour'

"As the NAO report recognises, the Government's efforts to move people with autism and/or learning disabilities out of in-patient settings and into more appropriate community based support are being thwarted by its failure to enable community providers, local clinicians and in-patient services to work together.

“However, new legislation could help overcome these significant service and organisational challenges and enable the development of the funding and commissioning structures necessary for supported and timely transition between in-patient and community care.

"Whoever forms the next government must, as a priority, take up the complex challenge of getting the right legislation and practice in place, or face another generation of vulnerable people being marooned in inappropriate services.

“In the meantime, NHS England must fulfil commitments made last week to ensure that all in-patients have an agreed discharge plan at the point of admission and to introduce clearer rights for individuals and families to challenge placements.”