All articles written by Barbara Keeley MP on PoliticsHome.com

24 Apr 2023 Health

People with learning disabilities and autism are being failed by government inaction

Across the country there are more than 2,000 autistic people and people with learning disabilities who are being detained in inpatient settings.

26 Jan 2022 Health

Failing to address the cancer backlog could see survival rates fall for the first time in decades

The Health and Social Care Select Committee has just held the last of its evidence sessions in its current inquiry into cancer services in England.

13 Jul 2021 Health

Outdated institutions should be banned from detaining autistic people and people with learning disabilities

The government has failed to invest in high quality community services which would support people to leave hospital and it has done nothing to stop the flow of people into inpatient units from the community.

23 Jun 2021 Health

People with long-term health conditions need an ambitious rehabilitation strategy to ensure they aren’t left behind

As the government considers its options for the long-overdue reform of social care, we must ensure that people can live independently in the way they choose for as long as is possible.

27 May 2021 Health

Government failure on social care should come as no surprise – they’ve been letting down people trapped in institutions for years

Ten years on from the Winterbourne View revelations, it is time for the government to back up their rhetoric with action and end the long list of broken promises to autistic people and people with learning disabilities.

18 Mar 2021 Health

People who rely on social care can’t afford to keep waiting for reform

When the government finally brings forward its proposals for social care reform, they must to do more than prop up a failing system and tinker with funding.

17 Feb 2021 Coronavirus

Government must suspend ‘do not resuscitate’ notices for Covid patients with learning disabilities

The government must step in to ensure that people with learning disabilities are not wrongly denied Covid treatment and ensure vaccine priority is extended to everyone with a learning disability.

15 Jan 2021 Health

Mental health reform needs to come with enhanced funding for community services

Mental Health Act reform should mean fewer people being held in secure inpatient units and more people getting support to continue to live in their communities.

10 Sep 2020 Coronavirus

Test and trace is not the world-beating system we were promised, it is barely fit for purpose

The Government promised would to do whatever it takes to beat Covid-19. It’s time for ministers to live up to their word and build a system which works, is prepared for the demands of winter and a second wave.

08 Jul 2019 Health

The government is tinkering around the edges of the mental health crisis facing young people

We need to ringfence funding, prioritise early intervention and look outside the health system to tackle the problem, says Barbara Keeley

23 Sep 2018 Social affairs

If the current government cannot fix the social care crisis, then the next Labour government will

Plans for the future of social care need to be ready as soon as possible, writes Barbara Keeley

12 Jul 2017 Social affairs

New thinking is needed to solve the social care crisis

The general election has shown that social care matters to people. It will take courage, commitment and extra funding to reform the system, writes Barbara Keeley