Learning disabled people are dying at a “shocking” rate from coronavirus.
That’s the view of Dan Scorer, Mencap’s policy head.
Mencap head of policy Dan Scorer believes the learning disability death rate from coronavirus is “shocking”
Scorer made the comments after a report showed that the virus killed almost 80 per cent of a sample of people with learning disabilities between March and June this year.
The Learning Disabilities Mortality Review (LeDeR) looked at 206 deaths between 2 March and 9 June.
It found that coronavirus caused 79 per cent (163) of the deaths.
Coronavirus may show differently
Scorer said people with learning disabilities may show coronavirus symptoms differently and health staff must attune themselves to this.
He added that “reasonable adjustments” in hospitals, such as allowing visitors, would improve people’s survival chances.
Scorer accused the UK Government of “constantly” failing to prioritise learning disabled people.
Reasonable adjustments not made
The LeDeR report found that in 21 per cent of cases medics had not made reasonable adjustments.
Reasonable adjustments are legally required to help people with learning disabilities get the healthcare they need.
The were three areas where medics most often fell short on reasonable adjustments. These concerned specialist services in hospitals, tailoring care to individual needs and supporting the person in unfamiliar settings.
Learning disability used as reason not to resuscitate
The LeDeR team also found that learning disability, or “frailty”, is still being used as a reason for “inappropriate” do not attempt resuscitation (DNAR) orders.
The overall coronavirus death rate among people with learning disabilities reported to the LeDeR team between March and June was lower than in the sample.
Overall, up to 46 per cent died from coronavirus and 54 per cent from other causes.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said it had asked the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies to review the findings of the LeDeR report.
Related:
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- Social care cut when it was needed most
- Virus deaths in care more than double
- Activists demand virus death figures
- At high risk of death, but denied tests
- Fightback against virus law care cuts
- Disabled launch legal fight to buy food
- Keep seeking medical help, doctor urges
- Families fight virus clampdown
- We can’t get food we need, say parents
- Councils ‘free to abandon disabled’
- Children’s social care ‘in crisis’
- Social care cash won’t end crisis
- Care slashed in Warwickshire and Surrey
Published: 23 November 2020
