People with learning disabilities are “scared” of receiving poor healthcare because of the treatment autistic teen Connor Sparrowhawk received from Southern Health Trust, which led to his death.
Ignoring calls to resign: Katrina Percy of Southern Health Trust
During a parliamentary debate at Westminster, Oxford East MP Andrew Smith read out a letter from Oxford-based charity My Life My Choice, which advocates for adults with learning disabilities, about the governance of the Southern Health Trust.
‘The truth is not always told’
Fear among the learning disabled community is evident in the letter that Mr Smith read. It stated: “We know from Connor’s case that the truth is not always told and our members are scared that people with learning disabilities do not get the same standard of healthcare.”
The letter referred to a 2015 report by Mazars, an international audit and consulting group, that revealed uninvestigated deaths at the Southern Health Trust. The letter stated: “Mazars has told us that if we die, our deaths will not be taken seriously.”
The Trust has finally admitted responsibility for Connor’s death. The 18-year-old teen, who had autism and epilepsy, drowned in a bath at inpatient unit Slade House in Oxford following an epileptic fit.
An NHS England investigation following Connor’s death found that only 272 of the 722 deaths in the Trust were properly investigated. Despite now admitting responsibility for his death, the trust’s chief executive Katrina Percy has ignored calls, led by Connor’s mother Dr Sara Ryan, to resign.
Poor healthcare ‘caused’ Connor’s death
Fears about the standard of health care among the learning disabled community has been further heightened by Southern Health’s admittance that it “caused” Connor’s death. In a public statement, the Trust admitted it had “violated Connor’s right to life” under the European Convention on Human Rights. This admittance follows a three-year battle by Connor’s family for the truth to come out, a delay they have described as “shameful”.
Southern Health Trust has offered the family £80,000 “by way of compensation for its unlawful acts and omissions”. The family could still launch a class-action lawsuit against the Trust.
The Trust also looks set to come under police investigation for its failure to provide relevant evidence to the coroner while Connor’s death was being investigated.
Published: 11 June 2016
