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Written question asked by Shockat Adam (Independent (affiliation)) on Tuesday, 24 June 2025, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 30 June 2025 (named day). A holding answer was provided on Tuesday, 1 July 2025. A substantive answer was provided by Stephen Kinnock (Labour) on Thursday, 3 July 2025 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

Psychiatric Hospitals: Autism and Learning Disability

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what baseline figure his Department will use to measure progress on reducing the number of (a) people with a learning disability and (b) autistic people in mental health hospitals by 10 per cent within 2025-26.

Answer

National Health Service planning guidance for 2025/26 includes a focus on improving care for people with a learning disability and autistic people and contains the objective to deliver a minimum 10% reduction in the use of mental health inpatient care for people with a learning disability and autistic people in 2025/26. The baselines being used to measure progress against operational planning guidance are: adults with a learning disability, including those who may also be autistic, in mental health inpatient care as of 31 March 2024, based on Assuring Transformation data extracted from 31 March 2024; and adults who are autistic, with no learning disability, in mental health inpatient care as of 31 March 2024, based on Assuring Transformation data extracted from 31 March 2024.

The expectation is that integrated care boards will have been working towards achieving a 10% reduction from the 31 March 2024 baseline by 31 March 2025, and will build on this during 2025/26. They are therefore expected to achieve a 20% reduction from the 31 March 2024 baseline by 31 March 2026.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
62380
Session
2024-26
Related items
Subjects
Autism Learning disability Psychiatric hospitals
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk