NHS accused as mental health patients die younger

Sarah Boseley, health editor
Thursday September 14, 2006
The Guardian Link:-
 http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1871807,00.html

The government could face a legal challenge over sub-standard treatment
given by the NHS to people with learning disabilities and long-term mental
health conditions, the Disability Rights Commission warns today.

The commission conducted an 18-month investigation and says it found that people with learning disabilities and long-term mental health problems die five to 10 years younger on average than other citizens, often from preventable illnesses which were missed because routine checks were not carried out.

The commission says the NHS could be in breach of the new disability
equality duty, which comes into effect in December, unless the overnment
takes action.

The commission's study, which is the largest of its kind in the world,
involving the examination of 8m health records, also found that:

· People with serious chronic mental health problems have higher rates of
obesity, smoking, heart disease, diabetes, respiratory disease and stroke
than other people.

· People with learning disabilities have higher rates of obesity and
respiratory disease.

· People with schizophrenia are almost twice as likely as other citizens to
have bowel cancer.

The commission's chairman, Bert Massie, said: "This investigation has
revealed shocking levels of ill health among people with learning
disabilities and people with mental health problems, yet their needs are
often unmet or they face unnecessary barriers to accessing services. The
acid test of a national health service is not whether it works for those who
are generally healthy, but whether it benefits those with the greatest risk
of poor health.

"Tackling health inequalities is high on the government agenda, yet there
has been a deeply inadequate response from health services and government to target these groups which, in some cases, is compounded by a dangerously complacent attitude and a lazy fatalism that they 'just do' die younger.

This is completely unacceptable.

"We need to see a radical change in the commissioning, targeting and
delivery of health services in order to close this gap quickly," Mr Massie
added.

The commission found that disabled people and those with chronic mental
health problems were less likely to get the checks given to other patients,
such as obesity assessments for diabetes, blood pressure checks for those who have had a stroke and routine cervical and breast cancer screening.

Sometimes their physical health problems were assumed to be part of their mental health condition.

Over 50% of respondents said they had difficulties getting appointments with their GPs.

The British Medical Association, which represents doctors, said it was
"extremely worrying" that people were not getting the healthcare they
needed.