19th January 2009
In response to the launch of Valuing People Now and an inquiry to investigate the premature deaths of people with learning disabilities, Barbara McIntosh, Co-Director of the Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities, said:
“We need to make sure Valuing People Now does not fall by the wayside. People with learning disabilities don’t need any more paper promises. It’s worth remembering that the original Valuing People was greeted with much fanfare, and included a delivery plan, but more than seven years later implementation is still very patchy.
“Valuing People Now does show signs of learning from the past. The voices of people with learning disabilities and – importantly – their families are given a more prominent role. We hope that this, and the new regional partnership boards will make things happen. To go through three more years of unfulfilled potential would be heartbreaking. People with learning disabilities deserve the same chances to live their lives to the full as everyone else.
“The establishment of an inquiry into premature deaths among people with learning disabilities is long overdue. It’s hard to think of many other minority groups that could be treated so badly for so long without an outcry.We particularly welcome the government’s decision to commission a new Public Health Observatory to provide data information at a national and local level, which is desperately needed.”
ENDS
Valuing people now: A New Three year Strategy for People with Learning Disabilities was published on January 19th 2009. It sets out the government’s plans for services for people with learning disabilities in England over the next three years.
The full strategy as well as executive summary and easy-read version can be found on the Department of Health website.
Valuing people now: the delivery plan, outlining the structure and steps towards implementing Valuing people now: a new three-year strategy for people with learning disabilities, can also be found on the Department of Health website.
For more information please contact the Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities press office on 020 7803 1130/28 or email sloveland@fpld.org.uk
The Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities promotes the rights, quality of life and opportunities of people with learning disabilities and their families.
Back to Press Releases 2009
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
