Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies on the care and treatment of people with learning disabilities and autism of the contents of the Channel 4 Dispatches programme, Under Lock and Key, broadcast on 1 March 2017; and what steps he is taking to investigate the use of restrictive practices such as restraint, seclusion and sedation on such people.

Under the Transforming Care programme, a clear programme of work is underway with national delivery partners to improve services for people with learning disabilities and/or autism, who display behaviour that challenges, including those with a mental health condition.

‘Positive and Proactive Care: reducing the need for restrictive interventions’, which was published by the Coalition Government in 2014 introduced a requirement that providers report on the use of restrictive interventions to service commissioners, who will monitor and act in the event on concerns being raised. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) monitors and inspects against complaints in line with the guidance contained in ‘Positive and Proactive Care’.

The CQC is developing a programme of work and consulting on revised key lines of enquiry for inspections to address variations in service quality, including use of restraint and seclusion.

For NHS England-funded services, NHS England employs both CAMHS (Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services) and adult case managers who have the specific responsibility of monitoring the care and treatment of patients. This involves overseeing the whole treatment programme for individuals, including issues of restrictive practice.