Bristol University research asked: Does lack of care lead to deaths?

Bristol academics have been asked to carry out an in-depth inquiry into shocking claims around the deaths of people with learning disabilities.

The Government has commissioned Bristol University to carry out a three-year investigation into suggestions that the lives of vulnerable patients are being put at risk because they are receiving lower standards of care as a result of their disabilities.

That includes a report by charity Mencap that highlighted the cases of six men and women whose families believed they died as a result of failures by social services and the NHS.

The university’s Norah Fry Research Centre will look into what needs to be done to stop early deaths and will report its initial findings next spring.

Care Services Minister Phil Hope said: “People with a learning disability have the right to lead their lives like any others, with the same opportunities and responsibilities and to be treated with the same dignity and respect.
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“It is unacceptable that people with learning disabilities might be experiencing lower standards of care than other patients. This must be fully investigated and these research studies should establish what factors have come into play and if tough action is needed.”