Report: HSCIC – Learning Disability Census 2015
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Almost half of inpatients (1,450 or 48 per cent) with learning disabilities in specialist inpatient units on 30 September 2015 were also receiving inpatient care at the time of previous census collections dating back to 2013. This finding comes from the third annual Learning Disability Census, published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC).

The number of inpatients reported in the 2015 Census was 3,000, compared with 3,230 in 2014 and 3,250 in 2013.

The Learning Disability Census considers inpatients in specialist units with learning disabilities, autistic spectrum disorder and/or behaviour that challenges. It provides detailed information about these patients and their experiences of care in NHS and independent facilities in England. The Census began in 2013 in response to events at Winterbourne View Hospital.

The Learning Disability Census 2015 has been linked at patient level with the Assuring Transformation data collection, using the most up-to-date figures for the end of September 2015. The linked dataset shows that 2,140 patients out of the 3,000 from the Learning Disability Census were common to both collections.

Today’s report also shows that in total, 26 per cent of patients experienced at least one adverse experience, such as accidents, physical assault and self-harm, as well as at least one restrictive measure such as restraint or seclusion. Of all men included in the census, 22 per cent (485 out of 2,255) had at least one adverse experience and at least one restrictive measure compared to 39 per cent of women (290 out of 740).

The Learning Disability Census Report, England, 2015 also found:

  • Three in four inpatients (75per cent, or 2,255 of 3,000) in the 2015 Census were male.
  • The most common adverse experience type was self-harm. This involved 735 (24 per cent) inpatients in 2015 compared to 790 (25 per cent) in 2014.
  • 72 per cent of patients (2,155) received antipsychotic medication either regularly or ‘as and when needed’ in the 28 days prior to the census collection, compared to 73 per cent (2,345) in 2014.
  • The proportion of inpatients aged 18-64 (92 per cent) was substantially higher than the comparable England-wide population age distribution (59 per cent).
  • The median average length of stay was 554 days for the 2015 census, compared to 547 in 2014.
  • The median average distance from home was 38.6km for the 2015 census, compared to 34.4km for the 2014 census.
  • The proportion of inpatients receiving care more than 100km away from home in 2015 was 23 per cent (670 patients) an increase from 19 per cent (570 patients) in 2014.

Responsible Statistician for the report Chris Buttery said: “The third annual report provides a range of information that can help inform the planning and provision of care for people with learning disabilities and will be of interest to mental health professionals, as well as inpatients and their families.

“Several findings in the report show a similar picture to last year’s Census, such as the use of antipsychotic medication and the proportion of individuals involved in adverse experiences and restrictive measures.”

Read the full report here: http://www.hscic.gov.uk/pubs/ldcensus15.