North Wales MS criticises failures in Autism care system

Mark Isherwood, Chair of the Senedd’s Cross-Party Autism Group and North Wales Member of the Senedd, has criticised the Welsh Government over continued failures to address the detention of Autistic individuals and those with learning disabilities in hospital settings, calling the situation a “human rights abuse.”

Speaking during a Member Debate on “Care Settings for Autism and Learning Disability,” Mr Isherwood highlighted cases from his North Wales constituency to stress the urgency of the crisis.

He also referred to the Stolen Lives “Homes not Hospitals” protest earlier this year, which called for an end to the detention of individuals in inappropriate hospital settings due to a lack of community-based support.

“There has been a Learning Disability Strategy in place in Wales since 2018, which seeks to ensure that Autistic people or people with a learning disability who are in long-term placements are discharged and able to live their lives in the community,” Mr Isherwood said.

However, citing data from Learning Disability Wales, he noted, “approximately 150 Autistic people or people with a learning disability are known to be in a hospital setting, over two-thirds for over 10 years.

This includes placements in facilities outside Wales, separating people from their families and communities.”

North Wales Families Struggling

Mr Isherwood drew attention to the impact on North Wales families, sharing troubling examples of local cases.

“As one parent of an Autistic son with severe learning disabilities in North Wales told us, they ‘had a phone call from a senior member of staff at the Health Board telling us that their only option now was to put their son in hospital,’” he said.

“This is devastating for any family, but even more so when no appropriate alternative is made available.”

Another parent, also from North Wales, recounted a similar ordeal, explaining how their child was taken into emergency care due to the inability to find carers.

“Their child was stolen and put into emergency support care because carers could not be found,” Mr Isherwood said.

Such stories reflect the systemic failures faced by families across Wales, but North Wales parents have been particularly vocal in highlighting how a lack of resources in the region forces children to be placed in facilities far from home.

Jack’s Story and Broader Harrowing Accounts

During the debate, Caerphilly MS Hefin David shared the story of Jack, a young autistic man sent to an unsuitable secure residential unit more than 100 miles away due to the lack of appropriate local support.

Jack was later moved to a psychiatric intensive care unit in Wales, despite not having a mental health condition.

“Imagine you, as the mother or father of that young man, seeing him experience what is effectively a prison experience simply because he’s autistic,” Dr David said. “Jack lived there for over two years.”

After his parents successfully overturned the decision to section him, Jack is now thriving in a more suitable environment. Dr David shared Jack’s poignant words following the change: “I can see the moon and the stars,” “I have grass,” “I can hear birds,” “Thank you for my new home,” “Mummy, I’m a free man.”

Sioned Williams, MS for South Wales West, also spoke of families torn apart by inappropriate detentions. She described the experience of Will, whose family was not consulted before he was sectioned over an Easter holiday.

“Will was told he was going on holiday and then admitted to a mental health unit, although it was determined later the issue leading to the section was not related to his mental health,” Ms Williams said.

“There’s a human rights scandal here because this isn’t an isolated case, and lives like those of Will are being stolen,” she added.

Wales Going Backwards

Reflecting on the broader issue, Mr Isherwood said: “Wales was one of the first countries in the world to launch a strategy to get people with a learning disability out of long-stay hospitals, back into the community. Yet we seem to be going backwards and slipping towards re-institutionalisation.”

He also criticised the lack of accountability in local authorities, particularly in North Wales, where he has personally intervened on behalf of constituents whose Care and Support Plan Reviews were not conducted in accordance with the Social Services and Wellbeing Wales Act.

“Without robust Welsh Government monitoring and evaluation, its legislation is, effectively, redundant,” Mr Isherwood said.

Campaigners Demand Action

Carolyn Thomas, North Wales MS, highlighted a 1,754-signature petition from the Stolen Lives campaign, which calls for an end to the detention of learning disabled and autistic people in hospitals.

“We need to see an action plan, with specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-based goals. We need to be able to hold people to account,” the petitioners wrote.

In response, Sarah Murphy, Minister for Mental Health, acknowledged that the current situation was unacceptable.

“The latest data that we have shows that, in October, there were 140 adults with a learning disability who were receiving ongoing care in an inpatient setting; 22 were in England. This is not good enough,” she said.

Ms Murphy added: “Let me reiterate: one person in a bed and not in a home is one too many.”

By Deeside.com and Chris Haines, ICNN Senedd reporter