The Government has failed to meet its own promise to reduce the number of autistic people and people with learning disabilities held in mental health hospitals, failing to address a major human rights crisis.

New data reveals there are currently 2,045 autistic people and people with learning disabilities in mental health hospitals in England. 1,380 (67%) of these people are autistic and there has been a 116% increase in the number of autistic people without a learning disability detained since March 2015. 

Many of the people stuck in mental health hospitals are without access to appropriate support, in environments that lead to avoidable physical and mental deterioration. They are often far away from their homes and loved ones, with the average length of stay being nearly five years. Furthermore, we know some people are subjected to overmedication, restraint, isolation and abuse in these settings.  

NHS England committed to getting autistic people and people with learning disabilities out of hospitals in its 2019 Long Term Plan and pledged to reduce inpatient provision to less than half of 2015 levels by March 2024. Yet, this number has only been reduced by 30%. Additionally, while there has been some progress in reducing the detentions of people with learning disability, when looking at the numbers of only autistic people detained, detentions have increased. 

This target was adopted by the Government in its Building the Right Support Action Plan in 2022. This Action Plan laid out how the Government intends to support autistic people and people with learning disabilities to live fulfilling lives in their communities and was created to “complement and support achievement of the NHS Long Term Plan target”.

Sam Forrester, Policy and Parliamentary Officer at the National Autistic Society, said: 
“It’s a disgrace that the Government and NHS have failed to halve the number of autistic people and people with a learning disability being held in mental health hospitals. This missed target is the latest in over a decade of broken promises.

“The latest ‘Assuring Transformation’ data shows there are more than two-thousand (2,045) autistic people and people with learning disabilities detained in mental health units. When you look at autistic people, without a learning disability in particular; not only have the numbers not come down, they have more than doubled since March 2015.

“We will keep saying this, until we are heard… Autism is not a mental health condition. Detaining autistic people in mental health units can be harmful and damaging; they deserve better and should be getting the correct support for their needs.

“There must to be a complete overhaul of the system. The only way to do this is through urgent reform of mental health law, and funding for community mental health and social care services. This is one of the greatest human rights crises of our generation - and it needs to end now.”

Evidence shows current policies aren’t working for autistic people, and more needs to be done to ensure people can get support in their communities. 

Whilst this is one of the most significant targets to have been missed, it is not the first. 
In the aftermath of the Winterbourne View scandal, NHS England pledged to end inappropriate placements for autistic people and people with learning disabilities and move them into community-based support by 2014. This target was missed.

New targets were then set to move 35-50% of autistic people and people with learning disabilities into the community by 2019. This target was missed.

Currently, 91% of autistic people and people with learning disabilities who are detained in hospital are put there using the Mental Health Act. The National Autistic Society along with hundreds of thousands of campaigners have been calling for changes to the Act for years, so it respects autistic people’s rights.

The Government’s Mental Health Bill brings legislation in line with the modern understanding of autism by removing it from the definition of mental disorder. This would stop people being sectioned just because they are autistic and make it easier for autistic people in hospitals to leave. Despite this, the Government did not include the Bill in its 2023 King’s Speech, meaning it is unlikely to be introduced before the next General Election. Urgent action is needed to end the scandal of autistic people and people with learning disabilities being stuck in mental health hospitals. 

Change the Conversation Campaign

This is just one of the changes that is urgently needed and that is why the National Autistic Society has launched a campaign, Change the Conversation, to empower autistic people to campaign ahead on the next general election, so that every politician understands the urgent changes autistic people need. Now is the time to Change the Conversation about autism.
The charity has created a Campaigner’s Toolkit to help all autistic people campaign in a way that works for them.

Young Ambassador and autistic campaigner Hannah on her reasons for campaigning to Change the Conversation:
“The mental health system is failing autistic people. It took until I was 19 and multiple psychiatric admissions before anyone even suspected autism. By then so much damage had already been done. I spent just under 5 years in and out of hospital and mental health inpatient settings. Nothing about my time in hospital helped me. I was abused, over-medicated, restrained and secluded. At one point, professionals decided I wasn’t improving and the next step would be a 10 year+ long admission. My experience of being stuck in mental health hospitals compounded the trauma I had experienced as a child but I believe if there was better understanding, awareness and education on autism for all professionals in public services my experience would have been so different.

My path to this point has been a difficult one, but one that drives my want to campaign for change to ensure the experiences I and many others have had are not repeated. Hope is what has got me through my experiences, and I believe that we must hold onto hope for change.”
To find out how to join Hannah and get involved in campaigning sign up to receive Campaign Updates.