23 January 2009
By Mark Smulian
Health Secretary Alan Johnson has promised greater resources as part of a three-year strategy to help adults with learning disabilities to live more independently.
The Department of Health said the programme, Valuing People Now, would emphasise the identification and spread of best practice, but would create few burdens on frontline services.
Responsibility for commissioning and funding social care for people with learning disabilities is already due to transfer from the NHS to local government in 2009/10.
The department's VPN team would 'develop tools to support local action to deliver transformation', it said. A cross-government employment strategy will be launched in April to help more people with learning disabilities find work.
Johnson said on January 19: 'All people with learning disabilities must be supported to live full, independent lives as equal citizens across all aspects of life.
'This strategy will help make that a reality and I urge the NHS, local authorities and public services to take this opportunity to make real progress to transform people's lives.'
VPN is the government's response to the findings of the independent inquiry, chaired by Sir Jonathan Michael, which reported in July 2008. The inquiry was in response to a 2007 report from the charity Mencap that drew attention to high early death rates of people with learning disabilities.
Mencap chief executive Mark Goldring welcomed the strategy, but said he had 'serious reservations' about whether it could be provided successfully by 'hard-pressed and under-pressure local authorities, working with partnership boards without any statutory powers'.
PFjan2009
