Review of inpatient advocacy for people with a learning disability and autistic people in mental health, learning disability or autism specialist hospitals

This review spearheads a 1-year project to address provision and quality of statutory and non-statutory advocacy for people with a learning disability and autistic people who are inpatients in mental health, learning disability or autism specialist hospitals.

The overall project will explore a wide range of advocacy for children, young people and adults with a learning disability, autism or both in specialist NHS and independent inpatient settings. It will also explore and support the role of families who advocate for their family members based on legal right and/or patient choice. The overall project focusses on a system-wide review including pilot advocacy interventions which can be implemented and evaluated within the year.

The overall review will establish how statutory and other forms of advocacy are currently commissioned, delivered, monitored, legal framework and how advocacy is used by patients, families, hospitals and commissioners, to understand whether or how any of this this should change. It will establish best practice guidance to ensure advocacy supports patients to enjoy a good quality of life, be safe, receive good quality care, have their concerns fully listened to and acted on, be better involved in decisions and to help ensure that hospital care is least restrictive and for the shortest time possible.

Learning from this broad-ranging review and associated pilots will be brought together to inform the development of cross-sector commissioning guidance by the end March 2022 and conclusions/recommendations for DHSC and the wider system around future advocacy provision. It will include the development of minimum standards and guidance for this specialised area that will be co-produced with stakeholders including self-advocates and their families. It will build a strong evidence base regarding existing advocacy delivery with person-centred recommendations for the future, based on the feedback of patients, families, advocates, advocacy commissioners and others, and demonstrate the impact of specific interventions.