People on the clinically extremely vulnerable list in England have today received further guidance from the Department of Health and Social Care on keeping safe as the country introduces new national restrictions from Thursday. Yesterday (3 November), it was announced that adults (18+) who have Down’s syndrome have been added to the list of people […]
Write to your MP about legacy benefits
In March, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government announced an emergency increase of £20 a week for both Universal Credit and Working Tax Credits. However, the same increase was not extended to other ‘legacy’ benefits, such as Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), leaving many disabled people without this urgently-needed support. The DSA would […]
Heidi’s campaign to be heard by High Court
A young woman who has Down’s syndrome will have her landmark case heard by the High Court as she challenges what she calls the ‘discrimination’ in the current abortion law, which allows a foetus to be aborted up to birth if it has Down’s syndrome. Heidi Crowter, 24, has called for a judicial review to […]
Statement about CQC report on deaths of people with a learning disability from COVID-19
All of us at the DSA were very concerned to read the Care Quality Commission report (published on 2 June) that demonstrates a significant increase in the deaths of people with a learning disability from coronavirus (COVID-19). The analysis shows there has been a 134% increase in the number of death notifications this year compared […]
Government announce mandatory learning disability training
The government has announced it will pilot and roll out mandatory learning disability training for all relevant NHS healthcare professionals. It comes in response to campaigning from ourselves and thousands of others following grave concerns about the widely recognised health inequalities experienced by individuals with a learning disability. Read the ‘Right to be heard’ report […]
Education Committee Inquiry on SEND
The Education Committee has today published the report of its inquiry into special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). They have concluded that this generation is being let down by the current system, and that parents are facing a “titanic struggle” to find the right help and support. We contributed to the Special Education Consortium’s submission, […]
Educating our children: are things slipping?
By Carol Boys, Chief Executive As the start of our 50th anniversary grows ever closer, I have been spending quite a bit of time in the last few weeks reflecting on past achievements for people with Down’s syndrome. One of the major milestones of the last fifty years was the 1981 Education Act. It introduced […]
DSA statement on the death of ‘Jo-Jo’ from Hackney
The Down’s Syndrome Association is horrified by the details revealed today about the death of ‘Jo-Jo’. It is appalling to read about yet another person who had Down’s syndrome, and their family, being let down by the health and social care agencies that were supposed to be supporting them. The Safeguarding Adults Review published in […]
From the DSA – July 2019
2019 is passing very quickly and as we are between issues of The Journal we thought we’d gather together some news that might not have yet reached you yet.
Statement on NHS £5m funding for learning disability services
The Down’s Syndrome Association gives a cautious welcome to the announcement today that the Government is to provide an additional £5 million for addressing the health inequalities experienced by people with a learning disability. Given the scale of the problems identified by the most recent LeDeR annual report, we fear however, that this funding is […]
