I recently joined a focus group organised to promote the relaunch of a campaign aimed at "Stopping Over-Medication of People with a learning disability or autism or both".
STOMP was set up in 2015, following the revelation that up to 50,000 people, many in residential care, were being prescribed long-term antipsychotics or antidepressants, or both, though they had often not been diagnosed with any specific mental illness.
Though there is little evidence of the efficacy of these medications in this population, there is considerable evidence of their potential adverse effects, which include weight gain, diabetes and heart disease. It is clear that these drugs are being widely used to contain "challenging behaviour", effectively as a "chemical restraint".
Partly as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, STOMP has made little progress. There has been a slight decrease in prescriptions for antipsychotics but a greater increase in those for antidepressants. Contributions to the focus group from parents and carers for people with autism and learning disabilities revealed some familiar obstacles to withdrawing medication.
Parents whose adult children had been admitted to residential facilities found that when their behaviour deteriorated, they were prescribed medication without appropriate assessment or consultation. Access to alternatives to medication - notably "positive behaviour support" programmes - remains uneven, and staff in many residential facilities are badly paid and poorly trained. The success of STOMP depends on tackling these underlying problems.
On another matter, as controversy continues to rage over the difficulties caused by low-traffic neighbourhood schemes some respite for people with disabilities is now promised by Haringey Council’s new "care at home" parking permit.
Many people living at home with a range of disabilities require essential visits from doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals and voluntary carers. Current parking restrictions, particularly in controlled parking zones, make life difficult - and impose costs - on highly vulnerable and elderly residents.
Haringey’s new scheme will provide a free transferable permit for residents who require essential visits. The permit, solely for use by carers, will be in paper form so that it can be transferred between vehicles. A welcome Christmas bonus!
Mary Langan is chair Severe and Complex Needs Families Reference Group.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here