The Mental Welfare Commission recently published a report “Hospital is not home”. They considered the circumstances of people with learning disability and complex needs who have been in hospital for 10 years or more.
They concluded that these people are staying in hospital for too long; on average 18 years and two months.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission have since voiced their deep concern about the findings. The EHRC call on the Scottish Government and the relevant health and social care agencies to pay close attention to the findings and to take urgent action to ensure proper compliance with their legal requirements.
In 2022, The Scottish Government’s Coming Home Implementation report established a Dynamic Support Register to help to ensure people remain in hospital only for as long as they need assessment and treatment.
There has been inconsistent interpretation across Scotland as to who should or should not be on the Register and there is concern that there are people in hospital for many years who have not made it onto the Register.
Another striking finding was the number of patients who were in hospital under ‘informal’ arrangements. These patients are not subject to mental health or incapacity legislation, which could lead to claims of unlawful detention.
Link to the full report: https://www.mwcscot.org.uk/sites/default/files/2025-01/HospitalIsNotHome_January2025.pdf