Draft LB Bill has been backed by charities

Connor Sparrowhawk

"New rights for people with autism and learning disabilities must be enshrined in law, the mother of an 18-year-old man who died in NHS care has said, ahead of an inquest into his death."

"Connor Sparrowhawk, who was autistic and had epilepsy, was found drowned in a bath at an NHS assessment and treatment unit in Oxfordshire in July 2013, after being left unattended."

"Despite an independent inquiry in 2014 finding that Connor’s death had been preventable, that his epilepsy was not monitored, that there was no adequate supervision for residents when bathing, and that the family were granted no involvement in his care, no one has yet been held accountable..."

"A draft Bill, dubbed the LB Bill, for Connor’s nickname Laughing Boy, has been backed by leading charities and Norman Lamb, the former care minister. Key elements of the Bill were included in a government Green Paper, submitted shortly before the election, that could pave the way for major reform."

"Slade House, the unit where Connor had been living for 107 days before his death, has since been shut down, following a damning report by the Care Quality Commission. Meanwhile the trust which managed it, Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust, is subject to an inquiry into a number of deaths of people with learning disabilities and mental health problems between April 2011 and March 2015."

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/mother-of-autistic-man-who-drowned-in-nhs-care-wants-new-rights-for-people-with-autism-and-learning-disabilities-10509258.html


See also http://alicemooreuk.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/the-tale-of-laughing-boy.html