DRC ‘misses the point’

In response to the DRC’s report, Equal Treatment: Closing the Gap, Andrew McCulloch, chief executive of the Mental Health Foundation said: “It is good that the Disability Rights Commission has put this issue more firmly on the agenda… However, the DRChas missed the point that people with mental health problems and people with learning disabilities need a comprehensive and sensitive approach to protecting their health.

“Health promotion needs to start early in life to reduce the impact of known risk factors, and access to good quality primary and secondary healthcare must be improved. A five-minute consultation with a GP in many cases makes little difference.

“The DRChas missed the opportunity to tackle the right to good healthcare for people with mental health problems and people with learning disabilities… Too often prejudicial assumptions by staff lead to very real health needs being overlooked.”