Health

Locked up for Autism: Thousands detained under mental health law

Published

6 months ago

June 19, 2025

“He didn’t break the law. He just needed help. Now he’s locked in a hospital hundreds of miles away.” — Alun, father of a detained 19-year-old

IN SECURE hospitals across England and Wales, more than 2,000 people with autism or learning disabilities remain locked away under mental health laws — despite never committing a crime.

Many are detained under the Mental Health Act 1983, often after being taken by police during a mental health crisis. The vast majority have no mental illness diagnosis. Some are teenagers. A few have been there for decades.

“It’s a human rights scandal,” said Dan Scorer of Mencap. “They’re being institutionalised because society hasn’t built the support they need.”

Autism is not a mental illness. It is widely recognised that for most autistic people, care in an inpatient unit is rarely helpful – in fact, it can be deeply damaging.

The average length of stay is around 4.6 years.

The overwhelming majority (92%) of autistic people and people with a learning disability who are detained in hospitals are put there using the Mental Health Act of 1983.

A NEED FOR URGENT REFORM

For years, the National Autistic Society and tens of thousands of campaigners have called for changes to mental health law.

Reform has been promised, and a bill is making its way through Parliament. However, the government will not commit to funding the reforms the legislation will enact. Even then, campaigners say the law change will not end the scandal of detention.

In April, Denise Cavanagh from Hook, a founder of the Stolen Lives campaign, told BBC Wales that she believed people would still be detained via other laws, including the Mental Capacity Act.

She added: “People with learning disabilities often end up in hospitals because there’s a breakdown in housing and community care, and it’s the only place they can go.

“So, if that community care isn’t there, there is nowhere for them to go and they’ll still be detained.”

And even though health is devolved to Wales, the Welsh Government is relying on a Westminster bill to improve how people with learning disabilities and autism are supported during a crisis.

“THEY CAME WITH HANDCUFFS”

Michelle, from Wiltshire, recounts the day her autistic daughter was detained after a meltdown in a supermarket.

“She was 23. She was overwhelmed. She panicked. That’s all. But the police came and took her away. That was three years ago. She hasn’t been home since.”

Michelle’s story is one of many. Some families describe wards where patients are sedated, isolated, and cut off from loved ones.

Bethany – whose surname cannot be published – was locked in a hospital room in Northampton as a teenager. Her only access to the outside world was through a tiny hatch in the door.

Her father, Jeremy, said he could only see his daughter through a plastic screen or through the six-inch hatch.

“It was cruel. It was torture for my daughter,” he said.

“It broke her human rights, her right to family life, her right to freedom from degrading treatment.”

Even now, several years on from Jeremy’s interview on Radio Four regarding Bethany’s treatment, little has changed. In fact, the data shows a worrying trend towards increased detention of those with mental illness or specific learning difficulties.

NO WAY OUT

Official NHS data reveals the extent of the crisis:

Over 52,000 people were detained under the Mental Health Act in April 2024 — the highest figure in five years.

Over 2,000 of those are autistic or have a learning disability.

As of May 2025, 2,025 autistic people and people with a learning disability are in mental health hospitals in England. Of these, 1,455 (72%) are autistic.
There are 240 under-18s in inpatient units who are autistic or have a learning disability. Of these, 230 (96%) are autistic.
The number of autistic people without a learning disability detained in mental health hospitals has increased by 141% since 2015.
This is the most up-to-date record of how many autistic people and people with a learning disability are currently in mental health hospitals in England.
Despite some progress moving people with a learning disability out of hospitals and into the community, the number of autistic people detained has increased. In 2015, autistic people made up 38% of the total number in hospitals, now it is 72%.

Around 60% of learning disability or autism inpatients have no mental illness diagnosis.

Detained patients are often placed in “out-of-area” units, sometimes hundreds of miles from home.

Toni Dymond, an autistic woman, was detained for over 20 years in psychiatric care without a criminal charge.

“She was isolated, broken,” said her brother in a statement. “It wasn’t treatment. It was abandonment.”

34,685 people were detained by police under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act in 2022–23.

Over 60% were transported in police vehicles, not ambulances.

Autistic woman and author of the memoir Unbroken, Alexis Quinn, spent three years “locked inside” various mental health hospitals, including Assessment and Treatment Units (ATU).

She says: “I was detained under the Mental Health Act and remained so for most of my stay. The Mental Health Act is a piece of legislation which provides a legal framework to detain people when they are mentally ill and require treatment to get better. The interesting thing about a treatment order for an autistic person is that autism is not a mental health condition.

“Whilst mental illnesses, such as depression and anxiety, can be treated, for autistic people, this has to be done in a way that reflects their needs and understands autism.

“When I was detained under the Mental Health Act, I felt like this was because of behaviour relating to my autism, not because I was mentally ill; the whole process lacked any understanding of the difference between autism and mental illness.”

CHANGE PROMISED, BUT NO MONEY ON THE TABLE

The Mental Health Bill, which is currently going through Parliament, will stop people with a learning disability and autistic people from being detained for treatment. However, the government have said that this change to the law will not be enforced until there is sufficient community support. That means the law will not come into effect until there are enough resources to support its operation. There is no commitment to provide that funding.

The Challenging Behaviour Foundation, a national charity, wants a clear plan, co-produced with people with lived experience, families, and those working within the different parts of the system, setting out what steps will be taken to develop this support and accompanied by the resources to make it happen.

The National Autistic Society says: “We are calling on the government to urgently publish a comprehensive and fully-costed plan for how it intends to build this support.”

So far, that call has been met with silence.

Health

Major investment confirmed for GP services in Wales

Published

16 hours ago

December 14, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Government unveils £41m boost, but practices warn pressures remain acute

MORE than £41m in extra funding will go into general practice in Wales this year following a new agreement between the Welsh Government, NHS Wales and GP leaders. Ministers say the deal provides stability at a time of rising demand — but the settlement comes against a backdrop of sustained pressures, recruitment challenges and concerns over patient access.

The package includes a 4% uplift to the General Medical Services (GMS) contract for 2025-26, in line with independent DDRB pay recommendations, and a guaranteed 5.8% recurrent uplift from 2026-27. The Welsh Government says the multi-year commitment will allow practices to plan ahead, modernise systems and strengthen community-based services.

Health Secretary Jeremy Miles said the investment showed an “unwavering commitment” to general practice, adding: “The 4% pay uplift ensures fair recognition for GPs and practice staff who work tirelessly to deliver care for communities across our country. Multi-year funding gives practices the confidence to invest in the transformation primary care needs.”

However, the announcement comes at a time when many Welsh practices continue to report severe workforce pressures, rising demand, and longstanding challenges in recruiting new partners. GP numbers have fallen over the past decade, with some practices handing back contracts or operating list closures because of unsustainable workloads. Patient satisfaction with access has also declined, according to the latest Welsh GP Patient Survey.

What the deal includes

The settlement for 2025-26 comprises £37.9m of new investment and £4m in re-invested capacity funding, with the key elements including:

A 1.77% uplift in expenses, intended to help practices manage inflationary pressures in energy, staffing and running costs.
A recurrent £20m stabilisation fund to support practices facing immediate operational pressures and to prepare for wider reform under the incoming Sustainable Farming Scheme model for health.
An increased partnership premium, aimed at retaining experienced GPs and encouraging new partners into a model that some say has become less attractive due to financial and regulatory risk.
A full review of the GMS allocation formula — the first in more than 20 years — which determines how funding is distributed between practices. Some rural and deprived communities have long argued the current system does not reflect the complexity of local health needs.

Wider context

General practice remains the foundation of the NHS, accounting for around 90% of patient contacts, yet it receives a proportionally small share of the overall health budget compared with hospital services. Both the Welsh NHS Confederation and GPC Wales have repeatedly warned that without sustained investment, primary care risks being unable to meet increasing demand from ageing populations and rising chronic illness.

The Welsh Government’s own “community-by-design” programme relies on shifting more care closer to home, reducing pressure on emergency departments and supporting earlier intervention. For that to be achieved, GP leaders say investment needs to be matched with workforce expansion, improved digital systems, and clear strategies to retain experienced clinicians.

Working groups will now be set up to examine access standards, diabetes prevention and new service models.

Mr Miles said he was pleased that GPs would be “actively contributing to creating innovative care models that enhance access, improve outcomes and deliver care locally.”

GP representatives broadly welcomed the deal but have stressed that it is only one step in addressing the scale of challenge across primary care.

Health

Welsh NHS leaders hail GP contract deal as “vital step” in strengthening primary care

Published

1 day ago

December 14, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Agreement secures investment, digital upgrades and better patient pathways

WELSH NHS leaders have welcomed the successful conclusion of the new General Medical Services (GMS) contract for 2025-26 — and key elements of 2026-27 — describing it as a “positive example of social partnership” at a pivotal moment for general practice.

The deal, negotiated between Welsh Government, the Welsh NHS Confederation and GP representatives, sets out new investment and commitments for frontline primary care, including accelerated digital transformation through the NHS Wales App and strengthened support for population-level health management.

Darren Hughes, director of the Welsh NHS Confederation, said the agreement comes at a crucial time for GP services across Wales.

He said: “NHS leaders welcome this agreement as a positive example of social partnership in action. We also welcome the commitment to accelerating digital transformation for patients through the NHS Wales App and the measures agreed in the contract to enable enhanced population health management, such as diabetes management.”

Mr Hughes added that GPs and their multidisciplinary teams remain “the front door to the NHS,” and stressed that investment in general practice is essential if Wales is to treat more people closer to home.

“Evidence shows investing in primary and community care reduces demand on hospitals and emergency care and delivers returns of £14 for every £1 invested. To enable this shift ‘upstream’ from hospital-centred care to integrated services in the community, we must develop care pathways and joint performance measures that address the full needs of individuals,” he said.

Background: Why the GP contract matters

General practice forms the foundation of the Welsh NHS, handling millions of patient contacts every year. According to the latest official figures for 2023-24:

Over 29 million calls were received by GP practices
18 million appointments took place
11 million of these were face-to-face
More than 200,000 home visits were carried out
78 million prescriptions were dispensed
Over 14,000 medication reviews took place

Demand has continued to rise while GP numbers have come under sustained pressure, particularly in rural areas such as Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion and Powys, where recruitment remains a long-running challenge. Practices in West Wales have repeatedly reported difficulties filling vacancies and increasing reliance on multidisciplinary teams, including nurse practitioners, pharmacists and physiotherapists.

The new GMS contract is therefore seen as a key mechanism for stabilising the sector, supporting digital access, improving chronic disease management, and helping to deliver the Welsh Government’s community-by-design programme, which aims to shift care away from hospitals and into community settings.

A recent survey by the Welsh NHS Confederation found that 74 per cent of NHS leaders support moving resources from acute hospital services into primary care, community-based services, mental health and social care, reflecting growing consensus around early intervention and prevention.

What comes next

The Welsh Government is expected to outline further detail in the coming months on how investment will be delivered at practice level, including support for digital tools, workforce development and shared performance measures with health boards.

With winter pressures mounting and hospitals facing record demand, NHS leaders say the success of the new GP contract will be central to improving access, reducing waiting times and ensuring patients in communities such as Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion can receive timely, local care before conditions escalate.

The Welsh NHS Confederation represents all seven local health boards, the three NHS trusts, Health Education and Improvement Wales, and Digital Health and Care Wales.

Charity

Motorcycle fundraisers transform children’s play area at Glangwili Hospital

Published

3 days ago

December 12, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Long-running 3 Amigos and Dollies group marks 25 years of support

THANKS to outstanding fundraising by the Pembrokeshire-based 3 Amigos and Dollies Motorcycle Group, Hywel Dda Health Charities has funded a major improvement of the outdoor play area at Cilgerran children’s ward in Glangwili Hospital — a project costing more than £15,000.

The 3 Amigos and Dollies have supported Hywel Dda University Health Board’s children’s services for twenty-five years, with their Easter and Christmas toy runs becoming landmark dates in the local calendar, drawing hundreds of bikers and supporters from across west Wales.

The latest funding has delivered a full transformation of the ward’s outdoor space, including a re-sprayed graffiti wall, new toys and play equipment, a summer house, improved storage, and a moveable ramp to make the area more accessible for young patients. Members of the group even volunteered to help paint and refresh the space themselves.

Paula Goode, Service Director for Planned and Specialist Care, said: **“We are so grateful to the 3 Amigos and Dollies Motorcycle Group for their amazing support. Not only have they raised an incredible amount for the ward, but they have given their time to help make the outdoor space as special as possible.

“Outdoor play greatly reduces stress and anxiety for children, and it provides a vital opportunity to meet other young people going through similar experiences. It benefits both their physical and mental wellbeing, so we couldn’t be happier with the transformation.”

Tobi Evans, a volunteer with the fundraising group, said: “Because of the generosity of everyone who donates, we are able to give thousands each year. We are always humbled by how much people give, and it’s thanks to them that we’ve reached our 25th year.”

Katie Hancock, Fundraising Officer for Hywel Dda Health Charities, added: “We can’t thank the 3 Amigos and Dollies enough for their support for Cilgerran ward. You have put a smile on so many faces. Diolch yn fawr!”

Hywel Dda Health Charities funds items, equipment and activities that go beyond core NHS funding, making a meaningful difference to children and families across mid and west Wales.