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| MP calls on council to house disabled boy stuck in hospital | |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Ahmed, 10, unable to leave for 11 months as Manchester council fails to find property | |
| A local council has a “moral and financial” duty to house a 10-year-old disabled boy stuck in hospital unnecessarily for 11 months, his MP has insisted, as a charity said 140 other disabled people were in-patients despite being well enough to be discharged. | A local council has a “moral and financial” duty to house a 10-year-old disabled boy stuck in hospital unnecessarily for 11 months, his MP has insisted, as a charity said 140 other disabled people were in-patients despite being well enough to be discharged. |
| Lucy Powell, the MP for Manchester Central, said she had asked Manchester city council to urgently move the boy, Ahmed, out of Royal Manchester children’s hospital and into a home, after the Guardian highlighted his case. | Lucy Powell, the MP for Manchester Central, said she had asked Manchester city council to urgently move the boy, Ahmed, out of Royal Manchester children’s hospital and into a home, after the Guardian highlighted his case. |
| Ahmed has multiple disabilities, is registered blind and uses a wheelchair but has been well enough to leave an acute ward at the hospital since 12 April last year. | Ahmed has multiple disabilities, is registered blind and uses a wheelchair but has been well enough to leave an acute ward at the hospital since 12 April last year. |
| However, when he was admitted last March, Ahmed and his family were homeless and “sofa surfing” in a friend’s living room, and the council has yet to find them suitable accommodation to which Ahmed can be released. | |
| Powell said: “I’m looking into this case as a matter of urgency. While suitable, adapted housing is an ever more difficult challenge to find, it surely makes moral as well as financial sense to do whatever it takes to move this family from occupying an acute hospital bed into accommodation. I’ve already raised this with executive members on the council, who I know are now prioritising the case.” | |
| Mencap, the learning disability charity, said far too many disabled people were being denied the chance to live in their own homes because of a lack of social care and housing provision in the community. | Mencap, the learning disability charity, said far too many disabled people were being denied the chance to live in their own homes because of a lack of social care and housing provision in the community. |
| Figures they compiled from NHS Digital last month found that 140 people in the UK with a learning disability or autism were in-patients despite being ready for discharge into the community. | |
| The cost of an “excess bed day” in the NHS is £346, according to NHS figures from 2017-8 – the most recent statistics available – meaning Ahmed’s 11-month overstay has cost taxpayers at least £115,000. | |
| “There is still no robust cross-government strategy to ensure that health, social care, education and housing work together to stop inappropriate admissions and get people out of inpatient units,” Mencap said. | “There is still no robust cross-government strategy to ensure that health, social care, education and housing work together to stop inappropriate admissions and get people out of inpatient units,” Mencap said. |
| Branch Properties, an independent property agency with a specialist department aimed at meeting the accommodation needs of disabled people, said Ahmed’s case was not unique. | |
| Sallie Stone-Bearne, who set up the agency after her father struggled to find a suitable property, said: “We have worked with many individuals and families that are in similar situations to this family. Those who have a disabled child and the bathroom is on the second floor, meaning they have to carry the child and their wheelchair up and down the stairs. | Sallie Stone-Bearne, who set up the agency after her father struggled to find a suitable property, said: “We have worked with many individuals and families that are in similar situations to this family. Those who have a disabled child and the bathroom is on the second floor, meaning they have to carry the child and their wheelchair up and down the stairs. |
| “We also have clients who have had an accident and overnight their life changes. When it comes to the time they need to go home, they can’t, as they can’t even get in their own front door. | “We also have clients who have had an accident and overnight their life changes. When it comes to the time they need to go home, they can’t, as they can’t even get in their own front door. |
| “Every four hours, someone is paralysed by a spinal cord injury, so this is a reality for many. Many disabled people are confined to their front room, unable to go upstairs to the bathroom, or put their kids to bed. The pressure on the entire family is just unimaginable during this time.” | “Every four hours, someone is paralysed by a spinal cord injury, so this is a reality for many. Many disabled people are confined to their front room, unable to go upstairs to the bathroom, or put their kids to bed. The pressure on the entire family is just unimaginable during this time.” |
| On 12 April last year, one of Ahmed’s doctors wrote to Manchester council asking them to urgently house the family, saying he was well enough to be discharged into an adapted home with a suitable care package. | On 12 April last year, one of Ahmed’s doctors wrote to Manchester council asking them to urgently house the family, saying he was well enough to be discharged into an adapted home with a suitable care package. |
| The council said: “This is a highly complex case, which has to factor in Ahmed’s ongoing medical needs, his education and the wellbeing of his family and caregivers. Unfortunately in this case, the council has not been able to secure accommodation that would be suitable for the family’s needs. | The council said: “This is a highly complex case, which has to factor in Ahmed’s ongoing medical needs, his education and the wellbeing of his family and caregivers. Unfortunately in this case, the council has not been able to secure accommodation that would be suitable for the family’s needs. |
| “A very specific type of property is required by the family in one of the most in-demand areas of Manchester for housing. During this period, nothing has become vacant that would be appropriate. We will continue to work with the family to try to find a property that will meet their priority needs.” | “A very specific type of property is required by the family in one of the most in-demand areas of Manchester for housing. During this period, nothing has become vacant that would be appropriate. We will continue to work with the family to try to find a property that will meet their priority needs.” |