At least 40 people with a profound learning disability or autism have died while admitted to “barbaric” secure hospitals the government has promised to close since 2015, a Sky News investigation has found.
The deceased, nine of whom were under 35 when they died, were being held as in-patients in assessment and treatment units (ATUs), controversial hospitals considered inappropriate for some of the most vulnerable people in society.
ATUs are in-patient units intended for the short-term assessment, treatment and stabilisation of people with mental health conditions who display challenging behaviour, and those with a learning disability or autism are supposed to be discharged within 18 months into community-based care.
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