Line 18: UK's 'barbaric' hospitals and those trapped inside
Thursday 11 April 2019 16:43, UK
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, a Sky News investigation has found.
The dead, nine of whom were under 35, were being held as in-patients in assessment and treatment units (ATUs), controversial hospitals considered inappropriate for some of the most vulnerable in society.
:: Add to , , , .
Our investigation also found numerous cases of families whose loved ones have been confined to an ATU for years - including the case of one man who has been in an ATU 120 miles from his parents' home for 18 years.
Read more here.
:: 'Victorian' care system failing the vulnerable
Sky News looks at why people with a learning disabilities or autism are not receiving the support they need, and why government words have not become actions.
Find out more here.
:: Trapped in care
Pam and Roy's autistic son Tony has been in a secure hospital more than 100 miles away for almost two decades.
The couple have shared their story.
:: Tony's story
Tony's mother, Pam, speaks about her "heartbreak" and her fears for her son as she gets older.
Here, she tells Sky News her son and others like him "deserve a life" instead of being "locked up".
