Valuing People Now published!

January 2009

The government has published ‘Valuing People Now: A New Three-Year Strategy for People with Learning Disabilities'. It sets out the government's plans for learning disability services in England until 2011.  

‘Valuing People Now' brings the 2001 ‘Valuing People' white paper up to date.

The PMLD Network welcomes the publication of Valuing People Now and the renewed focus this will bring to improving the lives of all people with a learning disability, their families and carers.

In particular the PMLD Network welcomes that:

• Valuing People Now pays greater attention to ensuring that people with complex needs benefit from all the proposals and ‘Including Everyone’ is the first chapter.
• Valuing People Now defines who it means by ‘people with complex needs’ and explicitly states that this group includes people with profound and multiple learning disabilities.
• Valuing People Now identifies the need to take specific actions to include people with complex needs.
• A National programme lead will be appointed to champion issues for people with complex needs and the Department of Health will take forward a programme of work around complex needs.
• Anne Williams, National Director for Learning disabilities has one of her measures of success as: ‘if the needs of people with the most complex needs are met in creative and personalised ways’.

However, the PMLD Network recognises that work is also needed to address some gaps, for example, the strategy does not appear to place a priority on improving day services to meet the needs of those who are not in, or working towards, employment – like people with profound and multiple learning disabilities. And although it recognises that people with complex needs are likely to need highly individualised support packages, it is difficult to understand how this can be supported without a commitment to increase funding.

Beverley Dawkins, Chair of the PMLD Network says, ‘Valuing People Now recognises that we must focus on meeting the needs of those with the most complex needs and we welcome the programme of work it is taking forward in this area. But much needs to be done to ensure that the strategy actually delivers the changes needed to improve the lives of people with profound and multiple learning disabilities.’

Read Valuing People Now on the Department of Health website

Read the PMLD Network briefing on 'How does Valuing People Now aim to improve things for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities?'