From Hospitals to Homes

From Hospitals to Homes: The Stolen Lives report is published and praised

Adrian Roper

After years of fruitless lobbying, a group of families formed the Stolen Lives campaign group in 2024 and very quickly found support from Senedd Members like the late Hefin David. They were then invited to co-write a report of their concerns with members of the Learning Disability Ministerial Advisory Group.

The Report was published by the Welsh Government on 20^th January 2026 and it is a very powerful assessment of the experiences of people with learning disabilities and autistic people (and their families) when they are “admitted to hospital inappropriately because the right care and support in the community is not there”. It is full of research evidence describing Human Rights abuses and shortfalls between Welsh policy aspirations and actual practice on the ground. It also sets out a comprehensive set of recommendations.

It is essential reading for everyone with an interest in the well-being of people with learning disabilities and autistic people and their families.

In a published letter to the Stolen Lives co-authors of the Report, the Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing, Sarah Murphy AS, offered strong praise, saying:

“your collective expertise and lived experience have been instrumental in shaping a thoughtful and robust report and set of recommendations for improving the experiences of people with learning disabilities who access adult specialist inpatient and community services.  Your work has helped to shine a light on the challenges faced by individuals and families and has laid the groundwork for meaningful change.”

We couldn’t agree more.

The Minister’s letter goes on to describe a programme of work for the next six months. It is not clear what some of these activities will entail and hopefully more details will follow. However, one action that sounds like it has the potential to make a difference is the proposed establishment of a learning disability programme board. The Minister gave more details about this in her Written Statement also published on 20^th January 2026, as follows:

“I am clear that action to improve outcomes for people with a learning disability must continue to be prioritised. I am therefore supporting a three‑year integrated learning disability service transformation programme across health, social care and housing, from April 2026 to March 2029. The LD Ministerial Advisory Group has been advising us on the priorities for action and Regional Partnership Boards will play a critical role in bringing health, social care, housing and third sector partners together to support local delivery of integrated community care for people with a learning disability.”

We would be delighted to see the establishment of a learning disability programme board with a transformation agenda that prioritised the prevention of entirely unnecessary out of area placements and brought people home with real urgency and commitment.

The Good Life Alliance is here to encourage and support this vital work, nationally, regionally and locally. We are proud to have the Stolen Lives group as a member, and we hope that their Report (including its Easy Read version) is widely read and used to inspire understanding and action.

Adrian Roper