Tim Nicholls, Head of Influencing and Research at the National Autistic Society, said: “We are horrified by the systematic abuse of people in the Edenfield Centre, including autistic people, shown in BBC Panorama’s Undercover Hospital: Patients at Risk. The harrowing documentary is the latest in too many examples of autistic people being pinned down, locked away in seclusion, and subjected to abuse. The families of people living at the unit will be devastated, scared and angry about what they have seen. We are too. We will keep fighting to end this scandal.
 
“Autism is not a mental health condition and mental health hospitals are not the right place for the vast majority of autistic people. But some spend months or even years in hospitals, far from their families, and we continue to hear deeply concerning reports of abuse, overmedication, inappropriate restraint and seclusion, as shown in this documentary.
 
“NHS data released this month highlights the urgency of the situation, with 1,205 autistic people in mental health hospitals in England. This is an increase from 2015 when autistic people made up 38% of the number in hospital – now it is 61%. This is unacceptable.
 
“Government must reform mental health law as soon as possible, and provide urgent and meaningful funding for the social care system, so that autistic people get the support they need. It’s been more than a decade since Winterbourne View, but lessons still haven’t been learned. A hospital is not a home – this scandal must end now.”

Further information

Read Alexis’ story about being “locked inside” mental health hospitals for three years. 

Read our news story about the latest NHS data on the number of autistic people in mental health hospitals.

Read our news story on the Government’s Draft Mental Health Bill 

Read our news story on the Government’s Building the Right Support Action Plan 

Read our information, advice and guidance about autism and mental health.