London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Aug 28, 2025

100 people held more than 20 years in ‘institutions’

100 people held more than 20 years in ‘institutions’

One hundred people with learning disabilities and autism in England have been held in specialist hospitals for at least 20 years, the BBC has learned.

The finding was made during an investigation into the case of an autistic man detained since 2001.

Tony Hickmott's parents are fighting to get him housed in the community near them.

BBC News overturned a court order which had prevented reporting of the case.

Mr Hickmott's case is being heard at the Court of Protection - which makes decisions on financial or welfare matters for people who "lack mental capacity".

Senior Judge Carolyn Hilder has described "egregious" delays and "glacial" progress in finding him the right care package which would enable him to live in the community. He lives in a secure Assessment and Treatment Unit (ATU) - designed to be a short-term safe space used in a crisis. It is a two-hours' drive from his family.

This week, Judge Hilder lifted the anonymity order on Mr Hickmott's case - ruling it was in the public interest to let details be reported. She said he had been "detained for so long" partly down to a "lack of resources".

Like many young autistic people with a learning disability, Mr Hickmott struggled as he grew into an adult. In 2001, he was sectioned under the Mental Health Act. He is now 44.

Pam and Roy Hickmott - their son Tony is pictured at the top of article


"Nine months we were told he'd be away, until they found him a suitable place in the Brighton area," says his father, 78-year-old Roy.

Mr Hickmott was finally declared "fit for discharge" by psychiatrists in 2013, but he is still waiting for the authorities to find him a suitable home with the right level of care for his needs.

"If he'd murdered someone he'd be out now. He's lost his family, he's lost his home," says his mother Pam, who is 81. "He's just a shadow of the human he used to be. There are so many families like us - crying and screaming. We are our children's voices."

His Assessment and Treatment Unit care is paid for by the NHS - but the cost of housing and caring for him in the community with trained staff would fall to Pam and Roy's local authority, Brighton and Hove, and local NHS commissioners. That process has been bogged down in delays and wrangles. Pam believes the delays are over funding.

"We've got judges telling them to get on with it but they're still not doing it, they're still fighting over the money."

Finding suitable housing with skilled support staff can be a complicated process. But Mr Hickmott's family argue it should have been put in place a long time ago.

Pam and Roy's home is full of photographs showing their son in happier times. Birthday parties, smiling with his two sisters, holidaying with his mum and dad. The couple used to visit him twice a week - although, now they are that bit older, they just travel up on a Thursday.

"I've gone through three cars traveling to and fro," says Roy. "Sometimes Pam and I travel back and pull in at the side of the road and we just cry."

Six evenings a week - at 17:00 - they speak to their son on the phone.

"He describes all the rooms in our house. His memory of his home is all he's got," says Pam.

During past visits to the ATU, Pam says they drew pictures of a house with a garden by the sea. She would tell her son he would be home soon.

"He doesn't believe us any more. He doesn't believe he's coming home."

Pam and Roy Hickmott's family photos


In addition to the 100 patients, including Mr Hickmott, who have been held for more than 20 years - there are currently nearly 2,000 other people with learning difficulties and/or autism detained in specialist hospitals across England.

In 2015, the Government promised "homes not hospitals" when it launched its Transforming Care programme in the wake of the abuse and neglect scandal uncovered by the BBC at Winterbourne View specialist hospital near Bristol. But data shows the programme has had minimal impact.

Ministers pledged to reduce the number of patients in such hospital settings by 35% by March 2020, with the aim of people being back in their communities with tailored support packages. But, by March last year, there were only 300 fewer patients detained - a reduction of just 13%.

The 35% target has now slipped to 2023/24.

It was further BBC News analysis of this official data which revealed that of 350 people detained for more than a decade, 100 of them have been in hospital settings for more than two decades.

Numbers of people with learning disabilities and/or autism in inpatient units in England:

*  March 2015 - 2,395

March 2020 - 2,095

October 2021 - 2,070

Source: NHS Digital

Last month, crossbench peer Baroness Hollins - who has been reviewing long-term segregated care - told the House of Lords it was time to "end the scandals" and give people back their lives. But she also spoke of another man - Mr W - held largely in solitary confinement for 20 years but who, for the past three years, had lived around the corner from his parents.

"Despite still recovering from the trauma, he is now happy," she said.

This is what Roy and Pam Hickmott want.

The author of the Serious Case Review into what happened at Winterbourne View, Dr Margaret Flynn told us the "institutions" detaining people like Tony should not exist.

"It's appalling. These people are not criminals. They are stuck, just as people used to be stuck in long-stay institutions."

She says there is so much testimony from people with a learning disability and/or autism - and their families - about "harmful experiences" when they are removed from "all that is familiar to them".

Judge Hilder - who has allowed Tony Hickmott's case to be reported following an application by the BBC and Sky News - has ordered the authorities involved in his care to work together to move him back to Brighton by May.

In a statement, Brighton and Hove Council said: "Tony has extremely complex needs. We've tried on a number of occasions to find a sustainable solution nearer to Brighton… these were not successful." The council says it is working with the NHS and Mr Hickmott's family to find other options.

NHS England in the South East says it is continuing to work with partner organisations - and Roy and Pam Hickmott - to ensure "appropriate care and support is in place".

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
French and Korean Nuclear Majors Clash As EU Launches Foreign Subsidy Probe
EU Stands Firm on Digital Rules as Trump Warns of Retaliation
Getting Ready for the 3rd Time in Its History, Germany Approves Voluntary Military Service for Teenagers
Argentine President Javier Milei Evacuated After Stones Thrown During Campaign Event
Denmark Confronts U.S. Diplomat Over Covert Trump-Linked Influence in Greenland
Starmer Should Back Away from ECHR, Says Jack Straw
Trump Demands RICO Charges Against George Soros and Son for Funding Violent Protests
Taylor Swift Announces Engagement to NFL Star Travis Kelce
France May Need IMF Bailout, Warns Finance Minister
Chinese AI Chipmaker Cambricon Posts Record Profit as Beijing Pushes Pivot from Nvidia
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
Ukraine Finally Allows Young Men Aged Eighteen to Twenty-Two to Leave the Country
The Porn Remains, Privacy Disappears: How Britain Broke the Internet in Ten Days
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Welcome to The Definition of Insanity: Germany Edition
Just a reminder, this is Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris.
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
A new faith called Robotheism claims artificial intelligence isn’t just smart but actually God itself
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
Labour set to freeze income tax thresholds in long-term 'stealth' tax raid
Coca‑Cola explores sale of Costa coffee chain
Trial hears dog walker was chased and fatally stabbed by trio
Restaurateur resigns from government hospitality council over tax criticism
Spanish City funfair shut after serious ride injury
Suspected arson at Ilford restaurant leaves three in critical condition
Tottenham beat Manchester City to go top of Premier League
Bank holiday heatwave to hit 30°C before remnants of Hurricane Erin arrive
UK to deploy immigration advisers to West Africa to block fake visas
×