UK COVID-19 inquiry|28 Jul 2025

Prof. Chris Hatton. Expert in Learning Disabilities.

Introduction

Chris Hatton is a Professor of Social Care in the Department of Social Care and Social Work, Faculty of Health and Education, Manchester Metropolitan University. He was previously Co-Director of the the Public Health England Learning Disabilities Observatory. Prof Hatton is the holder of an NIHR Senior Investigator Award which recognises the most prominent and prestigious researchers of applied health and social care.

Statistics on the amount of adults aged 18-64 and children aged 0-17 that have a learning disability in the UK can be viewed here.

Prof Pattton stated at the inquiry ‘‘a learning disability is not a health condition…it’s an issue with learning new things and ‘‘over 80% of adults getting social care are under 65.’’

‘‘A number of witnesses reported that blanket DNACPRs had been issued.’’

-Paragraph 86 of statement

‘‘60% of adults with learning disabilities who had regularly seen a GP, community nurse, mental health professional or allied health professional before the pandemic had had less or no contact with them since the pandemic started.’’

-Paragraph 153 of statement

Testimony highlights

• No data for Scotland on numbers of people in receipt of social care.

• ‘Significant data limitations’ for Northern Ireland for number of people in receipt of social care and so lockdown impacts almost impossible to measure.

• No deaths data for Northern Ireland for those with a learning disability.

‘‘In some places there’s currently not been ANY data collated at all for example in Scotland.’’

‘‘It makes it IMPOSSIBLE to identify people and that makes it then very difficult to track ANY impacts of the pandemic.’’

Impact of ‘COVID’ during lockdown and post vaccination

• During the first lockdown adults with learning disability were 8x more likely to die from ‘‘COVID related issues’’ than the general population. During the second lockdown 7x more likely to die.

• Even with the vaccines people with a learning disability continued to die at a higher rate than the general population now upto 10x the rate!

• People with downs syndrome particularly at risk.

‘‘During the earlier phases of the pandemic before the vaccine was widely available people with a learning disability were 7 times more likely to die from COVID REALTED issues.’’

Medical discriminaton

• People with a learning disablity (despite taking the most precautions) were still more likely to be ‘infected’ and hospitilised and were discriminated against when it came to the use of potentially life saving treatments.

‘‘People with a leraning disability were LESS likely to receive active treatments in hospital compared to other people with COVID.’’

‘‘Overall a 56% risk of dying AFTER they were hospitilised compared to those individuals without a learning disability.’’

All cause mortality

• A horriffic doubling of deaths in those with a learning disability during lockdown March-May 2020 in comparison to 2019.

‘‘During the pandemic all cause mortailty disproportionately INCREASED…that existing ‘‘inequality’’ got worse.’’

‘‘By May of 2020 it had DOUBLE that of 2019.’’

DNACPR notices

• A problem that existed pre pandemic but got worse during lockdown.

• An issue that was widespread.

• Problems persisted even after reviews.

‘‘Quite a high proportion of adults with a learning disability who had died had a DNACPR…a proportion were found to have been completed without due consultation.

‘‘Consistent stories…people discovering a DNACPR on their relatives notes when they were in hospital without them knowing how that got there.’’

‘‘Some groups of people were all given DNACPRs at the same time..this NOT OK.’’

‘‘People were concerned a DNACPR notice might accompany what might not happen to them in hospital in terms of health treatments.’’

Face mask impacts

• Vulnerable groups exempt from mask wearing were resorting to harming themselves to ‘‘protect others’’ from ‘COVID’.

‘‘Many people who had an EXEMPTION still wore face masks when they were out because of their sense of public duty and protecting others.’’

‘‘For some people it was INCREDIBLY dfficult in terms of communication…in terms of heightening how SCARY the whole covid pandemic was.’’

Visiting restrictions

• Mother unable to visit autistic son for 6 MONTHS!

• Social care suppot was withdrawn.

‘‘The research we did this is not an extreme or particularly unusual heartbreaking story.’’

‘‘There is a real long lasting impact of those restrictions.’’

Questions-Kate Beattie-Disabled People’s Organisation

• The most disabled people in the UK suffered permanent damage due to lockdown healthcare support disruption.

‘‘You said people with PROFOUND and multiple disabilities who live at home with extensive support coming in might suffer PERMANENT DAMAGE if that support was reduced ..is that the kind of impact that was experienced?’’

-Kate Beattie

‘‘ABSOLUTELY.’’

-Prof Hatton

Statement highlights

Also available as easy read report.

’’In England both the number and prevalence rate of people of all ages registered with a GP as a person with learning disabilities have consistently increased over time, from 252,446 people in 2014/15 to 308,237 people in 2019/20 and 366,842 people in 2023/24.’’

-Paragraph 21

‘‘During the pandemic in the UK, people with learning disabilities were more likely to experience Covid-19 infection and to be hospitalised than peers without learning disabilities, although once in hospital people with learning disabilities with Covid-19 were less likely to receive active treatment for Covid-19 symptoms.’’

-Paragraph 59

‘‘There is some evidence that, even after adjusting for multiple factors hospitalised people with learning disabilities were 37% less likely to receive non-invasive respiratory support, 40% less likely to receive intubation, and 50% less likely to be admitted to an ICU, compared to hospitalised people without learning disabilities.’’

-Paragraph 65

‘‘In Wave 1 of the pandemic, people with learning disabilities were 8.69 times more likely to experience a Covid-19-related death than people without learning disabilities, and in Wave 2 of the pandemic 6.98 times more likely.’’

-Paragraph 66

‘‘People with Downs symdrome were identified as being at particularly high risk of Covid-19-related death during the first waves of the pandemic.’’

-Paragraph 68

‘‘In Scotland, a letter from the Interim Principal Medical Officer for Scotland was issued on 5 May 2020, stating: "To provide absolute clarity, a stable long-term physical need, learning disabilities or autism should never be a reason for issuing or encouraging the use of a DNACPR order.’’

-Paragraph 82

‘‘A review of 206 deaths of people with learning disabilities in England early in the pandemic reported that 82% of those people who had died from Covid-19 had a DNACPR.’’

-Paragraph 85

‘‘Research commissioned by PHSO reported that people with learning disabilities and their families were not consistently involved in DNACPR decisions.’’

-Paragraph 87

‘‘Reviewers were unable to determine from the records whether DNACPR processes were completed and followed correctly in 31% of people's deaths in 2020-21 and 28% of people's deaths in 2022.’’

-Paragraph 88

‘‘Most types of social care service (e.g. social workers, day services, supported community activities and short breaks/respite) were withdrawn for most adults with learning disabilities in the earlier phases of the pandemic, and it seems likely these have not returned to pre-pandemic levels, particularly for people with greater support needs.’’

-Paragraph 122

‘‘People with learning disabilities most commonly reported negative impacts of this disruption, including isolation and loneliness, a sense of loss and worthlessness, a loss of independence.’’

-Paragraph 152

Thanks for your attention.

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