Statement on future of learning disability services in Oxfordshire

We welcome the HealthWatch and Oxfordshire Family Support Network report, published on 26 June, and will involve them and examine their findings in our review.

Our primary objective is to ensure the safety of those who are being cared for and we continue to work closely with Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust which provides many of these services in Oxfordshire.

This review is part of our planned reassessment of services and our aim of supporting more people with learning disabilities to live in the community with appropriate support with fewer living in hospital-type settings. This also follows national guidance.

This work has been partly prompted by recent inspections by regulators and the findings of an independent report into the death of a service user at a residential care unit run by Southern Health.

The latest Care Quality Commission (CQC) findings on Southern Health report a significant improvement from the September 2013 assessment and John Sharich House in Oxford now meets six out of seven standards and is assessed as providing a safe service.

Service users will be involved in the review and we will talk to their families and support networks before reaching any decisions about possible changes to the way care is provided in the longer term.