Inpatient beds for people with learning disabilities in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough could be reduced with money saved reinvested into community services.

Health chiefs say it would bring “better clinical outcomes for people with learning disabilities” and enable them to plough money into “enhanced community teams and a crisis management service.”

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough CCG launched a consultation today (August 10) which will give local people the chance to have their say on the proposals.

Dr Gary Howsam, GP chair and chief clinical officer of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough CCG, said: “People with a learning disability have the right to the same opportunities and to have the same expectations as anyone else.

“However in many cases people with a learning disability spend a significant amount of time in hospital, in some cases many years, when they could be living fulfilling lives in their local community.

“We feel that, in line with the national Transforming Care Programme, the proposals would improve patients’ experiences and deliver better clinical outcomes for people with learning disabilities.

“By reducing the number of inpatient beds locally we will be able to reinvest the money we will save into enhanced community teams and a crisis management service which is not hospital-based.

“We feel that this will help to improve the quality of life of people with learning disabilities in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.”

The proposal was made by the governing body of the CCG at a meeting on Tuesday (August 7).

The consultation will close at 5pm on September 28.

Full details are available on Cambridgeshire and Peterborough CCG website at www.cambridgeshireandpeterboroughccg.nhs.uk