Support for People with Learning Disabilities During the COVID-19 Pandemic

That the Parliament notes with concern issues relating to support for people who have learning disabilities in the COVID-19 pandemic; believes that sufficient data on infection and mortality rates of people who have learning disabilities has not been made available despite repeated calls for this to be collated and published, and given that similar data exists for England; understands that, in its recent research on general mortality rates for people who have learning disabilities, the Scottish Learning Disabilities Observatory found that people who have a learning disability die 20 years younger than their peers, and children who have a learning disability are 12 times more likely to die than their peers; understands that routine COVID-19 testing for staff who support people who have learning disabilities outwith care home settings remains unavailable; further notes concerns that it understands have been raised by the Mental Welfare Commission over a lack of clarity in guardian awareness of do-not-resuscitate forms, given further evidence from England suggesting a rise in blanket do-not-resuscitate forms for people who have learning disabilities, and notes the belief that people who have a learning disability in Dumbarton and across Scotland must be treated as a priority group in terms of the COVID-19 vaccination programme in order to support and protect this group of citizens and their family carers.