Demand for full-time care for intellectually disabled people at all-time high

DEMAND for full-time residential care for people with intellectual disabilities is at an all-time high, a report shows.

It warns that only a fraction of the need for residential care places will be met if demand for places continue to rise.

The National Intellectual Disability Database (NIDD) 2004 shows that 8,093 people are in full-time care, the highest level since records began in 1996. It also says the Government is only providing 270 additional full-time residential care places at a time when almost 2,000 places are needed. Needs identified for 2005-2009 are: