Clive Treacey Safety Checklist 2025-11-17

Opened the debate

It is an honour and a privilege to lead this debate on Government support for the Clive Treacey safety checklist. I secured this debate in Clive’s name, and I want to start by telling the House a little bit about him... Clive was born in Lichfield, in my constituency, in 1969... He wanted to work in a garden centre, helping to raise plants; to have his own home, close to family; to own a cat; to learn to drive; and to go on holiday to Blackpool and Somerset. Clive was as devoted to his family as they were to him... In all the accounts of Clive, his love and optimism shine through... After that terrible event, Clive’s family had to fight hard for answers... The hon. Gentleman has paid a wonderful tribute to Clive... That is an example of what we have here... Like a quarter of people with a learning disability, Clive had epilepsy... That brings me to the Clive Treacey safety checklist... The checklist was designed for commissioners and service providers, whether the care is provided in a specialist hospital setting or out in the community... Since Clive’s death, a number of NHS regions have reviewed the way that they care for patients with learning disabilities and epilepsy using the checklist. That includes the NHS in the midlands...

Government Response

I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Lichfield (Dave Robertson) for securing this important debate... As my hon. Friend described in his wonderful speech, Clive Treacey was a caring, gentle and humorous man... I recognise the efforts of Clive’s family, particularly Elaine and Michael who join us today in the Gallery... The independent review into Clive’s death highlighted that there were multiple system-wide failures in delivering his care and treatment that together placed him at a higher risk of sudden death. It was found that Clive experienced sub-optimal care and support throughout his life and death, and that he was not always placed in settings that could meet his needs... I am pleased that since Clive’s death, meaningful changes have been made... Following the publication of the independent review into his death in December 2021, organisations directly involved in Clive’s care developed high-level actions in response to its findings and there was an overwhelming commitment from all organisations involved to address the systemic issues raised in the report. NHS England midlands region set up a group that became known as the Clive Treacey conscience group... We welcome the development of the Clive Treacey safety checklist, encouraging commissioners and service providers to use it as a key tool. NHS England has developed a quality framework for annual health checks for people with a learning disability, and NICE guidelines recommend monitoring reviews at least annually for those with epilepsy and a learning disability. The Government expects full consideration of these guidelines when making decisions about local services. We are rolling out mandatory training on learning disability and autism to healthcare staff and support the NHS RightCare epilepsy toolkit that includes actions for supporting people with epilepsy who have a learning disability. Epilepsy Action has produced the “Step Together” toolkit, while SUDEP Action has developed an epilepsy self-monitoring app. The minister acknowledges the important work of organisations like Epilepsy Action and SUDEP Action and thanks Members for their contributions.