Autistic man's cancer care criticized

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Ian Shaw was sent home to die, but a doctor queried that decision after seeing his story on the BBC.
Ian, 35, who has since been given chemotherapy, is now doing well.

The hospital involved has said his learning disabilities had not been a factor in the decision to put him on end-of-life care.
Ian has learning disabilities, autism and epilepsy.

In December 2016, he was diagnosed with testicular cancer.

His parents say they were told by doctors nothing more could be done for him as the cancer had spread too far.
In February, he arrived home for what his family believed would be his final few months.

Ian, whose behaviour could at times be challenging, spent nearly a decade in secure units, moving between three different places.
His family believe in the units he was over-medicated and his health neglected.

They had to fight to get him moved to a supported home in the community, it was a few months after the move that the cancer was detected.

His parents believe it could have been found the year before when he was treated for a testicular swelling, if there had been a thorough investigation.

In July of this year, the BBC reported on Ian's case after it led to a call for the prime minister to appoint a commissioner to champion the rights of people with learning disabilities.

Sir Stephen Bubb, who had written two reports for NHS England on secure units, described Ian's case as "all too typical" of the continuing failures vulnerable people faced.

Dr Justin Wilson was watching the report on the BBC News at Six and Ten.
He is a psychiatrist who has also studied treatment of cancer in people with learning disabilities. He asked to be put in touch with the family.

He says: "Knowing that testicular cancer is one of the most treatable cancers that there is, I was surprised that the decision had been made not to provide treatment and I wanted to understand what that was about."
As a result, a second opinion was sought about Ian's treatment.

"My concern was that perhaps judgements were made about the quality of life that he has because of his severe learning disabilities and because of the physical impact of how the cancer has spread," says Dr Wilson.

"I'm also clearly aware that providing cancer treatment for someone with the problems that Ian has is a real challenge.

"It is really difficult to give the best possible treatment to somebody in that situation, but my view is those challenges can be overcome."

Ian is now undergoing chemotherapy at the Royal Marsden Hospital - and he is doing well.
A scan at the end of November showed after four rounds of chemotherapy the tumour, which had spread to his stomach, had shrunk.

Ian was a patient at Luton and Dunstable Hospital when his family were told last February that he was terminally ill and could not be treated.

In a statement, the University Hospital Trust said a course of chemotherapy had been planned but Ian's condition had then worsened.