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Poor understanding of autism

Story from nhs.uk

"Poor understanding of autism "

About: Darent Valley Hospital

Took my severely autistic grandson to peadatrics a+e after swallowing a plastic toy at his special needs school he was very anxious and had a complete meltdown after waiting in there for over an hour he was screaming hysterically my daughter was crying yet they saw what seemed to be minor injuries before she was offered a room to sit in with him by this point there was no calming him down finally spoke to doctor who advised an x ray by this point though this would have been impossible to do without causing him further stress we had to leave there should be some kind of arrangement for children with neurological problems very distressing for all involved

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Responses

Response from Darent Valley Hospital 9 months ago
Darent Valley Hospital

Submitted on 04/10/2024 at 13:45
Published on nhs.uk at 13:45

Dear Katrina,

We are truly sorry to hear about the distressing experience you, your grandson, and your daughter had while visiting our Paediatrics A&E. We can only imagine how difficult this must have been for you, especially considering your grandson's severe autism and the anxiety he experienced during the wait. It is clear that the situation caused a great deal of distress for everyone involved.

We understand that children with neurological conditions like your grandson’s require specialised care and attention, and we apologise that we were unable to meet those needs on this occasion. Your experience highlights the importance of making necessary adjustments for children with special needs.

To ensure your concerns are properly addressed and to explore how we can improve our service for children with similar needs in the future, we would encourage you to contact our Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS). PALS can provide you with further assistance, listen to your concerns in detail. They are dedicated to supporting patients and their families in circumstances like these.

You can reach the PALS team directly at telephone: 01322 428382 or email: dgn-tr.PALS@nhs.net, and they will be more than happy to assist.

Thank you for sharing your experience with us. Please know that we are committed to improving the care we provide, especially for our most vulnerable patients. We do hope your grandson is feeling better.

Warm regards,

Darent Valley Hospital

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