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Need befor age

Story from nhs.uk

"Need befor age"

About: Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

My 15 yr old son with severe anxiety & ASD was in for day surgery the staff on ward 4 was lovely we had to arrive at 7.15 am for any child with autism being out of routine and change is distressing. After the doctors come around again I asked where on the list he was they said they was about to discuss it upstairs me thinking they had took his needs into consideration . My son soon started to get distressed so I asked the nurses where On the list he was and they said because he’s 15 they are doing the younger ones first and it will be mid to late morning. Shortly after he was getting more distressed and pulled his hospital bands off I told the nurses he was started to get distressed and they said it’s because he’s the oldest on the list shortly after my son become so distressed he tried to leave the ward and went into meltdown down was distressed angry scared and couldn’t cope he was kicking the doors and wanted to get out meanwhile a passing by nurse tried to help by talking in a very firm voice to my son remove your hand of the door now young man and tried to remove him hand although trying to help it could of made the situation a lot worse. Other nurses on the ward stood back and was fantastic checking how do you want us to help you know him best is there anything we can do etc and checking I was ok as I was also upset by this point lThe nurses on ward 4 again was great and called up to theatre and they agreed to take him straight up once calm from that moment on the staff was fantastic after. I am not complaining but think it’s important to leave feedback it really should not go on age but needs first if it was done on need then all of this distress could of been prevented. I think all doctors and staff should have more knowledge and understanding in Autism I don’t believe there is enough understanding. I think it was important to leave this feedback and hopefully it can be learnt from. And would like to say Thank you to the staff on ward 4 they done the he correct thing in and stood back but observing and was there if I needed help with my son. After surgery my son was so much calmer and said Tjsnk you to all the doctors. I hope this feedback can help to improve situations and care that children and adults with autism need

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Responses

Response from Michaela Tait, Patient Experience Manager, Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 4 years ago
Michaela Tait
Patient Experience Manager,
Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Submitted on 04/06/2019 at 08:35
Published on Care Opinion at 08:35

Thank you for taking the time to post your comments, I am sorry to hear that your sons experience whilst within the Paediatric Day Surgery Unit was not without its downfalls.

At present Paediatric patients are routinely pre-assessed in clinic by adult trained nurses, and Paediatric staff do not have input until the child arrives on the unit on the day of surgery. As a general rule the theatre list is prioritised by age, consideration is also given to the length of time children are kept nil by mouth prior to surgery as well as any infection or the type of procedure being carried out. Though this is not set in stone, and can be adapted dependant on each individual’s needs.

Over the last 6-9 months we have as a team been focusing upon helping children with Autism as a high priority and have recognised the need for adaptations to be made for such children.

Staff have been receiving training on how to manage and reduce anxieties through adapting the environment and our staff's approach to children with autism. I hope that your recognition of how staff dealt with your son was a reflection of the work we have been doing.

We are presently piloting a pathway for children with autism, this includes how they can be identified within the system and how we can make the experience in hospital less stressful for them and their families.

I am sorry that you felt that your son was not seen as a priority on this particular day, but we are grateful for your feedback as this identifies the need for our service to change.

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