"Unncecessary restraint of teenager"

My daughter suffers from severe anxiety and is on the autistic spectrum. This was explained to the personnel on arrival.

We were allocated to a cubicle where my daughter could lie down on a bed without covers and without disposable paper covering the bed. There was no pillow for either her head or to rest her arm on.

We requested that a spray or cream be applied to numb the area but this was declined.

My daughter was restraind by a nurse when she did not hold her arm still immediately, She just needed a moment to calm herself before holding out her arm. A kind and caring manner from the nurse would not have gone amiss either.I did not realise that her arm was held in such a manner that she could not withdraw it and my daughter was too traumatised to communicate this to me.

This was not the first time we have had blood taken and I know with just a bit more patience this experience could have been far less traumatic for my daughter