by Anna Kennedy OBE
Assessment and Treatment Units (ATUs) are intended to be short-term inpatient units for patients with needs which may be difficult to safely treat or assess within the community. Patients can choose to enter an ATU on their own or may be sent there after being sectioned.
Bernie Redman has asked me to share her son’s story. .
Far too many stories like this are highlighted now across the media. This is a shameful failure in my opinion of our current system . Our autistic sons and daughters are not second class citizens .
Bernie shares :
‘Please make this a lesson to be learned as an example of poor treatment and care for Autistic individuals.
My handsome son was taken away from the mainland UK very suddenly in 2016 to a residential unit on an island. My son apparently was to be assessed and I was reassured he’d be back in a few months. I trusted them to return my son safely to me.
He was 19.
My son is still there.
I’ve waited ….
And waited on his return.
No one was listening to me despite being his mother and Guardian
I travel 100 miles return weekly to be with him for a few hours.
Promises for his return have fallen through with the Head of Care here literally disappearing without knowledge of where or why he left.
He says at the official review November 2018 my son can move to a home for severely disabled young adults in our area but this was not possible for him as they had no pavement outside the home to safely walk him since it was near a busy road.
His social worker after being off for most of last year has not been in touch since she came back until I followed contacted her and then she announced “we need a review”.
The system has been taken over by Private Care companies many of which are individuals with severe forms of autism who are being looked after out of their areas.
There are young and old together in one room during the day. He only gets out when staff are available.
I was redirected to an MP by another MP I had already been in touch with regarding our situation . I just feel like I’m going around in circles.
Listen to me his mother since I have been there through his whole young life. . Fighting for every bit of help I could get for years.
I am his voice.
As his mother I know him best.
I want him home.
He is my son. … ‘
Bernie Redman.
