Jamie has been ‘locked in’ hospital for 7 years .. he is well enough to get out but care staff didn’t even bother to show up at meetings to sort out my son’s future
The desperate mother of an autistic boy who has been locked in hospital for seven years has blasted Renfrewshire Health and Social Care (HSCP) for missing key meetings about his long awaited release.
Sylvia McMahon’s son Jamie Henry was admitted to hospital in 2016 aged 19 and has, she argues, been left in an environment which has only added to his challenges.
The near 27-year-old has been on delayed discharge from a psychiatric hospital for approximately six of the past seven years he has been there.
Now his mother says key figures at Renfrewshire HSCP – charged with finding Jamie a suitable home and support staff in his Paisley community – are missing important meetings about this transition.
Sylvia said: “Every three months everyone that works with Jamie or has an input into his care meets.
“They are all supposed to work together to keep things moving.
“But at the last meeting no one from the HSCP even bothered to turn up. There was no apology, no one called after to explain why they weren’t there.
“I’m really annoyed. These meetings only happen once every three months, four times a year, and it’s the council that has the answers and is the one that needs to be moving things on.
“To not even show up is a complete lack of respect for Jamie and what he has been through.”
Jamie was sectioned aged 19 after he became increasingly aggressive towards staff at a new unit for autistic young people.
It was hoped the environment would help Jamie to live with other people his age in a supported environment. But the care provider’s decision to restrict time with family in a bid to help him settle
had the opposite impact and he became increasingly distressed.
At the time, medics suggested a hospital stay would allow Jamie to recuperate while arrangements were to be made for his longterm care.
Within months, he was deemed well enough to leave but the HSCP failed to find him supported accommodation.
Instead, he remained in hospital on delayed discharge for three years.
He was, however, allowed outings with his family and stayed with Sylvia four nights a week.
This stopped suddenly when the Covid-19 pandemic hit and all in-person contact with his family was halted.
Jamie was instead locked in his room for prolonged periods of time and deteriorated rapidly.
Again he became highly distressed, couldn’t understand why he could not see his mum and became aggressive towards staff.
Now considered well enough to leave, Jamie is again at the mercy of the HSCP who must find him suitable accommodation and carers before he can leave the hospital.
He has been added to the Scottish Government’s Dynamic Register – a list of patients like Jamie who are locked in hospital. It was established with the aim of trying to get people out of hospital as quickly and as safely as possible.
But Sylvia says these fortnightly
Dynamic meetings are also often cancelled by the service.
The heartbroken mother added: “While I can see some potential movement since the Richmond Fellowship became involved, my son isn’t seeing anything.
“He recently phoned a respite centre in Paisley, although he wasn’t able to speak. He has written down the RAH on paper, the GP surgery, the dentist. He is looking out help in our area and writes my address down all the time.
“For Jamie every day in hospital matters so every meeting matters too; his time spent in hospital gets longer and longer. He needs to see change somewhere.”
Going forward the short-term goal is for Jamie to get to know two carers with the Richmond Fellowship. They will work to build a relationship with Jamie with the aim of getting him out of the ward for walks around the ground, visits to the canteen and ultimately time spent away from the facility completely.
Sylvia said: “Jamie has not been allowed to leave the hospital grounds for four years. He thinks this is just his life now. Hopefully with the Richmond Fellowship, he will see friends coming and that will be a tangible change. He needs to see change somewhere.”
A spokesperson from Renfrewshire HSCP said a member of staff had tried to join the CPA meeting on March 21 via videolink but was unable to due to technical difficulties and argued the service had organised and attended fortnightly Dynamic meetings for several months.
They said: “We continue to work collaboratively with Jamie’s family and relevant partner organisations to find the right community supports for him.
“Jamie’s needs are highly complex and we care about his safety, well-being and rights to achieve positive outcomes in his life. It is a priority for us to find the right solution for Jamie. A support provider has been identified and introductions and preparatory discussions are underway with all relevant parties.
“We are in regular contact with Jamie’s mum and are committed to involving her in all aspects of Jamie’s care.”