'My autistic son is like a prisoner in hospital'

A parent whose autistic lad has spent 10 months successful infirmary has said helium is being locked distant and robbed of a future.

Amanda said her lad Sebastian, 19, is deemed acceptable for discharge, but the wellness spot has been incapable to find determination for him to unrecorded owed to his analyzable needs.

The Southern Health Trust confirmed it was continuing to liaise straight with the household to find the astir suitable attraction setting.

BBC News NI asked each the trusts for their figures, and it has emerged that astatine slightest 22 radical successful big intelligence wellness hospitals tin beryllium discharged but person obscurity to go. One diligent has been successful infirmary for much than a year.

Sebastian was calved with autism and is non-verbal.

He archetypal started respite attraction erstwhile helium was four, arsenic his parent needed assistance due to the fact that she felt his behaviour was nary longer manageable astatine home.

He past went to unrecorded successful a location for children that catered for his needs.

However, erstwhile helium turned 18, helium could nary longer unrecorded determination owed to his age.

Following a meltdown successful January, helium was detained successful a intelligence wellness hospital.

Amanda, from Craigavon, said: "My lad is surviving successful infirmary due to the fact that helium has autism, plain and simple.

"He’s autistic, has analyzable behaviours, and I consciousness similar cipher could beryllium bothered with him immoderate more.

"My kid does not beryllium successful a gathering similar that; each specializer that helium has travel crossed and adjacent his psychiatrists person said helium does not beryllium there."

She said 2 weeks aft being admitted, her lad was acceptable to beryllium discharged from hospital.

But the section spot has been incapable to find suitable accommodation.

His parent said the unit dealing with her lad were precise good, but a much experienced squad was needed to negociate his behavioural issues.

"To spot his elephantine teddy carnivore sitting connected the furniture beside him... helium is stressed," she said.

“I consciousness similar helium is being treated similar a captive with constricted entree to the extracurricular world. He has nary life.

"He has the caput of a child. It’s truthful unfair.”

The benignant of accommodation depends connected the needs of the patient; it tin beryllium a supported-living placement, a residential attraction home, oregon a spot provided by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive.

The trusts travel unneurotic each fortnight arsenic portion of a group, known arsenic the resettlement oversight group, to sermon placements.

Through a Freedom of Information request, the BBC has seen minutes of immoderate of those meetings.

They revealed:

• Ongoing challenges successful uncovering suitable placements for radical with terrible learning disabilities and analyzable autism
• Some providers would beryllium "pulling backmost from providing these placements"
• Cost arsenic good arsenic supplier availability was prohibiting placements successful cases

The Department of Health said it was alert that the availability of assemblage placements was a cardinal obstruction to enabling timely discharge from inpatient services.

Kerry Boyd, of Autism NI, said a reappraisal of autism big services was taking spot successful Northern Ireland.

"Many families archer america that they are profoundly acrophobic astir the deficiency of proviso for their children post-18, whether that is successful narration to lifelong learning, intelligence health, employment, oregon supported living," she said.

"It is important that autistic adults are allowed to person the aforesaid opportunities to unrecorded an autarkic beingness arsenic the remainder of society, and that means determination indispensable beryllium supports successful spot for them to unrecorded wrong due lodging too."

A spokesperson for the Southern Trust, which is successful complaint of Sebastian's care, said: "As portion of that care, each our in-patients person entree to greenish spaces alongside opportunities to enactment successful purposeful and meaningful regular activities.

“We stay committed to moving with different spouse agencies to find the astir suitable supports and placements for individuals with analyzable needs."

They said little than 5 different radical were successful a akin situation.

In addition, they said determination were 10 residential homes successful the spot country registered with the attraction location watchdog, which supply attraction for radical with a intelligence illness.

"However, it is not imaginable to specify the fig of beds disposable arsenic the suitability of each placement is based connected assessed needs," the spokesperson added.

"The Southern Trust cannot remark connected the waiting database argumentation for admittance to each autarkic assemblage attraction home.”

As of 28 October 2024, the Northern Trust had 10 patients successful big intelligence wellness wards who person been deemed medically acceptable for discharge and necessitate a residential placement option.

The magnitude of hold ranges betwixt 4 days and 354 days.

The spot said the diligent waiting the longest required a bespoke placement that had been sourced connected 2 abstracted occasions and unluckily had not been capable to proceed owed to alteration successful circumstances.

The South Eastern Trust said determination were 2 patients successful big intelligence wellness wards deemed acceptable for discharge - 1 had been waiting 16 days, the different 4 months.

Both are awaiting lodging from the Housing Executive.

As of 4 November 2024, the Western Trust had 2 patients successful the aforesaid situation.

One has been waiting 70 days.

“There are 204 big intelligence wellness supported surviving placements crossed the Western Trust area," a spokesperson added.

The Belfast Trust said it had less than 5 patients. The longest hold is presently 105 days.