Twitter: @HelpTomGreen
To get in touch, email tomgreenfamily@gmail.com, or find us on Twitter @HelpTomGreen. Thank you for visiting.
HELP TOM GREEN
Please share Tom's story. We, as a family, are doing all we can to support him and challenge the treatment he has been subjected to,though in spite of our efforts, we cannot force the hospital to treat Tom differently - we hope by raising awareness we might have more influence.
Tom is 19 years old and has a language disability and atypical autism. He is currently being detained at the Eastway unit of the Cheshire and Wirral Partnership Foundation Trust, in Chester, under Section 3 of the Mental Health Act. He has been resident there since May, when he first entered in order to be in a temporary, safe environment where he could come off some of the medications that he had been taking for a number of years, after he had begun to display some serious challenging behaviours, such as aggression, which we now understand to be a way in which depression can manifest itself in people with autism.
Tom is 19 years old and has a language disability and atypical autism. He is currently being detained at the Eastway unit of the Cheshire and Wirral Partnership Foundation Trust, in Chester, under Section 3 of the Mental Health Act. He has been resident there since May, when he first entered in order to be in a temporary, safe environment where he could come off some of the medications that he had been taking for a number of years, after he had begun to display some serious challenging behaviours, such as aggression, which we now understand to be a way in which depression can manifest itself in people with autism.
From very early on we began to have serious concerns about his care, which has included being locked in solitary confinement for hours without explanation, over-medication, intimidation and neglect. His medication is better, however his treatment has made him severely anxious and depressed, and as a result he may also be suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The safeguarding report, triggered by our formal complaint, has acknowledged that Tom's treatment over the last 6 months constitutes psychological abuse by the hospital, but still nothing is being done.
Because he is being detained under the Mental Health Act we are legally prevented from bringing him home.
Because he is being detained under the Mental Health Act we are legally prevented from bringing him home.
www.facebook.com/HelpTomGreen
Thursday 7th February - Tom comes home!
We are of course delighted to tell you all that Tom's home support package was confirmed and on 7th February we brought Tom back home. Adjusting to being out of hospital will be a long and difficult process, but one that we hope Tom will be able to complete and eventually return to school.
Thank you all for kind words we have received from the website and the Facebook page. It's been a real struggle and the lovely (and sometimes outraged!) messages we've received have made such a huge difference when it has felt to us like no-one was on Tom's side.
The Greens x
We are of course delighted to tell you all that Tom's home support package was confirmed and on 7th February we brought Tom back home. Adjusting to being out of hospital will be a long and difficult process, but one that we hope Tom will be able to complete and eventually return to school.
Thank you all for kind words we have received from the website and the Facebook page. It's been a real struggle and the lovely (and sometimes outraged!) messages we've received have made such a huge difference when it has felt to us like no-one was on Tom's side.
The Greens x
You may find Tom's story hard to believe. But the following are the assessments by the Care Quality Commission from November 2012 to February 2013. Following the Safeguarding Investigation, the Care Quality Commission visited the Eastway Unit, Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust on two occasions in November 2012. They published their assessment in January 2013. This is available to the public on the CQC website.
In summary it states:
“People should get safe and appropriate care that meets their needs and support their rights”
The CQC concluded Eastway CWP was NOT meeting this standard.
“People should be protected from abuse and staff should respect their human rights”
The CQC concluded Eastway CWP was NOT meeting this standard.
“There should be enough members of staff to keep people safe and meet their health and welfare needs”
The CQC concluded Eastway CWP was NOT meeting this standard.
“The service should have quality checking systems to manage risks and assure the health, welfare and safety of people who receive care.
The CQC concluded Eastway CWP was NOT meeting this standard.
People’s personal records, including medical records, should be accurate and kept safe and confidential.
The CQC concluded Eastway CWP was NOT meeting this standard.
The CQC visited Eastway again in January 2013 and have written to us saying:
“the Trust was still not fully compliant with the national standards and we had further concerns about the discharge planning process in respect of Tom’s return home”.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The CQC separately investigated “issues related to Tom’s care and treatment as a detained patient” and produced a detailed report in February 2013.
The CQC investigation of his care under the Mental Health Act concluded that the Trust failed to comply with parts of the Mental Health Act Code of Practice specifically Chapters 1, 14, 15, 20, 27 and 34. A long list.
The CQC concluded:
• Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust continued to lock Tom up and not protect him even after they agreed in November with the CQC that they had been acting wrongly in secluding him
• The Trust had failed to meet the needs of a person with Autism
• The Trust had failed to arrange aftercare in a timely manner.
• The Trust did not support Tom to access an IMHA [Independent Mental Health Advocate] to help his views and needs to be explained to staff, as would be expected
• There was a lack of communication from the Trust to Tom and the family in relation to changes of RCs [Responsible Clinician] – there were 7 changes of responsible Consultant that we eventually became aware of over a 7 month period
• There was a lack of communication by the Trust to Tom and/or the family that the Consultant seemingly in charge of Tom’s care was not ‘approved’ under the Mental Health Act, although this was well known by the Trust
The CQC is continuing to investigate other matters in relation to Tom’s ‘care’ by CWP.
November 2012: We decided to tell Tom's story
Raising Money and Awareness
Tom's sister Lucy will be running the Paris marathon on 7th April to raise awareness about what has happened to Tom and to raise money for a charity called Leisure for Autism, who run day trips for young people like Tom and who have been an fantastic support to us as a family during this difficult time.
For more information about Leisure for Autism and to sponsor Lucy, please see the page here:
http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/lucycharlottegreen
Once again, thank you!
Tom's sister Lucy will be running the Paris marathon on 7th April to raise awareness about what has happened to Tom and to raise money for a charity called Leisure for Autism, who run day trips for young people like Tom and who have been an fantastic support to us as a family during this difficult time.
For more information about Leisure for Autism and to sponsor Lucy, please see the page here:
http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/lucycharlottegreen
Once again, thank you!
aaaaa