Child outside psychiatric hospital

[UndertheCedartree]

I was visiting my DBF at the psychiatric hospital he is in at the moment today. We sat out the front. There was a DC there the whole 2.5 hours I was there with his parents who were visiting another patient.

I thought it was a bit strange. The garden of the male acute ward borders this area and you sporadically hear a lot of swearing at people and shouting. The patients out the front can sometimes shout inappropriate things, there can be fights or aggressiveness as obviously some are very unwell. I personally don't think it's an appropriate environment for a child.

The thing is it's not like there is no where else to go. There is a family room (but would need to be booked) and a short walk away there is a park and a square with benches and cafes/shops. The area outside the hospital has a road for cars to access the reception and the car park too and the DC kept scootering into the road. I expect he was really bored.

What do you think? I can't think of any reason they stayed there.

I've found it hard enough to manage the feelings of my 13yo son visiting his Grandad who has dementia. In fact the care home advised against ME visiting when he was displaying sexual disinhibition.

yes the ward will have known. It’s not like you are let onto the grounds and no one keeps an eye on you otherwise how would they know you had escaped unsupervised into the the community.

Staff don’t generally wear uniforms so unless you can actually see their cards you wouldn’t know. Lots of staff would put their ID card away when supervising patients to give us a bit of privacy from the nosy people.

I’d assume person child was visiting couldn’t legally leave ward so all the park suggestions irrelevant. It’s hot maybe they wanted to be outside not in family room or it was booked.
It’s not ideal but if they need to visit family member or person that is visiting is the child’s carer then they may have no choice but to bring them. It’s a hospital at end of day.

Yes, many times. I was in hospital for 3 years.

Through security? You wouldn't want them in a safe family room but in the middle of aggressive behaviour is fine??

If this hospital really exists they need reporting to the relevant authorities tbh.

Patients allowed belts which could easily be used as weapons or ligatures.

staff not knowing where patients are for hours on end, or what they are doing.

Very serious issues that could lead to the deaths of various people whether patient, visitor, staff or member of public.

He was around 3 so to be fair probably couldn't make an informed choice anyway.

Around 3.

Yes, I agree. Wish you a speedy recovery and thank you for your kind words!

That isn't the case here. Doubt the family room was used much if that was the case!

Grounds only leave only happens if they are escorted. But you are quite right the rules vary a lot from hospital to hospital.

I don't think it's a bad thing to bring your child to visit a relative or family friend. Mental health is something which we are all aware of these days and shouldn't be hidden away or children shielded from (unless it's deemed likely to traumatise them, of course)
Whereabouts was the hospital, OP? London?

I can assure what goes on in that ward and around it is not what happens at Argos. Your DC talk about it because it was unusual!

I know what you mean about hot and stuffy. Before my DBF had leave I had to brave the visitor room with the window open an inch!

When I was in hospital we just did short visits until I had leave.

I wonder what the replies would have been if a thread had been started - I'm visiting a psychiatric hospital, do you think I should take my 3 year old?

My mum used to work in a psychiatric hospital so i used to hang around them a lot in the holidays. I think you should mind your own business

They're quite lucky with the family room there as it is off a quiet bit before you get to the wards. But yes, I agree they aren't all ideal.

Was the child on their own or not? From the OP it looks like they were in the garden with their parents.

this
is why people are saying mind your own. its bad enough having a family member in hospital. The child had a scooter so their parents pre-sorted any boredom!

So you did/said nothing but are just having a bitch about it afterwards?

Sorry but I DO think your OP comes across as rather judgemental. You could've said at the time "there's a family room you know?" But you didn't.

Then you came on MN to make a judgey thread about a situation which you have no idea about.

Yes, maybe you are right and they are shit, uncaring parents. Is that what you want to hear?

Well, that wouldn't be allowed now would it? Something that happened in the past doesn't really relate to now for all the reasons mentioned on this thread. Were you ever physically or verbally abused?

You know what I have thought about this and when I was ill it was an awful time. If some kind person had done something to try and help my DC with the situation I would have been eternally grateful. So for that reason, no I haven't minded my own business.

@sch they weren’t inside the building they were out front supervised by their parents. It’s a good thing if there is less stigma around mental health these days.

No the ward didn't know. You don't have to be let onto the grounds you can just enter them. They would know if you had escaped if you left the ward. The men generally vault over the garden fence. So honestly could have landed on the toddler.

Staff wear hospital uniforms at this hospital. In fact that has been the case at all the hospital's I've been to. Anyway, my DBF would know if he was being supervised anyway!

Did the child look frightened?

What’s wrong with visiting a psychiatric hospital?

If it’s acceptable for children to visit their parents in prison who could be their for manslaughter, drugs, or anything why is it unacceptable to visit a probably law abiding relative suffering a mental health problem?

Absolutely none of your business. People do what they need to do, and if that meant bringing a kid to a perhaps slightly-less-than-completely-PG setting, then so be it.
Did the child look unhappy or distressed? If he was just scooting around, doing his own thing, that would imply not.

Fine to be concerned about the child.

Not fine to make implicit assumptions and judgements about the people responsible for the child or their reasons for putting the child in that situation. Saying things like 'I do think the DC should be prioritised' isn't actually helpful when you don't know the family, the child, the person they were visiting or the background to the visit.

If it happens again, you could say quietly to a member of staff 'Is that little boy safe here? I just noticed him scooting out into the road so I wanted to check someone's got their eye on him' or something. But I certainly wouldn't push it any more than that.

Regarding the shouting etc from the acute patients, most children are fairly capable of understanding the explanation that sometimes when people have certain illnesses they might behave in strange ways, like shouting angrily or talking to people who aren't there, and that's it's nothing to worry about, it's just because they're not very well at the moment.

I'm visiting a psychiatric hospital, do you think I should take my 3 year old?

Unless it's Broadmoor, yes.