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.

Ok thhis thread has gone on for very long but seriously… why was nobody else concern r about child running into the road???
Forgeg all the comments about being judgemental etc that’s dangerous, kid could have been knocked down by ambulance or similar.

That does sound fascinating. They actually do pottery at this hospital. They have a kiln and everything.

However, that wouldn't be allowed these days as patients only go in when very ill, not when there is little wrong with them. Sadly, acute wards can be very violent. That's why DC are only allowed in family rooms, these days.

Help with understanding a situation. I'm autistic so struggle a bit.

I do realise that. I just wondered why they didn't go to the park. It was pointed out they probably didn't know where they could go. But someone on the ward will help with that now. No I wouldn't like people being judgemental. I'm sorry I didn't think people would be judgemental and I apologise if I came over judgemental, I really wasn't in my head.

Do you know if the child was with birth family or foster carers/residential staff. Perhaps the child is in care and assessments have already taken place about how they might have contact with the person they are visiting. Having contact for children in a family room/contact room is not always appropriate, it can be quite distressing and children have their own wishes and feelings that dependent on whats appropriate need to be listened to.

From an observers perspective you feel that the worse case scenario was the child being where they were. It might have been assessed that this was the better case scenario when other factors were taken into consideration.

Oh just because I heard them refer to themselves that way. As I explained it wasn't the language I was worried about it was the aggressiveness. Maybe I'm being over the top but I've seen adults scared of that. There is literally only a fence in between so it sounds really loud.

I was pretty upset about the belt across the eye but the patient had been risk assessed as ok to have a belt. He obviously isn't allowed them now. This is the point, a patient could be assessed as fine to come outside on leave but things still happen. Arguments, fights. I felt worried about the DC.

How would it have made it harder? It would have made it easier knowing all the options.

Op I’ve worked in mh long enough to know not every family is responsible, not every family makes good choices. Families at times create more problems. There are some shockingly slack staff and wards/hospitals/units absolutely do differ in professionalism

being concerned about someone who is vulnerable family with them or not is how we should be

mh wards/units can go form being a calm environment to one that can be chaotic and at times frightening in a flick of a switch. At times nothing seems amiss but the tension is palpable and for staff it’s confusing

like I said before this may not seem out of the norm for the family but that doesn’t mean no one should be concerned for fear of looking judgmental. Families visiting needs to be managed appropriately with sensitivity and care taken for all

You obviously haven't read my OP or the thread. I said nothing about a child not visiting. My DC visited me and I would have been happy to find out places that we could go which the DC would have enjoyed more.

Or the park or the square...where the DC can have fun safely.

My kids visited a grandparent in a psychiatric hospital. They know and understand mental illness because it is an open conversation in our home. They understand and have compassion for those that are not well. It’s only scary if no one explains what is happening or why people are behaving that way. We always wait a while to visit with the kids, but we take them for their benefit because they choose to go, not for their grandparent (although they are always thrilled to see them, however sick they are).

I don’t agree that it’s better for significant people to just disappear from children’s lives rather than visit them.

Grounds only leave means the leave can only happen on the grounds. This guy had unsupervised leave so could go off the grounds.

I think we are talking at cross purposes. Yes, of course they have to be buzzed off the ward, not sure what I said that made you think that wasn't the case.

Well, I had an idea because they had been outside for at least 2.5 hours when I left. But of course my boyfriend knew.

I can't think of any reason they stayed there

How about,

Many psychiatric patients are admitted to hospitals hundreds of miles from home, making it impossible for family to visit often; they had nowhere to leave the child .

The patient and the child needed to see each other.

The patient is normally restricted to a closed ward, and this was a rare chance for an afternoon outside in the fresh air with family.

He's not allowed to leave the hospital grounds.

Maybe not for you.

I'm sorry you are so upset with my thread. I don't see it as anything to do with parenting choices. As others have said we should try to help DC and their families. I don't see anything wrong with that. Why are you suggesting the family did something wrong? They didn't.

I know. I think some people are too busy judging me for apparently judging someone else rather than actually caring about this DC.

If the patient had unsupervised leave then it does make more sense to go somewhere else for the visit, it is very possible that the family just didn't know what was around in the area because obviously we all know that sometimes the bed available is miles away from where you actually live and the family might have had to travel a long way to see them so I do think that they should be informed of their options in that case.

I must admit this is one thing that terrifies me in regards to my own DC - I haven't been placed in a hospital so far (thankfully) but knowing my mental health and that it could happen, I don't know what I would do if there was no suitable way for them to visit. So I think you did the right thing in raising your concern.

Oh come on, you've been 'suggesting' all through the thread they did everything wrong.

Just because they didn't use the family room, you assume they didn't know there was one. Just because they didn't go to the park you assume they don't know there is one locally. You've told us more than once how wrong they were to let the kid ride the scooter near the road.

So don't give it the fake wide-eyed Why are you suggesting the family did something wrong? They didn't.

Like I said earlier, you're not fooling everyone here.

They weren't foster carers as they were referred to as parents. I just asked my boyfriend and he said the DC was the patient's nephew. They don't require a social worker assessment there for every DC. I take your point, though.

Thank you, yes, I agree we should be concerned about vulnerable people. And yes, that's the thing it can just suddenly kick off.

Tbf, an elderly ward is a bit of a different setting, although I'd be surprised if they let them on the ward? Did you not use a visitor room? Why would significant people disappear just because you use a family room or go to the park?

As I have said he is able to leave the grounds. Going to the park would still be an afternoon outside with family.

It does seem the most obvious reason, yes so I'm glad some more information will be given to them.

Please don't worry that there will be no suitable way for them to visit. There will always be a family room you can use.

Was querying the ward buzzing situation due to patients jumping over walls and unless the patients escaping the wards staff didn’t have a clue where any was. Was querying security because you make this place sound more like a crisis unit with people free to come and go when they want and no one bothers to check that patients who should be supervised aren’t freely going out into the community. Which in my experience of varying facilities from crisis houses to low security doesn’t add up with violent patients who would and should be monitored not only for their safety but also the safety of the community.

I also don’t understand why no one from reception intervened to find out who this random child was running in the building and didn’t send anyone out. Considering they aren’t allowed in the grounds just the family room.

And remember patients do lie about their access to the community as well as lying the medical staff about how they are doing to get those “perks” back or gained quick.

Blanket rules are also in place so that patients cannot take in illegal drugs, booze, sharps etc. And all units should be assessing the needs of the individual patient, which was thankfully changed a long time ago. These blanket polices have all been done to protect everyone in the unit. Even staffing should be adhered to more and if not it all can be quite rightly complained to to the cqc they are there for a reason.

From what you are posting the 3 year old is the least of some of the very serious issues with the facility. But if no one bothers to report then nothing gets done.

Very simply, that child’s needs should have been put first. The side of the road, in potentially aggressive or distressing circumstances doesn’t sound like it was first in the parents minds. So yes, I would highlight it to the ward staff so a suitable solution could be found.

Safeguarding is everyone’s business and I’m a bit shocked at the “stay in your lane” comments.

I'm sorry you are clearing judging me on your own standards.

The child was shooting out into the road which was dangerous. That doesn't mean they were doing something 'wrong'. They were probably trying to chat with their family member, maybe they were a bit distracted with worry. It would have been difficult for anyone trying to entertain a toddler in a tiny paved area in a car park, essentially.

Why would I be trying to fool anyone? I think that's the kind of thing NT people do that confuses the hell out of people with autism!! Plenty of people understand the situation so I will stick to reading their posts.