Autistic teenager’s parents slam ‘inhumane abuse of his human rights’

The parents of an autistic teenager who has endured a six-month “jail sentence” in a psychiatric ward have slammed his “inhumane” treatment, calling it an “abuse” of his human rights.

Robin Garnett and wife Isabelle (pictured) were speaking ahead of a meeting with health minister Alistair Burt, where they were due to present a petition backed by more than 300,000 people demanding support for their son.

Matthew, 15, was sectioned under the Mental Health Act to a psychiatric intensive care unit, usually for short-term emergency admissions, in September last year.

NHS England has said Matthew will shortly be moved to the specialist facility St Andrew’s Healthcare in Northampton, but his parents say his situation would have been “entirely avoidable” had he received adequate community support.

The criticism comes as a new report concluded parents of youngsters with autism face a “battle” to get good health care for their children.

The report on health and service provision for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) said NHS services “appear to be failing families across the board”.

Mrs Garnett said Matthew had “deteriorated at an alarming rate” while he waited for assessment in the unit, and described his treatment as “shocking”.

Speaking outside the Department of Health, she said: “I think in 2016 it is unbelievable that our most vulnerable young people are being treated in this way.

“It is inhumane, in my view. And in my view it is an abuse of their human rights.”

Mr Garnett, who lives with his wife in south London, echoed concerns about care provisions for those with autism.

“Three hundred and thirty thousand signatures and the vast majority of those people are directly or indirectly affected by autism.

“They are all saying the same thing: the care just isn’t good enough.”

Mrs Garnett said their meeting with Mr Burt was the “first step” in getting Matthew, who has ADHD and learning difficulties, the care that he needs.

She said: “We need clear, transparent communication and assurances that our son will be coming back to us very soon.”

In a statement released after the meeting, Mr Burt said: “I’m very grateful to Matthew’s parents for coming to speak to me about his experiences and how we can learn from them.

“It is crucial children such as Matthew get the best possible care, based on the best clinical advice.

“I recognise that this is not the final step in Matthew’s care, but I’m pleased to hear that Matthew has been given a transfer date to move to Northampton where the specialist care he needs is available.”

_{Copyright (c) Press Association Ltd. 2016, All Rights Reserved. Picture (c) Yui Mok / PA Wire.}