Pioneering transition directors at Priory “transforming” care for people with complex autism
Date: 5th April 2024
The creation of two pioneering assessment and transition director roles at Priory is “transforming” care for people with complex autism by helping to move them out of hospitals and into community settings.
Michelle Widjaew and Jamie Warrender were appointed in 2020 and 2022 respectively to help ensure patients admitted for inpatient treatment are supported into a more appropriate, less restrictive setting within the community as soon as it is safe to do so.
Since 2022, this has meant 80 patients with complex autism have been transitioned out of hospitals run by Priory, the NHS and other providers and into residential or supported living services to help them live more independently and in the right environment for them.
Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a developmental condition which affects how people communicate and interact with the world and it may coexist with a mental health issue.
More than one in 100 people are on the autism spectrum and there are around 700,000 autistic adults and children in the UK, though research by University College London last year suggested the total autistic population in England alone could be over 1.2 million.
Some autistic people have high support needs which mean that they require full-time care and support, which can include hospital treatment in times of crisis – but some can then remain in hospitals longer than they need to due to hospital environments typically not being conducive to the ongoing care and support needs.
A national report issued last year by NHS England – Safe and wellbeing reviews: thematic review and lessons learned – found 57% of autistic people and people with a learning disability were in out-of-area hospitals away from their homes and families and 41% of people did not need to be in hospital and could have their needs met in the community.
Priory’s assessment and transition directors cover the placement of autistic individuals with complex support needs across the UK, with Michelle covering Scotland, North West, North East, Midlands and the South West and Jamie covering the South East, Northern Ireland and Wales.
Their responsibilities include completing thorough assessments of inpatients based on their personalised support needs and not how the person is presenting and developing personalised care plans to facilitate smooth transitions into community-based services. This includes adapting environments to ensure they are truly personalised for the individual, working closely with each individual’s support team to ensure the right care and assistance is in place.
They also support Priory site management and care teams throughout the assessment and transition process to help them develop the appropriate skills and knowledge to meet each person's needs, including positive behaviour support (PBS) specialists who help autistic people with complex support needs to live safely and happily in community.
This work has resulted in the ability to transition patients closer to their homes, such as Julie, an autistic woman who also has a learning disability and Tourette’s syndrome, who was supported into Priory residential home Apple Mews in her home country of Northern Ireland from a hospital stay in Merseyside.
Meanwhile Miles, a young autistic man with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a learning disability and sensory processing difficulties, was transitioned from a children’s placement with another provider 200 miles from his family to Ebbsfleet House in Kent.
Another example, Peter (name changed), spent 16 years in hospital settings as no other provider would support before Priory developed a flat within a residential setting to fully meet his needs and allow him to be closer to home.
Priory Chief Executive Rebekah Cresswell, speaking during World Autism Acceptance Week which runs until Monday (08 April), said: “We believe that mental health units are rarely the right environment for autistic people and people with a learning disability or complex needs, even in the short-term.
“From the point of admission at Priory, we plan how to transition people into a more appropriate setting when it is clinically appropriate to do so and a setting that meets their individual needs.
“We are really proud of the unique roles we have created at Priory to plan these transitions and the bespoke environments we have created to support people with very complex needs to live safely outside of a traditional ward – it is transforming care and supporting people to ‘live their life’.
“Our goal is to help people live their lives in the environment appropriate for them and that is why I want to celebrate the excellent results this work is achieving as people come together to mark World Autism Acceptance Week.”
ENDS
Contact: [email protected]
About Priory and MEDIAN
Priory is the UK’s largest independent provider of mental health and adult social care services. Priory treats more than 70 conditions, including depression, anxiety, addictions and eating disorders, as well as children’s mental health, across its nationwide network of sites. Priory also supports autistic adults and adults with a learning disability, Prader-Willi Syndrome and brain injuries, as well as older people, within specialist residential care and supported living facilities – helping as many people as possible to live their lives.
Priory is part of the MEDIAN Group, the leading European provider of high-quality mental health and rehabilitation services. The MEDIAN Group comprises: Priory in the UK with 290 facilities and 5,000 beds caring for 28,000 people, MEDIAN in Germany with 120 facilities and 20,000 beds caring for around 250,000 patients, and Hestia in Spain with 15 facilities and 2,100 beds caring for 11,000 people in Spain, with more than 29,000 employees across the group.