Council 'failed autistic patient'
A council has been told to pay £30,000 to an autistic teenager who spent one-and-a-half years sedated because it could not find him suitable housing.
Bolton Council admitted its mistakes after the local government ombudsman found it guilty of maladministration.
The man spent 18 months in a psychiatric unit where he spent much of his time under sedation.
He suffers from epilepsy and Fragile X Syndrome, a form of autism which means he needs ongoing support.
Bolton Council has agreed to review its procedures following the case.
Frequently sedated
The man's mother complained about the council's social services department after the Mental Health Tribunal decided in February 2002 that her son should be transferred out of a secure adult psychiatric ward.
But the council did not provide a suitable placement, causing the ombudsman, Patricia Thomas, to find it guilty of maladministration causing injustice.
The man's mother said there were no facilities in the hospital for patients with a learning disability while staff were not familiar with the needs of people with an autistic spectrum disorder.
She added that her son was denied his right to liberty because he was frequently heavily sedated.
Source: The BBC (08/12/2004)
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