Family's battle to free autistic man detained in a mental hospital for three-years

Beckii Davis 28, says that her brother Elliot Dodds’s mental and physical health has deteriorated after spending so long in an assessment and treatment unit (ATU) in County Durham.

• Horrors of Winterbourne View abuse still felt ten years on

Elliot, 26, has autism and epilepsy and had been living at home with his family as part of a community care package.

When his mental health declined, he was admitted to a psychiatric intensive care unit run by Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Trust in April 2018.

Shortly afterwards he was transferred to another hospital, also run by the Trust.

During his time in hospital, the family says Elliot has spent significant time in isolation, despite an independent review recommending steps should be taken to formulate a community care package for him.

The family has now instructed specialist lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate the care Elliot is receiving in the County Durham facility.

Beckii, of York, said: “Elliot’s needs are complex but he does not deserve to be shut away, detained in isolation.

“While he has communication difficulties, you can see the difference in him when he’s with people he loves.

“He is a totally different person and is the loving and caring son and brother we know he is.”

Beckii said that the family has been asking for several years for more to be done to support Elliot, without success.

Elliot has been in a mental facility in County Durham for three years

Elliot Dodds

She said this left the family ‘with no choice’ other than to take legal action amid concerns that Elliot could be sent to a forensic services facility elsewhere in the country.

Beckii said: “When Elliot was admitted to hospital we hoped he would receive the help he needed and would be able to return home within a few weeks.

“However, more than three years on he’s still detained in hospital.

“The change in his demeanour and behaviour over that time has been stark.

“He has no quality of life and we believe staying in detention is going to make his condition worse.

“All we want is for him to live in a home and his needs to be fully assessed and the most suitable care package given to him so he can make the most of life.”

Ruth Hill, chief operating officer at Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We have a duty of confidentiality to our patients and therefore it wouldn’t be appropriate for us to comment publicly about the care of an individual.

“We are aware of the concerns raised and we will continue to engage with Elliot’s family and work with them to provide the best possible care.

“As a trust, we provide community and inpatient services for adults with a learning disability across Durham and Darlington, Teesside, North Yorkshire and York and remain committed to providing the best possible care for individuals.

“We work closely with families and carers, commissioners and local community teams and make every effort to support adults with a learning disability to live in the community with a bespoke package of care.”

Kirsty Stuart is the expert at Irwin Mitchell representing Elliot and other families whose relatives are detained in ATUs.

She said a key strand of the NHS's 'Transforming Care programme following the exposure of abuse at Winterbourne View hospital a decade ago was to reduce the number of people detained in ATUs.

Ms Stuart said a decade on, more than 2,000 people continue to be detained in secure mental health units and 'continue to be denied the right to a home and a family life'.