LB punched one of his teaching assistants* in the face this morning.

Horror.

I rang the emergency number on his Care Manager’s ‘out of office’ email and was told someone would ring back. The guy called back ten minutes later and suggested a referral to the learning disability team nurse who specialised in challenging behaviour.

“Ok, how long will that take?”
“Well I’ll put the referral through next week and she’ll get in touch when she gets it. I’m not sure how soon she’ll be able to come and see him though.”
“Eh?? Have you listened to what I’ve said?????” 
“Er, sorry?”
“What are we supposed to do in the meantime, if he turns on someone else?????”
“Well, I could make it an urgent referral I suppose… Ok. I’ll put it through as urgent then. And there is a psychiatrist too. I don’t know if….”
“She.discharged.him.last.week.”
“Well I could try ringing her this afternoon.”

Thirty minutes later he rang back.

The psychiatrist had gone home, he’d spoken to the duty psychiatrist; we have to go to the GP and ask him to ‘escalate’ LB to the psychiatrist.

I’m putting it out there now, the support and services for young learning disabled people in Oxfordshire is worst than crap-shite. Unacceptable. Please feel free to pass this link on to anyone in health and social care. Or anyone really. Things HAVE to change. And not just for LB.

*Sue, who has gone about as far beyond the call of duty as you can with LB, including getting in contact with mermaids around the world and sitting around in a stinking, freezing cold workshop every Wednesday, while LB does mechanic training.