‘The facility appeared as a jail’: How my child was crushed by a medical system intended to assist her
The realization hit me with stark clarity that the treatment center treating my child resembled a penal facility.
Our daughter had believed fully in the medical establishment. We had followed suit. That faith collapsed when she was transferred from our community hospital to the specialized ward at the private hospital.
As we said our goodbyes, she stepped quietly toward the medical vehicle alongside me and her support worker, who held her close before watching us leave.
As the patient carrier door opened at our destination, the intimidating institution stood ominously. We were received and escorted up a set of stairs through secured portals, with each door shutting firmly as the attendant waited for every mechanism to secure before moving forward.
We entered a completely sealed environment that was without natural illumination, with my eyes immediately straining from the bright clinical illumination. They guided us to a monitoring area that was fully windowed – what staff termed the “monitoring zone”.
The Devastating Separation
Ruth’s hand found my hand, head down as they told me it was time for me to go. “But I hadn’t helped her unpack into her room or greeted the team yet,” was met with: “Parents cannot stay on the ward.”
After repeating my request, they granted me a momentary visit to her room, but insisted I depart immediately afterward, citing hospital regulations.
Even now, I wake up in the early hours with my heart beating rapidly as I revisit walking through the common area to Ruth’s designated space. The basic amenities included a solitary bed and basic furniture, with fixed panes.
Their voices grew distant as they described how a rotating staff would observe Ruth around the clock. I put her belongings on the ground. Ruth remained sitting on the bed, clearly terrified, before I was led away.
Suddenly, I found myself secured outside those double doors, grasping a piece of paper that told me I could see Ruth for one hour, two times weekly.
How could I have agreed to this?
A Life Cut Short
{Our daughter, our child, passed away on Valentine’s Day 2022 at 6:29 PM on the pediatric critical care ward at John Radcliffe hospital in the location. She was taken immediately from Huntercombe hospital, an publicly funded but commercially operated youth psychiatric facility, where she had been allowed to harm herself lethally two days earlier.|Our beloved daughter passed away on the 14th of February, 2022 at evening in the {pediatric intensive care unit|
