Hospital Trust Plans Action on Rise in Children with Disabilities at A&E

Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust (BHRUT) has introduced a plan to improve the care provided to children with additional needs attending its emergency departments. This initiative follows a significant increase in the number of children with autism or learning disabilities seeking emergency care.

Data from BHRUT shows that the monthly attendance of children with autism or learning disabilities at A&E departments rose from 34 in April 2025 to 68 by June 2026. This increase prompted a meeting between the Trust, parents, and Margaret Mullane, MP for Dagenham and Rainham, to discuss concerns.

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Concerns Raised by Families

During the meeting, parents highlighted several issues, including repeated communication breakdowns where they had to explain their child's specific needs multiple times. They also reported inconsistent use of hospital passports, concerns about the suitability of hospital beds, and the necessity of remaining with their child for safety.

Claire Drummond-Hurst, whose son attends Queen's Hospital and has tuberous sclerosis, a learning disability, and daily seizures, expressed cautious optimism. She told the Romford Recorder after the meeting, "I was very impressed. They did listen and they seemed to understand what we were trying to say, but actions speak louder than words."

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Trust's Commitment to Improvement

In response to the feedback, BHRUT has committed to implementing an action plan. The Trust is exploring options for safer bed designs, such as those that can be lowered to floor level or are enclosed. Efforts are also underway to identify children requiring additional support immediately upon arrival at A&E.

Improving communication with families is a key priority for BHRUT. As part of this, a regular forum will be established to gather ongoing feedback from families about their experiences with A&E services for children with additional needs. Fiona Wheeler, interim chief executive of BHRUT, stated, "Families have told us what isn't working well. We've heard that communication needs to improve and we need to do more to support our children who have additional needs, and their parents and guardians."

Ms Wheeler added, "There's a huge amount of work to do together and this is just the beginning."