The Children’s Bladder and Bowel department at Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust has been awarded the ‘Gold Standard for Autism Acceptance’ from the North East Autism Society (NE Autism Society).
This award is the highest level of accreditation given by NE Autism Society and reflects the department’s dedication to understanding and supporting autistic children and young people in a way that goes far beyond awareness.
The Children’s Bladder and Bowel team provides vital care for children across Gateshead living with complex continence needs. Over the past year, the team has worked closely with NE Autism Society to enhance their environment, communication approaches, and care pathways to better support neurodivergent children and their families.
Patricia Vasey, Podiatry Professional Lead, commented on the achievement, “The award is an amazing accolade for the staff whose vision and hard work to improve services has paid off. Their commitment to creating an inclusive and positive experience for people with autism and learning disabilities has been commendable.
Improving care for those using these services will result in long term benefits, which is a positive outcome for the individuals, the staff and for the Trust as a whole.”
Key work has included:
- Staff training, autism acceptance and making reasonable adjustment for all Neurodivergent families to access the Bladder and Bowel Service
- Tailored communication tools and sensory friendly resources to compliment the QE Hospital Paediatric resources used to ensure smooth transitions within community and Hospital care including Care passport.
- Developing team website with visual stories, ‘walk to and through Dunston Health centre’ and ‘what to expect at your child’s bladder and bowel appointment’
- Adaptations to clinical settings to make child’s visits less overwhelming during their health appointments
- Continue to work with NE Autism Society to maintain standards and achieve the Gold Plus award
The team are currently working with NE Autism Society and NHS Property Services to adapt both an outdoor space and indoor space at Dunston health Centre for all the children who attend for their medical appointments:
- A sensory garden and surroundings to ensure children have an inviting safe environment
- An indoor sensory waiting area
This new development is planned to start in Autumn 2025.
Michelle Newton, designated Autism Champion for the Bladder and Bowel team, has completed the required NE Autism Society training. She went on to collaborate with the organisational development and learning teams to help deliver the bespoke staff training: ‘Understanding Neurodivergence and Resolving Workplace Barriers for Autistic and ADHD People.’ The team is committed to ensuring that every new staff member is given dedicated time to complete this training, supporting ongoing service improvement.
Mother and Gateshead Parent Carer forum steering group member said:
Children’s Bladder and Bowel has consistently tried to improve the service for young people in Gateshead.
They regular ask for feedback from Gateshead Parent Carer Forum and their members on their website, communication and any other area they are currently working on.
I feel confident they will continue to look for any areas of improvement in the future.
As a mother of a child who uses the service, I can’t thank them enough for all the support they have given my child and family.
The accreditation is part of NE Autism Society’s region-wide Autism Acceptance Awards programme, which aims to encourage services to go beyond compliance and embrace neurodiversity in a meaningful and sustainable way.
Kerrie Highcock, Family Development Manager (NE Autism Society) added,
“From the very beginning, it was clear that the team is deeply committed to supporting autistic children and their families. Their dedication to getting it right shone through in every aspect of our work together.
They have listened to feedback and acted on it. It’s encouraging to see the changes they’ve already implemented, and even more inspiring to hear their honest recognition that there’s still more to be done.
Working with them has been an absolute pleasure. Their drive to change practice makes a real difference to many families.”
Gateshead Health continues to build on this success, embedding inclusion and acceptance across all services to create a more equitable healthcare experience for everyone.
We are dedicated to fostering a brighter and more nurturing environment for the children in our care, ultimately enhancing the health and wellbeing of the Gateshead community we serve. Please support this work by donating through Just Giving.
Your generous contributions will help us create an outdoor garden space and a calming sensory room, ensuring that children feel comfortable and at ease during their appointments. Thank you helping us make a difference.