Dad feels let down by council over care for his autistic son during lockdown in Milton Keynes

Paul Ridley fears that his son Keith, 31, may have been thrown into a downward spiral after care options were stopped within a matter of days.

Paul, 55, of Wolverton, said the council did offer home visits, but that this would only make things worse for Keith because it would mean strangers visiting his home.

Full time carer Paul looks after his wife Sarah, 54, and their daughter Christina, 28, who has Asperger’s.

Keith has epilepsy, irritable bowel syndrome and needs care 24 hours a day.

He also has no sense of danger, no self help skills, low toileting skills and no speech.

When his routine changes he suffers seizures, Paul said.

“The most important thing to him is routine,” said Paul. “It’s a bit like breathing to you and me.

“For example when the clocks are adjusted for the hour, it takes him around five weeks to get used to the new timings so you can imagine what the lockdown has done to him.”

Before the lockdown Keith attended Tower Drive adult day care centre four days a week and Matthieson Road centre for an overnight stay.

But Tower Drive closed at the end of March, and he was offered the same support at Matthieson Road, which the family accepted.

“We were so happy having some sort of the old normal routine back for Keith would help him cope even more,” he said.

But within days they received a phone call to say Matthieson Road centre was also closing.

“When we were offered his old routine back no one said it could stop at any moment,” said Paul.

“If they had said that we would not have accepted as we were getting nice and calmly settled into a new routine.”

While Paul has praise for front-line staff, he believes that those at the top of the council who make the decisions “don’t care”.

“They can go home to a night’s sleep, but I can’t,” he said.

He queries why schools are open to the children of keyworkers, and charity centres are open but council day centres have been closed indefinitely.

To make matters worse, Paul said the council and some councillors have been poor at keeping in touch and letting him know what’s going on.

“We are aware of the problems with the covid-19 and lockdown but offering hope and normality and routine back to some who relies heavily, only to take it away doesn’t show care at all,” he added.

A council spokesman said: “We know that the national restrictions imposed due to covid 19 pandemic are particularly difficult for vulnerable people and their families and carers.

“Where possible we are providing alternative support to people in their own homes.

“We are constantly reviewing our services to ensure we care for people in line with national guidance and protect our most vulnerable residents."