An autistic man and his family are enjoying days by the seaside after a four-year battle to have him removed from a controversial type of mental health unit. Elliot Dodds, 27, was taken to a psychiatric institution when his mental health deteriorated in April 2018 and kept in what is know as an assessment treatment unit (ATU).
ATUs were originally intended to house patients only for short periods of time while they underwent assessments. But Mr Dodds ended up staying there, with his liberties heavily restricted, for four years.
His sister Beckii Davis, 29, said: "When Elliot was admitted to hospital we hoped he’d receive the help he needed and would be home within a few weeks. Never did we think this would turn into a four-year battle.
