A GENEROUS donation to the areas NHS Trust seeks to help improve the experience of patients with Autism.

30 books have been donated to the University Hospitals Morecambe Bay Trust by Deborah Brownson MBE to improve Autism awareness amongst the staff at Furness General Hospital, Westmorland General and Royal Lancaster Hospitals.

The book, called He’s Not Naughty, written by Mrs Brownson MBE, is a 67 page illustrated book creating a quick and fun way of explaining to staff, family and friends why children with Autism behave the way they do.

Mrs Brownson MBE said: “The book itself is a small part of what is a much larger project being carried out throughout the Trust.

“We have set up a group called the Autism Improvement Group, whose primarily intention is to raise greater awareness around Autism so that we can improve the experience of patients with Autism across all of the hospitals.

“When my own children were diagnosed with Autism there was no support for parents or carers, nor is there necessarily a tick list that people can follow because any one person with Autism differs to the next.

“Therefore, I have created the book to provide greater detail about the different ways that someone with Autism can be affected."

Brian Evans, Matron for Learning Disability, Autism and complex needs at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT), said: “Deborah Brownson MBE, has kindly donated 30 copies of her fantastic book ‘He’s Not Naughty: A Children’s Guide to Autism’ as part of her commitment to enhancing our services through education.

“The books will be distributed to departments across UHMBT to help service users, families, carers and staff gain an insight and understanding of the diverse needs of individuals on the autistic spectrum.

“We would like to say a huge thank you to Deborah for her kind gift.”

“Future plans for Autism awareness at the Trust include the facilitation of ‘Listening Events’ across Morecambe Bay to gather the thoughts and opinions of individuals, families and carers about their care experiences, and gather ideas on how we can improve our services.

“Hospital Passports are also currently available from the Trust website, including adult and child learning disability passports and a new autism passport, all designed to provide staff with important information about the individual prior to and during Hospital admission.”