Nurses at a Somerset hospital staged a "wheelchair race" to ensure that a young man with autism could successfully access dental treatment.

A young patient with autism and learning difficulties had expressed anxiety about attending one of Somerset's acute hospitals for dental treatment.

To get around this anxiety, hospital nurses devised a plan to ensure that the man could attend under the pretence of being part of a race, receiving medication as part of his victory celebration.

NHS Somerset has now published details of the race as an example of how medical professionals can tailor the hospital environment to the needs of individual patients.

The patient's story was published as a case story before the NHS Somerset integrated care board met in Yeovil on Thursday morning (May 25) – though neither the patient's name or the hospital they attended have been released to the public.

Eelke Zoestbergen, NHS Somerset's quality lead officer for communities, mental health, learning disabilities and autism, said the race had been coordinated with the close involvement of both nurses and the man's parents.

She said in her written report: "A young gentleman with learning disabilities and autism had anxiety about coming into hospital for dental surgery.

"Through careful planning with his dental team, family and day surgery medical staff, the Somerset Foundation Trust's acute learning disability liaison nurses were able to facilitate a wheelchair race for the gentleman to participate.

"In this race, the planned outcome that he would receive a trophy and a celebratory drink which would contain his pre-medication."

In addition to staging the race itself, nurse allowed the patient to attend the hospital for "pre-admission orientation visits", as well as admitting him through a side exit on the day of his appointment and ensuring that all staff he encountered were not wearing uniforms.

Ms Zoestbergen continued: "The plan was successfully implemented.

"The gentleman's parents were delighted as a previous attempt to provide the dental treatment had not been successful.

"This intervention was carried out in the individual's best interest, as a Mental Capacity Act assessment had shown that he did not have capacity to consent to dental treatment."