Mental Health Services

[nailit]

I know that both ummmm and minty have worked in mental health and andy-hughes has talked (rather candidly I think) about his time spent in a psych hospital. My own issues, everyone here knows about, but has anyone else here had experience of NHS mental health services and if so what did you think about them?
(I'll explain a bit later my reasons for asking, just wanted to get a bit of feedback if possible) Thanks.

[pastafreak]

Hi nailit. I was looking for something I *thought* I'd heard on BBC news this morning. Instead, I found this article...which may be related. Any way...I've not read it all yet, but it may be of interest to you.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/mar/21/failing-mental-healthcare-violating-basic-human-rights

[murraymints]

good one Pasta... seems typical !

[ummmm]

Hi Nailit. The hospital I worked in was a private one although they did take NHS patients. So I don't really have experience of the NHS mental health service xx

[emmie]

i have been in a couple of hospitals, one i didn't know i was in until months went by, the state of my mind must have been really gone. The experience wasn't particularly pleasant as i recall some of the treatment, being talked to roughly, and not being listened to particularly.
I spent months in 2014 in one and i don't want to repeat the experience. They aren't nice jolly places but to my mind places of confinement, somewhere to stick a person because there is no where else for them to go.
the experiences of being incarcerated will live with me forever.

[murraymints]

Alas that was the case in the hossie I worked at...some patients had been in for years as there was nowhere else to place them... very sad.. after I left I did some whistle blowing which resulted in a few dismissals ..is now closed, wonder what became of the patients ? Hopefully got better care elsewhere

[emmie]

many end up on the streets, that is a sad fact of life.
it was a miracle i came to and got my life back together, not before having ECT treatment, against my wishes i might add.

[ummmm]

So that's why my experience differs. Depending what ward I was working on (It's a big hospital that deals with a big range of mental health services) the patients had access to activities every day. Obviously it was their choice if they took part. Except the juveniles, they had no choice or they'd be marked down.

I never witnessed any member of staff being anything but nice and caring.

[emmie]

we were more or less at a loose end each day, you only saw the head honcho occasionally, which doesn't help at all. NHS mental health need to be more open and let people do activities if they want, i can't recall doing much at all, except at night when the patients were invited to the lounge for coffee, tea and some cakes,
sounds nice but the place was purgatory.

[ummmm]

Sounds awful, Emmie. My hospital has a golf course, gyms, swimming pool, a cafe and a couple of shops. We used to do day outings to places like Alton Towers, we'd take them to town. Some were far away from their families so they'd be taken for home stays and the hospital paid for staff to stay near by.

It's so expensive though so I do understand why the NHS struggle with it.

[anneasquith]

The Priory ummm?

[ummmm]

No, Anne, St Andrews, Northampton. They have quite a lot of different types of patients.

[anneasquith]

All " private " patients ?

[ummmm]

No....mainly NHS, people transferred from prison, juveniles who are obviously not self funding. Costs about £500 a day. That's why the NHS are struggling with mental health services.

[ummmm]

Going back to Nailits thread about his son and GF. A&E HATE self harmers. They view them as bed blockers.

[nailit]

Thank you all for further replies and thanks for the link pasta., Sorry I didn't get back to this thread last night, had to go out.
Ummm's right about A&E hating self harmers, I'm not a self harmer but if I was A&E would be the last place I'd go if I needed help.

[anneasquith]

Times have changed ummm, re the attitude of medical/ nursing staff re " self harm " they rarely are " bed blockers"as they tend to get treatment and leave with or without medical advice .

[ummmm]

Depends what type of self harm they're doing, Anne.

[anneasquith]

There are different types ?

[ummmm]

Yes. Some swallow things, some insert things, some cut. It's all a form of self harm.

[anneasquith]

I understand .