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Care Opinion

I wasted almost two years waiting for help

Posted By Patient2902

"I wasted almost two years waiting for help"

About: Claybrook Centre

(as a service user),

After waiting for more than one year to have a consultation, I talked to a doctor I felt was violent and aggressive towards me. The experience left me severely traumatised, and after 9 months from the consultation I am unable to have a normal life and feel much worse than when I joined the waiting list in May 2021.

I tried to talk about it, asking to see another doctor or asking for help with the trauma I had experienced. However I was promptly dismissed and ignored by everyone involved, including my care coordinator and the people dealing with my formal complaint.

The clinical staff involved stated that I had imagined everything, while the person dealing with the complaint said they could not comment on my experience to protect the doctor's privacy. I am left unsure about the utility of the complaint process.

In the end, I wasted almost two years waiting for help, and only got further trauma, gas-lighting and no help about any old issues, or the new issues caused by being a patient at Claybrook Centre.

In my experience, Claybrook centre is a dangerous place for patients.

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Responses

Response from Paul Gibbs, Patient Experience Lead, West London NHS Trust 14 months ago
Paul Gibbs
Patient Experience Lead,
West London NHS Trust

Submitted on 01/03/2023 at 09:43
Published on Care Opinion at 09:43

Dear Sir/Madam,

Thank you for taking the time to express your concern about the care you received and we are sorry to hear about your experiences of one of our teams.

We apologise for any distress this matter may have caused you. We take complaints and comments seriously and are sorry feel you were not treated with compassion, kindness and respect.

Please can I ask you to make contact with us so we can identify which team you are referring to and to discuss the matter with you. Please contact the PALS team on 0800 064 3330 or email pals@westlondon.nhs.uk

Please accept my sincere apologies and we look forward to hearing from you.

Paul Gibbs

Patient Experience Lead

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Update posted by Patient2902 (a service user)

Dear Mr Gibbs,

Thank you for your kind message.

I have contacted the address you gave me. After a couple of weeks I got an answer saying that there is nothing that can be done and I should complain to the Parliamentary Ombudsman.

However, it's my understanding that most complaints are dismissed and that they only enquire where there is any hard evidence. In this case, the only hard evidence could be recording of the sessions, which I don't have.

My impression is that there is there is virtually no accountability for staff in health services. Unfortunately, it really seems like no one is available or willing to help.

I am sure there are compassionate and hard-working people in the services, including Claybrook Centre, but it is down to luck whether you meet them or not. Reading horror stories about the centre from multiple sources online, it seems that the standard of care is often shameful.

Personally, this further failed attempt to get any help only makes things worse.

Thank you again for trying to help.

Response from Paul Gibbs, Patient Experience Lead, West London NHS Trust 13 months ago
Paul Gibbs
Patient Experience Lead,
West London NHS Trust

Submitted on 31/03/2023 at 21:52
Published on Care Opinion at 21:52

Thank you for your further comments. The NHS complaints process is a full investigation with the outcome provided by written letter. Where the issue is not resolved, the Trust has a second stage which normally includes a face to face meeting where any outstanding points can be discussed and resolved. Should you remain dissatisfied, you can contact the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman. This is a free service which makes the final decision on unresolved NHS complaints. For more information, please refer to NHS complaints guidance - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

I appreciate you may have other comments and I can be contacted via the PALS team and would be pleased to respond to these direct to you,

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Update posted by Patient2902 (a service user)

Dear Mr Gibbs,

I got in touch again after your answer.

You asked me to clarify my concerns by email and I did it.

After that, I have been waiting almost five months without hearing anything back, despite me trying to get in touch with PALS.

In the meantime, I am still struggling very much with the trauma of being a patient of the MINT team at Claybrook Centre.

I do believe this is unacceptable. Why is it taking so long? How much longer do I need to wait?

Best regards.

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