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pain management, fibromyalgia

Posted By gianetti

"pain management, fibromyalgia "

About: Newton Abbot Community Hospital

(as the patient),

Just to say that whilst I feel, on the whole, let down by mental health services I feel very met in the mental distress of chronic pain.

The consultant clinical psychologist in charge of pain management at Torbay works with me at Newton Abbott Hospital. I find her warm, intelligent, engaged and an inspiration. She is friendly and open with staff and patients alike, I feel like a human being in a positive hospital community that cares.

This contrasts greatly with feeling dehumanised during an inpatient stay at Torbay. Newton Abbott models an ideal hospital environment that is genuinely healing even if cure is not possible!

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Responses

Response from Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust 10 years ago
Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust

Submitted on 28/08/2013 at 10:17
Published on Care Opinion at 10:34

Dear Gianetti

Thank you for taking the time to comment.

We are pleased to hear your feedback regarding our consultant clinical psychologist and will share your comments with the team.

We are, however, sorry to learn about your negative experience during your inpatient stay at Torbay Hospital. We would like the opportunity to discuss your experience with you and try our best to resolve it.

If you are happy to talk to us about this, please contact our Patient Advice & Liaison Service (PALS) so they can look into your situation in more detail.

A PALS Officer is available in person, Monday to Friday, between 10.00am and 2.00pm. You can contact them by calling 01803 655838 or on our 24 hour freephone number 0800 02 82 037. If you get through to the voicemail service please leave your contact details and you will receive a call back within two working days. PALS can also be contacted by Text Phone on 01803 654742, by FAX on 01803 617162, or via email to sdhc@nhs.net (your email will go direct to our PALS Service).

We look forward to hearing from you so that we can address the issues you have raised.

Kind regards.

Update posted by gianetti (the patient)

I haven't shared the depths of my worst experiences because they are excruciatingly painful and humiliating. There are also accounts on the internet of people being black listed by consultants and not receiving the treatment they need because they have made complaints.

When I have complained directly, even if very politely it has not on the whole been met well by the medical profession, though constructively voiced and well meant.

I am nervous about contacting PALS because I am too vulnerable physically and emotionally to be able to withstand any vituperative reactiveness on the part of consultants. I also don't want to feel led down a garden path where I am not heard but the needs of an indifferent bureaucracy are met by being simply seen to be effectively dealing with a complaint.

I would like to know whether talking to PALS is confidential in the first instance and/or there is a sense of safely being able to raise issues of great concern and delicacy in a supportive context?

Response from Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust 10 years ago
Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust

Submitted on 30/08/2013 at 16:28
Published on Care Opinion at 16:35

Thank you for your further note Gianetti.

I can absolutely assure you that the PALS service can guarantee anonymity if this is what you would like. They would only ever share details if you agreed to it.

Please do contact the team as per the contact details above so that they can help you try to resolve this issue.

Best wishes.

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