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"Left with no support, no medication, no therapy"

About: Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust / Adult mental health

(as a service user),

I was involved with CMHT for a while, aiming for some therapy and medication. I was assigned a psychologist and found out I had a diagnosis already that I knew nothing about for over 10 years. I then researched and did work with the psychologist to find I didn't meet the criteria for said diagnosis.  We agreed to raise this with my psychiatrist at the time they refused to listen,  continuously told me I wanted a cure and wanted medication to cure my problems when I actually wanted help and medication for mood fluctuations,  depression and severe anxiety and panic attacks.

I had to fight nearly 3 years, gave up and asked for change in psychiatrist, who saw me around 2 times and re-diagnosed something else just based on trauma rather than what I feel was a proper assessment.  Multiple times they stated they would sort medication out for me which I had waited 2 years on, leaving me on an opioid drug for 2 years which I'm now addicted to, which was only supposed to be short term.

The new psychiatrist then removed the support I had, which was my psychologist,  due to it needing to end? No medication in place, no actual plan in place and staff contradicting themselves around assigning care coordinator. For the psychiatrist to then tell me that the people dealing with my care were actually not being honest with me? And that they were going to call social services on me (for no reason may I add as to why they where doing this).

A previous nurse at the same place had told me I was a problem, and that I will be fine because people with my diagnosis usually recover within a few mins (bearing in mind I didn't have this diagnosis anyway) so leaving me in crisis.

This happened on two occasions , they also complained to ambulance crew about me,  telling them they needed to take me away because I was causing problems! I was promised therapy, medication and support and a care company and recieved nothing. I have not been discharged because I struggled with what the psychiatrist said around them not being honest with me and they needed to tell them to stop and that if I felt suicidal they would continue to call social services.

The centre receptionists never answer calls, talk about patients at their desks, and while they put you on hold, snaffle about being in when they are in.  You can hear them in the background saying to tell you they aren't in when they clearly are. I feel they unfortunately stigmatise against certain disorders, they don't liaise properly with each other, causing confusion and upset and misunderstanding to very vulnerable people. I class myself as vulnerable,e and left with no support,  no medication,  no therapy, and feeling like a failure in myself, and hating the new diagnosis that I don't fully agree with as well.

Left feeling stigmatised, left feeling like it's my fault for their mistakes and failings. Left feeling unsupported, and uncomfortable from hearing staff speak rudely about patients in crisis (exclaiming oh they're always suicidal, it's fine) and talking about other staff members in a bad manner. No actual real reason why I've been discharged? And no proper medication in place after it? Get given a severe mental illness diagnosis and sent away with it to manage alone? A staff manager agreed that the service has messed up and done wrong but yet they can't do anything about it and they don't know why it happened, all they know is it shouldn't have been done?

A complaint to PALS has also been raised but they are failing to follow up the complaint.  They have made contact twice but disappear for months without any investigation being done. This is St. Mary's house who have failed me, but I'm punished for their failings? Tried to raise it elsewhere to no avail? 

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Responses

Response from Sam Marshall, Head of Patient Experience, Leeds and York NHS Partnership NHS Foundation Trust 6 months ago
Sam Marshall
Head of Patient Experience,
Leeds and York NHS Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Submitted on 06/10/2023 at 16:56
Published on Care Opinion at 17:12


picture of Sam Marshall

Dear Reabea

I am aware that these issues are also being addressed through the formal complaints process. Therefore we are not able to comment in any detail on Care Opinion, but we are committed to addressing the issues raised through that process and hope to move things forward with you.

Kind regards

Sam

  • {{helpful}} {{helpful == 1 ? "person thinks" : "people think"}} this response is helpful

Update posted by Reabea (a service user)

Hi,

Yes been going on for over a year and was told it probably wouldn't amount to much by the lady dealing with the issues raised.

It's not about complaints it's about making change in the service for service users seeking help, but being told wrong information and leaving them feeling they have to get specialist funding and specialist care by a specialist doctor, which is merely impossible as there is no funding available for any of us.

Then being told they can't help, because of a diagnosis given that needs this specialist care. The CMHT who can help but need more training and training in those areas to stop patients being turned away or told they are too complex to deal with.

Amongst other issues which I raised with the lady dealing with this for me which isn't detailed on here.

Things need to change, not just for myself but for others too.

Thanks for the response. I'm sure I'll be speaking to PALS again soon.

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