"Negative impact of lack of joined up care"

I am in my late teens and have had issues with urology and mental health for a number of years. I was unable to attend the last three years of school due to the severity of my health conditions. I had to do self-directed learning from home throughout all my exam years. 

My experience with NHS Tayside care has been extremely disappointing and has had a detrimental effect on my quality of life and inhibited my normal teenage experiences and development. To my knowledge I have not received any official diagnosis and have only had one diagnostic test over the past four years. Notes of a consultation last July were not even taken therefore the referral I needed for one to one physio did not happen. I had waited a year for this referral only to chase it up and find out this was the case. 

Incidentally, I am still waiting for this physio referral/appointment. Urology had also previously left my information at PRI for three months before this for my initial consultation, also leading to delay.

All my experiences with the mental health team (CAHMS) were mostly telephone calls with rare appointments with the psychiatrist only to discuss medication. I experience multiple breathing and muscle tics and have done over the past few years. I had these mildly while at school but have got significantly worse within the last few years.  Had someone seen me for more than ten minutes on a video call they may have noticed and diagnosed or explored the underlying cause for these.

I was discharged from CAHMS on a high dosage of antidepressants with no follow-up/onward referral. My mum had to push the surgery for urgent referral to the Community Mental Health Team who I saw recently at PRI as she noticed a relapse of self-harming. I am now awaiting a psychology appointment due to this assessment. 

I contacted my GP December 2022 and March 2023 because of debilitating depressive episodes which, along with my urology issues, were impacting my ability to cope at university. Despite having two letters written for extenuating circumstances, there was no contact from the GP regarding my welfare. I contacted them again as I was concerned the contraceptive pill I take to regulate my periods was perhaps making this worse as I'd have severe dips before and after my period. I was told only to 'exercise more' and 'hang out with my friends'.

This was particularly hard as I do not have any friends, the few that I had stopped communicating with me fairly soon after I was unable to attend school some years ago. Since then I have had to take a leave of absence from university as nothing was happening to support me with urology and mental health and I was unable to cope. I had to leave half way through my first year.

I have also been on the waiting list for three years for a breast reduction as that has had a big impact on my mental and physical health; this is not due to being overweight. I understand that COVID had a major impact on these types of procedures. However I experience severe back pain and exercising, which would benefit my mental and physical health, is very difficult.

Sadly I have no faith or trust in the NHS anymore. NHS Scotland talk about patient centred holistic care, seeing the right person at the right time to provide the right care. This has not been my experience. I hope by writing this changes are made for me and other people of similar circumstances.