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Reaching out for help and met with silence

Posted By rcbx24

"Reaching out for help and met with silence"

About: The Reset Treatment & Recovery Support Service - Tower Hamlets

(as a service user),

In November 2023, I underwent stomach perforation surgery at Whitechapel Hospital. During my stay, I made sure to communicate all aspects of my physical and mental health to the medical staff. I believed it was crucial to provide comprehensive information not only to receive appropriate treatment but also to address other areas of concern, such as my substance abuse disorder. Upon discharge, I was referred to an organization for further assistance.

Nearly four months later, I received a text message offering an assessment to support my healthcare needs. I promptly responded and expressed my gratitude for the outreach. However, despite confirming my availability, there was no follow-up after the assurance to call me.

This lack of communication left me feeling neglected and disheartened. In my current circumstances, where I am struggling with various challenges, including abuse and mental health issues, the prospect of receiving support from the organization gave me hope. Unfortunately, this hope was quickly dashed by the absence of any further contact.

I understand that organizations like this may face resource constraints and challenges in providing timely assistance to all individuals in need. However, I cannot help but feel deeply disappointed by the apparent disregard for my well-being and the broken promise of support.

As someone who has always prioritized offering care and empathy to others, I find it difficult to reconcile the disparity between the support I extend to others and the lack of reciprocation I have experienced. Despite my own struggles, I have never hesitated to be there for those in need. Yet, in my moment of vulnerability, when I reached out for help, I was met with silence.

This experience has left me questioning my worth and my place in the world. It has reinforced feelings of isolation and despair, making it harder for me to find the strength to carry on.

While I appreciate the initial outreach and the intention behind it, I urge them to consider the impact of certain actions on individuals who are already grappling with significant challenges. A simple follow-up call or message could have made a world of difference to someone in my position.

Thank you for taking the time to read my feedback. I hope it serves as a reminder of the importance of empathy, communication, and follow-through in providing support to those in need.

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Responses

Response from Change Grow Live last month
Change Grow Live

Submitted on 21/03/2024 at 18:54
Published on Care Opinion on 22/03/2024 at 08:02

Dear rcbx24,

Thank you for taking the time to share your story here. My name is Sundeep Thandi, and I am the Services Manager for the Reset Treatment and Recovery Support Service.

I’m really sad and disappointed to hear this has been your experience. I appreciate your understanding that resources can be a challenge for services, but I want to make clear the length of time it you describe it taking to contact you, how you were initially contacted and the lack of follow up you describe, is not in line with our standards and how we want to support people.

We have two Hospital Liaison workers working from the Royal London Hospital (I assume this is the Whitechapel Hospital you refer to) from Monday to Friday. They are able to conduct assessments whilst people are in hospital to make sure they are able to access support from us as soon as they are discharged. We are sorry this doesn’t seem to have happened on this occasion and would like to better understand why this was the case.

In instances where people are referred into us for assessment, we aim to contact them within three days by phone for an initial discussion about their needs. In the past, due to issues with resources and some of our processes we have used text messages to make our first contact with people. Due to similar issues, we have also not responded as quickly as we would like to with referrals. We have worked to improve this, and it should now only be happening if we are not able to get through to someone by phone.

I’m really sorry this has been your experience and left you feeling the way you describe. I’m glad you have chosen to also make a direct complaint to CGL so we have the information we need to be able to investigate what has gone wrong on this occasion. We have contacted you to acknowledge this and let you know next steps and a timeline for further contact from us.

We have also made contact with you separately to see if you still need and want to access support from our service. Whilst we can appreciate this experience may have impacted on your trust in the service, we are able to offer a range of support options that might be of benefit and would very much like the opportunity to provide a more positive experience with us if you are willing to engage with us once more.

Thanks again for raising these concerns.

Yours Sincerely,

Sundeep Thandi

Services Manager

Reset Treatment and Recovery Support Services

sundeep.thandi@cgl.org.uk

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