"I was an outpatient at The Priory ..."

What I liked

I was an outpatient at The Priory Chelmsford. The hospital is in a beautiful setting, nicely furnished with very pleasant and helpful staff.

My doctor made me feel valued as a person, was very kind and caring and always treated me with the utmost respect.

I never felt anxious attending appointments knowing I would eb made very welcome and treated so kindly. I had the time I needed to talk, was always included in decion making re medication and / or other treatments. My views were respected and I was never pressured to agree to anything I was unhappy about.

Having copies of my reports at a later date, it was very comforting to note how pleased my doctor was when I made progress, it really made me feel cared for as a person, not just a diagnosis..

I would have no qualms abotu recieving care at any time no matter how disturbed I may be, it is being valued that really matters and I felt valued when it mattered most.

I could always get an appointment at short notice if need be, the quality of care was second to none.

What could be improved

I was very happy as things were.

Anything else?

It can be frightening to battle with mental illness so it is very important that whoever cares for us understands what we are going through. All of the staff really did care, they had the time to give and showed genuine concern when I was very troubled, they were very supportive indeed and that mattered to me a lot.

I have a very long mental health history but was never made ot feel my problems were too old to be of importance, staff understood the affect they had on my life and supported me on my journey back to some degree of normality.

Menatl illness can be very traumatising so it is vital that we can ask for help without fear of what will happen to us, that we know we will be given all the support we need and when we need to see a doctor, one will be available. It is iomportnant that our environment is pleasant and homely,clean and well maintained and that staff find that caring for a patient is more important than filling in bits of paper.

I cannot thank staff enough for the support I recieved as an out-patient, for their warmth and friendliness; and the Dr for making ,me I mattered when it matterd most of all.

Thanks to everyone1