"Uncaring & Detremental to Your Recovery"

In SMHT's 'care' & facing homelessness the council asked me to provide a letter from my mental health co-ordinator to support my request for housing.

On 19/5/17, I asked them to add that I was recovering from the trauma of being attacked by 3 strangers in the street in January 2016 & of my friend commiting suicide last November.

They said they would not add it as it was not relevant.

On 1/6/17 a member of Shepway Council's Homelssness Prevention Team said that thyey did need that information on the letter from my MHC.

I rang my MHC to request that they add that to the letter.

Th person said they had already sent the letter off not including that information, when they had already told me they would okay the wording of it with me before doing so.

I rang Ash Eton and was spoken to by one of their admin. assistants covering the receptionaist's lunch break.

The person was condescending, impolite and unhelpful.

When I arrived this treatment continued, I asked for their name which they revealed reluctantly.

then their colleague, another admin assistant standing & chatting to them told me I should not make a complaint about their colleague. I asked for their name.

I was under a great deal of stress and so became angry.

Both employees escalated the situation by behaving in a vindictive manner.

I left the building and cried on a bench that looked as if it was about to break outside.

Once I had composed myself I reentered the building and asked to see my mental health co-ordinator.

Eventually they arrived with another colleague, a mental health nurse (I may be wrong) and in a very aggressive manner (towering over me whilst I was sitting) asked to speak to me with their colleague in private.

I said I did not want to, only to give my MHC the info. the Council homelessness prevention team worker had requested to add to the letter and resend to the council.

They stared at me blankly, so I told them I did not feel at all safe in their 'care' and left.

I am due to begin 1:1 therapy with their psychiatrist at 9am this morning.

I have waited 1 & a half years since I was attacked, insomnia, panic attacks, 5 suicide attempts, 3 sectionings and many public meltdowns & insidents of self harming whilst I have been waiting.

During that time I have rung their Crisis Team, the paging service for which is provided by vodafone - on many occassions they haven't called back, or when they have, have been so uncaring and unprofessional in their counselling skills that I have had to call the samaritans afterwards so that I didn't attempt to commit suicide.

SMHT do not understand that they are dealing with very vulnerable adults - they are the A & E in Shepway for Mental Health.

And yet they treat those in their care without respect or dignity.

They lose records, they do not explain what is happening to those in their care - they do not make them aware of their options or what support is available to them.

In short - they make your mental health worse.