"Stay in 3 wards"

I was in cheadle for around a month and maybe a little longer. I stayed on three wards while I was there.

My first stay was on maple, the staff were brilliant on this ward. I’m the first couple of days of my admission, the staff watched me closely as I was showing suicidal behaviours. They were excellent and would always try to distract me by playing board games or even spending an hour outside playing basketball. I was placed on 1-1 shortly after I arrived and the staff continued to be excellent with their techniques to try and help me. The only problem I had on this ward was when an agency staff member fell asleep whilst on my 1-1 and woke me up at 5am snoring. Although this was annoying I was told to inform the manager as soon as I told the staff and they dealt with it straight away. I can’t remember everything that happened, but from the bits I do remember, this ward was brilliant.

After an incident on maple unit and a week or so on 1-1, I was moved to Pankhurst, the female PICU. I was terrified when I arrived on this ward, I had most of my possessions taken from me including my phone and pens that I used to write in my diary. These were the wards rules and I understand completely that they were for my own safety. I cannot complain because they explained everything very well. My medication was increased and the I was given help when I needed it. The staff on this ward were the best staff members I had ever come across. They were friendly, caring and cheerful. The staff would always try to accommodate access on grounds and understood how important it was to patients. The day staff and a couple of the night staff in particular were fantastic. They would go out of their way to help you. The environment itself was very helpful. You do not appreciate the environment until you are well enough to see how much they are trying to help you. The occupational therapy team on this ward were also brilliant. They would always try to help you with anything they could. This ward was the best I have ever been on.

I was moved onto Alder after Pankhurst and although it wasn’t as consistent as the other two wards it wasn’t too bad. The staff on this ward weren’t as helpful as the other wards and wouldn’t always help you when asked but as I was feeling better, I couldn’t really complain about anything. Many other people had a lot of problems their but they are not my own so won’t be included.